Westminster College's Faculty Forum Opens with "Genetic Evidence"

Dr. James A. Perkins, professor of English, opens the Westminster College Faculty Forum with "The Case of Jack Burden's Father: The Genetic Evidence" Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 11:30 .m. in Patterson Hall room 311.

"I will show that the ending of All the King's Men has been misread by the critics for over 50 years," said Perkins. "I will use genetic evidence to prove that Judge Irwin is not Jack's father, overturning the assertion of Jack's mother that he is. In fact, Ellis Burden is Jack's father, and therefore Cass Mastern is Jack's great uncle."

Perkins will give this talk with the help of Dr. Patrick McCarthy, professor of biology at Westminster College.

Perkins, who has taught at Westminster since 1973, earned his undergraduate degree from Centre College, a master's from Miami University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.

He was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at Seoul National University in Korea. His publications include: three chapbooks of poetry; two collections of short stories; Southern Writers at Century's End, and All the King's Men: Three Stage Versions.

For more information, contact Perkins at (724) 946-7347 or e-mail jperkins@westminster.edu.

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