Correspondent photo / Bill Koch Mark Dawidziak, who was the guest speaker Saturday at the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society’s monthly speaker series, signs a copy of his book on Edgar Allan Poe for Carol Gordon of Warren. Poe also was the topic of his talk.

LIBERTY — Two dozen people congregated in the meeting room of Denny’s on Belmont Avenue on Saturday morning for the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society’s Memories of a Lifetime series, where the speaker, Mark Dawidziak, gave a presentation on Edgar Allan Poe.

After Warren resident Laurie James greeted guests with accordion music, board chairman Richard Scarsella opened the meeting. He announced that Coitsville Township trustees have purchased the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve from the Mill Creek MetroParks Board for $1. He expressed hope that Coitsville will be able to provide improved care for the property where McGuffey spent his childhood.

The preserve and its pond have been at the center of a controversy between the society and the MetroParks board for several years, with the society claiming the preserve was not being adequately cared for and maintained.

Scarsella then introduced the speaker, Dawidziak, a former reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal who has published 25 books since 1982.

Dawidziak said although he has read everything by and about Poe and is in a theater company with his wife that sometimes produces his stories, it was his publisher who convinced him that this was a topic he should pursue.

“Sometimes it takes somebody else to point out the obvious in your life,” he said. “The result is ‘Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe.'”

Although Poe died in 1849, Dawidziak said he had a resurgence in popularity in the 20th century. He attributes this to two things: Movies from the 1930s to 1960s loosely based on his short stories, and schools throughout the country introducing Poe to seventh graders.

Dawidziak described this as “a double-edged sword.” On one hand, Poe has become the most read and recognized author in America. On the other hand, his horror stories helped promote assumptions that are largely inaccurate.

Dawidziak said despite the sickly-looking daguerreotypes from his final two years, Poe was healthy and very athletic most of his life. He was outgoing and had a sense of humor, and he was not dependent on alcohol or drugs.

In addition, Poe in his lifetime was known first as a highly respected literary critic, second as a poet and only third as a short story writer, which is the reverse of how people think of him today.

It is true that Poe’s death was mysterious, because of a lack of evidence as well as eyewitnesses who contradicted each other and even themselves. Dawidziak proposes a possible cause of death in his book, but does not mind being contradicted, stating, “Some mysteries should never be figured out.”

John LuBonovic of Poland said he loved the presentation and it reminded him of being back in school.

“They used to have movies and they would always show Poe stories starring Vincent Price. Now I need to look in the attic for my old copies of Poe,” he said.

Debbie Mettee of Boardman agreed. “I have always been an Edgar Allan Poe fan and I took my daughter to Baltimore to see his museum.” As a retired school superintendent, “I enjoyed going into the classroom and seeing students perform his works.”

Scarsella said Dawidziak has spoken to the group before, and he hopes to have him back early next year to talk about an upcoming book on Mark Twain.

Next month’s Memories of a Lifetime talk will be June 20, when Patty Claudio, storyteller for Crickets magazine, will discuss the interesting and little-known history of handbells.