Learning in Retirement: Darrell Dexter Presents: Famous Visitors to Cairo, Illinois
Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/15/2026
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Location
Giant City Lodge
Categories
Darrell Dexter Presents: Famous Visitors to Cairo, Illinois
Darrell Dexter, author of several award-winning books on southern Illinois History, will be the presenter at the Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement Annual Luncheon at Giant City Lodge on Wednesday, April 15. Darrell will offer an interactive presentation featuring portraits of notable individuals who have visited the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, specifically, Cairo, Illinois. Among the visitors are 10 U.S. Presidents, five renowned authors, several entertainers, many Civil Rights leaders, and even some infamous outlaws. After a display of a portrait, the audience will have a few seconds to guess the name of the famous person before his or her identity is revealed. A brief explanation will show why the person is considered famous, and information about what brought them to Cairo or the confluence will follow.
Darrell is retired from full-time teaching, having taught 4th grade, middle school, high school, and college level classes. He’s authored several award-winning books on southern Illinois history, including Bondage in Egypt-Slavery in Southern Illinois (available this fall from SIU Press) and is co-author of Pulling Off the Sheets: The Second Ku Klux Klan in Deep Southern Illinois. He’s also the editor of Stained with Blood and Tears: Lynchings, Murder and Mob Violence in Cairo, Illinois, 1909-1910. Dexter lives in rural Jonesboro.
This presentation, free and open to the public, will begin at 10:30 am at Giant City Lodge. A coffee, tea and conversation social hour begins at 9:30 am. Staying for the 12 pm luncheon is by reservation only. The cost is $28 and includes gratuity. Call SIU Events and Outreach at 618-536-7751 to make your reservation. For the luncheon menu or for more information about SILIR go to the website: https://conferenceservices.siu.edu/silir and click on Monthly Newsletter.