Geneva, N.Y.: Historic Geneva's first program of the 2021 Fall Lecture Series on innovators and innovation will be “Glenn Curtiss, King of the Air: What He Did, How He Did It, Why It Matters,” by Kirk House on Monday, October 18 at 7 p.m.
With an eighth-grade education, Hammondsport native Glenn Curtiss built an industrial-technical giant that dwarfed its competitors in the field of early aviation. What were his contributions—and how did an untutored small-town boy make himself so successful in this cutting-edge field of engineering? How did his corporation affect Hammondsport and the Finger Lakes? Join Kirk House at the Geneva History Museum to learn the answers to these questions.
Kirk House served as director and/or curator of the Glenn Curtiss Museum for six years. He is the author of the biography and technical study Hell-Rider to King of the Air: Glenn Curtiss’s Life of Innovation, published by Society of Automotive Engineers. He has also authored or co-authored 13 photo-history books and writes periodically for Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine. He is currently Director of Steuben County Historical Society.
This lecture will be presented in person at the Geneva History Museum and simulcast virtually through Zoom. Masks will be required for all in-person attendees. Advance registration is required for virtual participation. To register, participants should visit the program event page on the Historic Geneva website event calendar. The necessary login information will be sent to registrants via email 24 hours prior to the program. For any problems with registration or to register by phone, call the Historic Geneva office at 315-789-5151. Registrations must be complete before 12:00 noon, October 18, the day of the program.
This program is supported in part by the Samuel B. Williams fund for programs in the Humanities and is free and open to the public. For more information about the program, call the Geneva Historical Society office at 315-789-5151 or visit historicgeneva.org.
The Geneva History Museum is located in the Prouty-Chew House at 543 South Main Street, Geneva, NY. Parking is on the street or in the Trinity Episcopal Church lot across the street.
The Geneva History Museum is owned and operated by Historic Geneva, formerly the Geneva Historical Society. Historic Geneva tells the stories of Geneva, New York at the Geneva History Museum, Rose Hill Mansion, and Johnston House, and online at historicgeneva.org.