Findlay, Ohio, March 5, 2003 —Paul Chwialkowski, associate professor of history, political science and law and the liberal arts, will address “Northwest Ohio in 1803 – Life and Hardship in the Black Swamp,” while Douglas Switzer, assistant professor of communication, talks about “Ohio and the Wrath of Mother Nature” on Monday, March 17, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union, Multi-Purpose Room.

This is the second in a series of seven events sponsored by The University of Findlay to celebrate Ohio’s bicentennial.

Chwialkowski will discuss the difficult conditions of life in northwest Ohio in the early 1800s. He will describe life in the “Black Swamp” as early settlers grappled with Native Americans, the harsh climate, a total lack of amenities, and perhaps the most bothersome of all, hordes of mosquitoes. Marked by the “worst road” in all of America, northwest Ohio’s earliest pioneers lived a life that, even measured by the standard of living at the time, was almost intolerable.

Chwialkowski earned his Ph.D. in history from Duke University and his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Toledo.

Switzer will explore the natural disasters that have struck Ohio, including tornadoes, blizzards, floods and even earthquakes. Although Switzer has lived and worked on the doorstep to Tornado Alley and the potential New Madrid, Missouri, earthquake zone, it was an experience in Ohio in 1965 that motivated him to study and observe natural disasters. He and his family survived the deadly Palm Sunday tornado outbreak that devastated parts of Hancock County.

Switzer joined The University of Findlay as an assistant professor of communication in August 2002. He received degrees in communication from Muskingum College and Bowling Green State University. He also has pursued graduate studies in geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.

For more information, contact Charlene Hankinson, executive director of university relations, at 419-434-4515.