TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Randy W. Roberts, a sports historian, will give a public lecture in 205 Gorgas Library on The University of Alabama campus, Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 4:30 p.m.

The lecture, entitled “When Boxing Mattered: Joe Louis, America and the World,” is sponsored by the Frances S. Summersell Center for the Study of the South.

Named for the wife of former history department chairman Charles Summersell, the Center is dedicated to promoting the history of the South through public lectures, research projects, conferences and internships.

Roberts specializes in recent U.S. history, U.S. sports history and the history of popular culture. He is the author of more than 10 books, including biographies of boxers Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey. Roberts is a professor at Purdue University, and he was recognized as 2006 Indiana Professor of the Year.

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Kari Frederickson, director of the Frances S. Summersell Center for the Study of the South, at 205/348-1862.

The UA history department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the “USA Today” Academic All American Team.