The IUPUC Alumni Association will host the lecture “Zimbabwe Bound,” on Friday, January 14th in the Columbus Learning Center. The event will begin at noon in the Summerville Room (1400).

IUPUC Division of Business faculty member, Larita Killian, Ed.D., will lecture from her book, “Zimbabwe bound.” The 180-page book was published by the University of Indianapolis Press in 2010.

Zimbabwe Bound chronicles the journey of Anna Mackenzie, from her childhood in the U.S., to her long-distance romance with South African Kenneth Mackenzie, and finally her struggle to forge a new home in colonial Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

“I met Almeda Fribley in the small town of Bourbon, Indiana where Anna was born and raised.  Almeda told me about Anna’s amazing life, and then she told me her basement trunk was full of letters from Africa,” Killian said. “She offered to give me the letters if I would write Anna’s story.”

The trunk contained more than 200 letters dating from 1929 to 1960, written by Anna and missionary friends.

“Writing the book gave me a window into some incredible history: first-person accounts of orphan trains and homesteading on the Rhodesian veldt; the intricate negotiations between Anna and indigenous Africans; and missionary letters describing the burial of tribal chiefs,” Killian said.

The lecture is part of the IUPUC Alumni Association Connecting for Lunch series. It is free and open to the public. Drinks will be provided. Guests should bring their own lunch.

Reservations are recommended by calling 812-314-8632 or by sending an e-mail to bjtaulbe@iupuc.edu.