Dr. Jason Davis has just announced the program for the 9th Annual Cotton Belt Symposium. The keynote speaker this year is Joe Strapac. Greetings Fellow Railroad Enthusiasts, The 9th Annual Cotton Belt Railroad Symposium will take place at the Sam Rayburn Student Center on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce (Commerce, Texas 75429) on Friday evening, 5:00pm - 8:00pm, and Saturday, 8:19am - mid-afternoon, October 3-4, 2014. This is a free, public event to share, document, preserve, and celebrate the legacy and experiences of the employees and families connected to the railroads throughout the Ark-La-Tex-oma region. This year's featured speaker is Joe Strapac, renowned railroad author and historian. He is well known for his book, Cotton Belt Locomotives, the definitive guide to motive power on the St. Louis South-western Railway. Friday, 5:00pm-8:00pm, will feature a presentation by Mr. Strapac on Cotton Belt's Diesel Locomotives and our traditional show & tell mixer. Saturday, registration opens at 8:19am with the program beginning around 9:00am. Activities include a panel discussion; a luncheon featuring live musical entertainment; a NETEX/Blacklands Railroad (former Cotton Belt C-branch) update by Blacklands president, Wayne Defebaugh; the Keynote Address by Joe Strapac on Cotton Belt's Steam Locomotives; and other programs to be announced. Program admission is free. For additional information, visit the Symposium website at http://www.CottonBeltRoute.com/ or contact Jason Davis at Jason.Davis@tamuc.edu or 903-886-8066. See you in Commerce on the first weekend in October, -Jason Email address change -- new: Jason.Davis@tamuc.edu old: Jason_Davis@tamu-commerce.edu ~~~ Jason Lee Davis, PhD KB5YBP Associate Professor of Technology Management | 903-468-8682 Department of Engineering & Technology | Texas A&M University-Commerce Jason.Davis@tamuc.edu | Jason@JDavis.us | http://www.JDavis.us/ ~~~ The Annual Cotton Belt Railroad Symposium @ TAMU-Commerce | October 3-4, 2014. http://www.CottonBeltRoute.com/ Honoring the Legacy of the St.L.S-W. RY and area railroads. Cotton Belt Symposium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/169986873071642/