'Books That Made a Difference' series to begin Feb. 6

Thursday, January 31, 2013
Diana LaViolette

Diana LaViolette and Doug Harms will be the first presenters for "Books That Made a Difference," a new series offered by the Putnam County Public Library and DePauw University libraries.

The series will feature local personalities who will speak about a book that has had a significant impact on his or her life, followed by discussion.

The first chapter is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 11:40 a.m. in the second-floor community meeting room at Starbucks in downtown Greencastle.

It will be a brown bag event, so attendees should feel free to bring their lunch. Coffee and dessert will be provided.

Judge LaViolette will discuss the influence of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, while Harms will discuss the influence that "The Mind's I" by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett has had on him professionally and personally.

Doug Harms

A longtime resident of Greencastle, LaViolette has been active in the community for many years. She taught briefly at North Putnam High School and at the Women's Prison for more than four years.

She worked as a deputy prosecutor for 11 years, served as Putnam Circuit Court and then Senior Judge since 1993.

She serves on the Putnam County Library Board, the Putnam County Community Foundation Scholarship committee and is actively involved with the Putnam County Museum.

At the beginning of her retirement, she says she's happy to have more time to travel, play with grandchildren and read.

Harms, meanwhile, has taught computer science at the college level since 1981, arriving at DePauw in 1998. He has taught several service learning courses and works to promote community engagement activities in coursework at DePauw.

He has led six service trips to El Salvador, San Diego and Mexico where he and his students have learned about homelessness, poverty, social justice and border issues, and worked on construction, public health and technology projects.

Harms is active in Boy Scouts and enjoys spending time with his wife and five children.

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