Communications Instructor To Participate in "Meet and Greet"

On Friday, March 20th, Bill Bachman, senior instructor of communications at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, will be participating in a "meet and greet" at Barnes and Noble located in the Arena Hub Plaza. Bachman, the writer/producer of The Lattimer Massacre, a fascinating old-time radio drama with a full cast recreating a local tragedy, will be signing CDs beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The Lattimer Massacre is the historical retelling, through radio drama and music, of the Lattimer Massacre of 1897, which occurred near Hazleton, PA. The radio drama is the result of nearly four years of research Bachman completed on the event, which pitted coal company owners, the sheriff of Luzerne County, and striking miners against each other, with deadly consequences.

"The Lattimer Massacre was produced as an old-time radio program so that audience members can create their own vivid scenery and settings as we share the story of this tragic coal-mining incident," says Bachman.

Lattimer was one of the most violent labor strikes in the United States, which occurred with deadly outcomes on September 10, 1897.

"Through the use of old-time radio as the communications medium to tell the story, an audience can travel back in time to the days leading up to what happened at Lattimer and the trial that followed," explains Bachman.

Bachman is recognized for his work in media with historic themes and is the recipient of multiple national Telly Awards for the documentaries "Historic Wyalusing," and "Round and Round," a feature dealing with the art of hand-carved antique carousels and the locations in which they currently reside. He is also the recipient of the Hayfield Award for Creative Excellence for the 2007 historic documentary film on the life of the colonial child, Frances Slocum, who was captured by Delaware Indians in the fall of 1778. Bachman has also served as a Commonwealth Speaker with the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.