Learn from letters, diaries, and publications about the impact of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic on the lives of the soldiers fighting during WWI and the families on the home front - especially those in New England.

Watch on YouTube: 1918 Flu Pandemic: Voices from the Past

Our speaker is Waltham High School graduate Russell A. Johnson (WHS ’76). Russell has been Curator for History of Medicine and the Sciences at UCLA Library Special Collections since 2008. Along with a B.A. in Psychobiology from Bowdoin College, he holds Masters degrees in Physiological Psychology (now known as Behavioral Neuroscience) and Library & Information Studies from UCLA. Russell was honored twice as UCLA Librarian of the Year: in 2009, for building a collection of baby record books, which opened up a new area in historical childhood studies; and in 2019, for mentorship and outreach, including noteworthy teaching with rare and unique materials.