Salem Museum Assistant Director Alex Burke
The Price We Paid: The World and the War to End All Wars
The First World War, with troop mobilizations, sickness and death on a scale not seen before, had a profound impact both globally and locally. Its aftereffects continued to influence the decades to come. Alex Burke, the Salem Museum’s assistant director, will discuss these impacts in a talk on Monday, February 17, at 7 p.m. The talk will be held at the Salem Museum, and is free and open to the public.
In his talk, The Price We Paid: the World and the War to End All Wars, Burke explores the impact of the First World War on the 20th century and beyond. He will discuss how technological improvements and political, national and social changes impacted the decade that followed WWI and how it still impacts the world we live in today.
Alex Burke is the Assistant Director of the Salem Museum. A Salem native, he graduated from both Glenvar High School and Roanoke College. At Roanoke, he studied history with a major focus on the American Civil War and 18th Century America. He has been associated with the Salem Museum since 2014 through internships, volunteering and working from a part-time employee to full-time. He is the chief historian, exhibit designer and speaker for the Museum. His exhibits include The Price We Paid, last year’s acclaimed exhibit about WWI, and also an upcoming exhibit about Salem in the Roaring Twenties set to open on February 22. Burke has become a sought-after speaker for history-oriented groups and civic clubs across the Roanoke Valley.
- Submitted by Fran Ferguson, Salem Museum Executive Director