James Myall

James Myall will return to the Franco-American Collection in Lewiston on Tuesday, October 4 at 7 p.m. as the presenter of a program called “Sous les Drapeaux: Franco-American Voices from the Front Lines.” Mayall, who served as coordinator of the Collection from 2011 to 2014, will look at various unique aspects of Franco-Americans’ experiences serving in the U.S. armed forces, including divided national identities, use of the French language, and questions of patriotism and discrimination before, during and after wartime.

Part of the ongoing series “Franco-Americans During Wartime: A Heritage of Service,” which began last spring, the program is free and open to the public. It will take place in Room 170 at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College.

Myall holds a master’s degree in ancient history and archaeology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and a master’s degree in public policy and management from the University of Southern Maine. During his tenure as coordinator of the Franco-American Collection, he also served as an adjunct professor of American history and government at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College.

He was the executive director of the Freeport Historical Society from 2014 until joining the Maine Center for Economic Policy as a policy analyst in December 2015. He was a consultant for the State Legislative Task Force on Franco-Americans in 2012 and is the co-author of the book “The Franco-Americans of Lewiston-Auburn” (History Press: 2015).

The “Franco-Americans During Wartime” series was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of its Common Heritage Grant Program to help preserve historical materials by making digital copies of items held by the community. The final event in the series will be a Digitization Day on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when members of the local Franco-American community will be asked to bring in their wartime-related materials to be digitized.

USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College is located at 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston. The Collection is usually open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., although it is best to call ahead to confirm. For more information, call 753-6545, email janet.roberts@maine.edu, or see http://usm.maine.edu/franco.