Research Route 66 will kick off a Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series in January, when the first guest is David Dunaway, talking about “The Hidden Voices of Route 66.”
Throughout the series, participants will hear about diverse topics that highlight Route 66’s impact and legacy.
Sessions will cover the history of foodways along the road, American Indian perspectives, the connection between baseball and the highway, atomic history on the route and more. These stories will illustrate how Route 66 has helped shape the United States in the 20th century and continues to influence the nation.
The series will be hosted virtually for free on the second Tuesday of each month during Route 66’s centennial year of 2026.
For those unable to attend live, each session will be recorded and made available on YouTube.
Here is the initial speaker lineup. All sessions are at 2 p.m. Eastern or 11 a.m. Pacific time.
- Jan. 13: David Dunaway, “The Hidden Voices of Route 66”
- Feb. 10: Susan Croce Kelly, “Cy Avery and the Invention of Route 66”
- March 10: Cheryl Eichar Jett, “Women’s Work on Route 66”
- April 14: Michael Wallis, Ken Busby and Rhys Martin, “Mother Road Book, Broad Perspectives”
- May 12: T. Lindsay Baker, “Foodways on Route 66”
- June 9: Jim Ross and Shellee Graham, “Route 66 — The First 100 Years”
The series moderator will be Audra Bellmore.
Dunaway’s presentation is open for registration here. Registration for the other announced speakers will be opened at a later date.
The speaker series is certified as an Official Route 66 Centennial Activity by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission.
(Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series logo courtesy of Kaisa Barthuli)