News Release

Brian Kokensparger to Present "Blazing the First Internet"

You are viewing ARCHIVED content

This content was published online before January 20, 2025. Please note that this content is NOT UPDATED, and links may not work. For current information, visit https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm.

Join Brian Kokensparger for this FREE program on Tuesday, June 25th at 7pm!

Courtesy of Brian Kokensparger

News Release Date: June 20, 2024
Contact: Eric Grunwald, 308-436-9700
Contact: Justin Cawiezel, 308-436-9717

Join us at Scotts Bluff National Monument on Tuesday, June 25^th at 7:00pm for the FREE program “John A. Creighton: Blazing the First Internet.” Portraying Creighton, Brian Kokensparger helps the audience envision the building of the first “Internet”– the first transcontinental telegraph. Although his brother, Edward, was the chief superintendent of the project, John was in a unique position to observe the installation of the line and did his share to help the Creighton crew win the race to Salt Lake City. At the end of this Chautauqua-style program, Kokensparger comes out of character to make connections between today’s Internet and the telegraph network.

Brian Kokensparger was born and raised in Perry County, Ohio, which also was the childhood home of Edward and John A Creighton. He was raised on a Christmas tree farm and was the first in his family tree (no pun intended) to attend a university and complete a college degree. He came to Creighton as a student in 1985, and began working full time there in 1988, taking on several staff roles in the Fine & Performing Arts department (as department administrative assistant and promotion coordinator), the College of Arts & Sciences Deans’ Office (as academic advisor, technology coordinator, and assessment coordinator), and the computer arrhythmia monitoring department (as systems programmer) on the hospital side.

This presentation is made possible by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Scotts Bluff National Monument and Black Hills Parks and Forests Association as part of the Humanities Nebraska Speakers Bureau. For information detailing the available speakers and guidelines for booking them, please access the Humanities Nebraska website at www.humanitiesnebraska.org (Speakers section) or contact Humanities Nebraska at 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 330, Lincoln, NE 68508, phone [phone], fax [phone] or e-mail [e-mail].

Tags: evening program, transcontinental telegraph

RSS Feed | What is RSS?