Come face-to-face with labor and political activist Eugene Debs when West Virginia University turns back the hands of time Monday (Oct. 13) to the 19th and 20th centuries.

Hosted by the WVU Honors Program, humanities scholar Rick Wilson will portray Debs as part of West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program at 8 p.m. in Room G-11 of the Life Sciences Building.

Born in 1855, Debs worked on the railroad as a young man. He later joined and became an influential leader of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. Over time, Debs came to believe industrial rather than craft unions were needed to counter the power of giant corporations and trusts, and he founded the American Railway Union (ARU) in 1893.

When the ARU was crushed by the Pullman strike of 1894, he was convinced that workers also needed, in addition to unions, their own political party. He then founded the American Socialist Party and ran as its candidate for President of the United States five times. In his last presidential bid in 1920, he won almost one million votes even though he was in prison for speaking out against World War I. Always sympathetic to the oppressed, Debs was an advocate for the rights of minorities, women, children and prisoners.

History Alive! is a program that brings historical figures to life. Humanities scholars carefully study the biographies, journals, letters and diaries of their characters. As Eugene Debs, Rick Wilson will dress as the political activist and whenever possible, use Debs’own words in his monologue.

The presentation is intended to actively engage audiences in a dialogue with the character. People are given an opportunity to ask questions, debate and disagree with Debs; and the presenter will”break character”to answer questions and continue the discussion as a researcher rather than the character.