Documentary on Beaver politician to premiere
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BEAVER - The Beaver Area Heritage Foundation will premiere its new video documentary, “Saint or Sinner: The Complex Legacy of Senator Matthew Stanley Quay,” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at Beaver Station Cultural and Event Center.
The documentary is part of this year’s free exhibit about Quay at the Beaver Area Heritage Museum. Each museum guest is asked to vote on her or his own decision on the question, with the final tally of ballots to be announced at year-end. at beaverheritage.org
The professionally produced video features an exclusive interview with 100-year-old James A. Kehl, retired University of Pittsburgh professor, author of the definitive Quay biography entitled "Boss Rule in the Gilded Age: Matt Quay of Pennsylvania." Kehl's insights are accompanied by a rich portfolio of images from the Heritage Museum and other sources. Quay was a U.S. senator from Beaver who at one time was chairman of the Republican National Committee and is perhaps the town’s most famous resident.
Kehl died on Aug. 20, 2022, four months after the taping, while the video was still in production.
The exhibit includes a wide array of original, vintage photographs and papers from Quay’s life and career, dating from his birth in 1833 to death in Beaver in 1904. These include more than a dozen political cartoons from some of the country’s leading contemporary newspapers and magazines, images of Quay and his friends and landmark sites, and one-of-a-kind documents.
"Dr. Kehl is eloquent in revealing Quay’s personality and sources of power," Roberta Good, vice president of the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation, said. "He also talks candidly about Quay’s relationships with presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Benjamin Harrison, and famed British author Rudyard Kipling, and he describes Quay’s appreciation for minorities and Civil War veterans."
Good said, "The exhibit and documentary help us understand a much different political era of 125 years ago, when the rules were not as rigid as today. This is our first professionally produced documentary. It will enhance our adult education outreach and show that history is right in our own backyard."
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This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Documentary on Beaver politician to premiere
