The Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University will show President Obama’s televised State of the Union Address on the big screen in the Byrd Center Auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The event will begin at 8:15 p.m. with a short talk on the history of the State of the Union Address by Dr. Ray Smock, director of the Byrd Center. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited to the first 100 persons. Parking is available on the street or in the lots behind the Byrd Center and the Scarborough Library.

Smock, former historian of the U.S. House of Representatives and an expert on the State of the Union Address, was on the floor of the House as an eyewitness to the State of the Union addresses of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The televised coverage of the State of the Union Address will begin at 9 p.m. Following the address, there will be a brief discussion and then the audience will be able to watch the Republican response to the President’s address. Following the Republican response, those who wish to stay are invited to continue the discussion.

The Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies is a private, nonpartisan and nonprofit educational organization administered by the Congressional Education Foundation with facilities on the campus of Shepherd University at 213 N. King St., in Shepherdstown. The mission of the center is to help foster better public understanding of the United States Congress, the Constitution and representative democracy both historically and in a contemporary setting.