History Channel Awards Grant to John Kvach and Community Partners

Dr. John Kvach recently learned that that the History Channel has awarded him
and his community partners a grant to pursue a project studying local participation in the Civil War.

The purpose of the grant is to enable the creation of an online historical resource and exhibit area that preserves the public and private memories of Civil War-era individuals who lived in Madison County, Alabama, between 1861 and 1865. Tenth grade students from Huntsville High School (HHS), in conjunction with upper-level undergraduate and graduate history students from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), will conduct primary source research in the Special Collections
Department of the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library.

This research will be used to create a website from which the public can read and explore period documents such as diaries, letters, and photographs; explore their community's involvement in the Civil War; and challenge individuals to adopt, research, and post their findings on a Civil War-era individual from Madison County. This project will be both the intellectual foundation and public portal for Madison County's planned commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War that begins in 2011.

As part of its overall mission to preserve and engage local history, the Huntsville/Madison County Historical Society (HMCHS) will oversee the project. Professional historians and archivists will guide students in the preservation, interpretation, and digitization of these records during the 2009-2010 school year. At the end of the school year, a week-long summer institute, sponsored by the UAH and HMCHS, will allow students to bring their individual projects together and collectively create an online resource dedicated to the preservation of local Civil War history within the broader context of state, regional, and national histories.

The project is an important step in the development of the UAH Huntsville History Department's Public History offerings, and will involve UAH history students and several community organizations, including Huntsville High School, the Huntsville/Madison County istorical Society, the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library, and the Railroad Depot Museum.

Congratulations to Dr. Kvach and the organizations that partnered with him!

Molly Johnson Awarded Tenure & Promotion

The Department is pleased to announce that UAH awarded Dr. Molly Johnson tenure this past spring and promoted her to associate professor. Molly specializes in the history of contemporary Germany and this past fall published a book, Training Socialist Citizens: Sports and the State in East Germany. Since coming to the university, she has taught 11 courses, and two of those classes included travel to Germany. Her peers acknowledged her classroom prowess and popularity by awarding her a UAH Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award in 2007. Loved and respected by her colleagues and students, Molly greatly deserves her new status. Congratulations Dr. Johnson!

Publication by Amanda Ringer, New Graduate Student in History

Amanda Ringer, a new graduate student in the history department, recently had an article published in The Graybeards, a national magazine dedicated to preserving the memory of the Korean War. “Children, Closure, and Korea” is a personal story about her grandfather’s return to Seoul fifty-five years after serving in the Korean War. Amanda reflects on her own feelings as she watched her grandfather confront and explore his past.

With a law degree from the University of Mississippi and additional graduate work at the University of the South, Amanda hopes to blend her prior experiences with her passion for history. She will focus on southern history while at UAHuntsville.

Congratulations on the article, Amanda, and good luck in your future studies!

Student Newspaper Profiles Two History Majors on "Balancing College, Kids, and Life"

The Exponent, UAHuntsville's student newspaper, recently featured an article profiling History majors and UAH students Veronica Ferreira and Dawn Suiter, both of whom have studied full-time at UAHuntsville while also raising children. History major Sarah Fisher wrote the article.

Veronica has majors in History and in Sociology and a minor in Women's Studies, and she plans to graduate in Spring 2010. Dawn majored in Secondary Education Social Science and has now completed all requirements and will graduate in August.

Please click here -- http://exponent.uah.edu/?p=500 -- to read the interview with Dawn and Veronica.



The first picture above is of Dawn with her husband Jerry and children Geoffrey, Megan, and Amanda. The second picture is of Veronica with her four children, Karley, Timmy, Lilian, and Cecelia.