A retired U.S. Army soldier turned historian will discuss the life and legacy of Joan of Arc during an upcoming talk at Finger Lakes Community College.
Stephen W. Richey, author of “Joan of Arc: The Warrior Saint,” will speak March 17 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Room 2755 on the second floor of the Keuka wing at the college’s main campus in Canandaigua.
The event is free and open to the public. It is part of the college’s History, Culture and Diversity series organized by history professor Robert Brown.
The talk also marks Women’s History Month.
Joan of Arc was a French peasant who lived from 1412 to 1431. Claiming divine guidance, she led French forces during the Hundred Years’ War and later became a national heroine before being executed by the English.
Richey, a Rochester native, served in the U.S. Army from 1977 to 2010. He began as a tank crewman and later graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1984 as an officer of tank troops.
His military career included earning parachutist wings at Fort Benning, two tours in Germany, humanitarian de-mining work in Ethiopia and four wartime tours in Iraq.
Richey earned a master’s degree in history from Central Washington University in 2002.
The presentation will be recorded and later broadcast on Finger Lakes TV and uploaded to the college’s YouTube channel.
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