FARMINGTON – The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Maine at Farmington will host a Women in History Banquet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the North Dining Hall, Olsen Student Center.

The event will begin with a reception followed by dinner at 6 p.m. and the evening’s program at 7 p.m. titled “The Secret Life of Women’s Studies,” which will feature the candid stories of those who were integral to the women’s studies community in its formative years.

The program also pays tribute to Lee Sharkey, UMF assistant professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies, as she plans her retirement from the university after 17 years.

Sharkey contributed to the development of the UMF’s Women’s Studies Program, serving as its director from 1996 to 2002. Under her leadership, women’s studies developed into a major whose students pursue graduate school and careers in social services and community activism.

Sharkey was the recipient of the 2006 Maryann Hartman Award, which recognizes Maine women whose accomplishments inspire others; and she is an active participant in Women in Black, an international movement that promotes nonviolent resolution of political conflicts. A new book of her poems, “A Darker, Sweeter String,” will be out this spring.

Ticket prices are $12 and can be purchased at Mickey’s Hallmark and Calico Patch in Farmington and by contacting the UMF Women’s and Gender Studies Center at 778-7387. For more information, contact UMF Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies Alice Adams at 778-7162, or [email protected].