Kay Rippelmeyer was born on a farm near Valmeyer, Monroe County. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree from UI in English Education, she went on to finish a Master’s degree in Literature at Southern Illinois University and completed all the coursework for a PhD in American Culture. Her presentation will be about the work and activities of the 28 CCC camps in southernmost Illinois between the years 1933-1941, including the two camps at Giant City State Park. She will also discuss information about the camp that worked in Pere Marquette State Park. She will bring copies of her two publications, "Giant City State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps" (2010) and "The Civilian Conservation Corps in Southern Illinois, 1933-1942" (2015), to sell to interested members. A good part of her writing is about the philosophy of the CCC and its role in our country's environmental history. She will also display archival photographs. The program will be on Monday, January 11, 2016, at the First Unitarian Church, 110 E. Third Street in Alton and starts at 7:30 p.m. Attendees and friends are invited to have dinner and meet the speaker at Princivalli's Restaurant, 602 E 3rd St, Alton, IL 62002, starting at 5:30 p.m.