Photograph by George Sakkestad

Jack Leathers lines up an impressive array of speakers as program chairman for the Peninsula Civil War Round Table.

Civil War buff shares history with others

By Shari Kaplan

Although textbook-laden students may feel otherwise, American history is far from a static and stuffy thing of the past--at least for Los Gatan Jack Leathers--especially history concerning the Civil War. For him and other members of the Peninsula Civil War Round Table, history is a living American legacy from which there is a continuous supply of information to be learned and shared.

The president and program chairman of the PCWRT, which has members in the South Bay and on the peninsula, Leathers' love for his country and history is due in part to his ancestors, most of whom were Midwestern farmers and Southern gentlemen. Growing up in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri--the latter still home to the old family farm--the young Leathers learned things from his grandfather that today's youth may find somewhat antiquated. He was taught to address older relatives and superiors as "sir" and to stay on the street-side of the sidewalk when walking with a woman.

Three years as a U.S. Air Force pilot also taught Leathers a thing or two, including--when stationed in the deep South--that some people wish the Union had lost the Civil War, as well as a new outlook on the causes of and solutions to war in general.

As a civilian, Leathers made use of his bachelor's degree in business finance to become a stock and bond broker in Oakland. After five years in the business, he become a corporate lender and banker, first in Chicago and then back in the Bay Area.

Through it all, U.S. history was foremost among his interests. Five years ago, Leathers discovered the Peninsula Civil War Round Table after reading an article in a local newspaper. The peninsula chapter is one of some 500 chapters across the United States of a group that had its genesis in the 1940s, after a Chicago bookstore owner and history buff was persuaded by customers and friends to form a special interest group.

The PCWRT convenes the third Wednesday of each month for a lunch meeting that also includes guest speakers on topics dealing with American history, the Civil War, war and peace and other related topics.

"We are people who care about the intellectual aspects of American history, not just battles, bodies and blood. I love to get together with people and share ideas on things we're all interested in," Leathers says.

"You can sit and read your books at home all day, but at some point, you have to interact with others. We share with our group things they wouldn't hear otherwise," he adds, referring to an impressive monthly lineup of speakers that includes university professors, retired military officers, historians and officers from other branches of the Civil War Round Table. As program chairman, Leathers organizes this schedule, a task he loves because it lets him make connections with others who, like him, believe there is no end to the process of learning history.

And why this passion for the Civil War?

"This was a time when different groups in this country did not agree, and were so adamant in their points of view that they started a war," Leathers explains. "The fact that they were able to settle it, move on and create what I feel is the greatest country in the world is the glory of America."

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Prospective members are welcome at meetings of the PCWRT. For more information, call Leathers at 358-0112.

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