150th anniversary of Poe's death

In honor of Edgar Allan Poe and his time at U.Va., the Associates of the University of Virginia Library and the Raven Society, U.Va.'s academic honor society, will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Poe's death on Oct. 7, at 4 p.m. at the University Chapel.

Open to the public, the program will feature "Better Late Than Never: The Eulogy for Edgar Allan Poe That Should Have Been," a talk given by Ron Furqueron of Historical Impressions, an organization specializing in period performances.

After the program in the chapel, a wreath will be laid at the door of Poe's room, 13 West Range, followed by a rededication of the 1899 Zolnay bust of Poe in Alderman Library. In keeping with the spirit of the day, musical entertainment by the Library's Ad Hoc Chorus will feature some of Poe's poems.

The University Bookstore will offer books by and about Poe for sale at the event. The first 100 people to purchase a book will receive a free T-shirt. Complimentary copies of the booklet, Poe at the University by Irby B. Cauthen Jr., will be given to those attending the event. The booklet includes two letters Poe wrote home to his foster father, John Allan, in which he described fights he witnessed at the University and asked his guardian for soap and a copy of Historiae of Tacitus.

In conjunction with the event, aficionados can view Poe letters on-line from the collections of the University Library, Richmond's Poe Museum and the Valentine Museum. The web site, created by David Seaman, director of the library's Electronic Text Center, is located at: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/poe/