UNM professor David Dunaway said with the upcoming 75th anniversary of Route 66, Americans should take a look at the memorable road and realize that there are many more stories still to be made and told.
Dunaway offered a preview of his soon to be released work “Across the Tracks: A Route 66 Story” during his presentation on Monday in Woodward Hall. His appearance was the first part of the “Evening Under the Stars Lecture Series” sponsored by the UNM Bookstore.
The original highway that allowed access from Chicago to Los Angeles has become a romantic symbol due to the nostalgic memories of millions of pioneers, adventurers, families and travelers who made the route a part of their lives.
“I wanted to go deeper than most books on Route 66 had gone before,” Dunaway said. “I wanted to go into places of Route 66 that had not been explored before.”
Dunaway told a crowd of about 100 students, faculty and community members that, in past years, the weather was more predictable and the “Evening Under the Stars Lecture Series” actually took place outside “under the stars.” Dunaway reassured the audience that the series name would still be relevant as he had brought the stars with him — the voices of the lost people of Route 66.
Dunaway dimmed the lights and turned on a recording as Woodward Hall assumed the atmosphere of an old radio production. He told the audience about encounters and travels on Route 66. He spoke of a period of American history that was not engulfed in technology, such as pagers, cell phones, and e-mail, when Route 66 was the only mode of transportation across the country.
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Dunaway said that for anyone driving Route 66 on a regular basis, it became an old friend. He said it came to represent a deep romanticism of escaping from home and the idea of joy without stopping for all who lived during the prime of Route 66.
Dunaway explained that the Route 66 atmosphere was not one entirely made up of excitement and happiness. Minorities of the region, including Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans, were displaced from their homes to make room for the highway and became victims of the extreme prejudice related to the times. It was these voices that were the most powerful in Dunaway’s radio program, as they discussed the hardships that were associated with Route 66.
One audience member told Dunaway after the dramatic presentation, “Thanks for telling us the ‘rest of the story’.”
The radio recording was taken from sections of Dunaway’s acclaimed radio series, “Across The Tracks: A Route 66 Story.” The program, which incorporates quotes from people of the time period and music by performers such as Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder, can be heard on Nov. 11 on KUNM-89.9 FM
The “Lecture Under The Stars” series continues on July 23 with a presentation by Anthony Conforti. He is a 20-year veteran of television news and producer of Meso-American documentaries. Conforti wrote “Acalan,” his first published work. The book chronicles two historical characters’ journey in search of the mystery of the ancient Maya civilization.
On July 30, Tey Marianna Nunn, curator of the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, discusses her book “Sin Nombre,” which honors the hundreds of Hispano artists in New Mexico who created works of art for the New Deal programs but until now remained nameless.
