UAH History News

New book by departmental alumnus Jane DeNeefe

2011-12-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

Jane Deneefe, who received a history degree from UAH, has published a book on the history of rock and soul music in Huntsville in the 1950s and 1960s. The book uses oral history techniques and offers insights not only on the history of music, but also of mass culture, celebrity, mass media, militarization, urbanization. A major theme is race relations in Huntsville in the 1950s and 1960s. Here is a review: Left In Alabama:: Rocket City Rock and Soul: How Music Helped Integrate an Alabama City

You can purchase the book online at Amazon.com.

Congratulations Jane!

Congratulations to Sam Thomas on Contract with St. Martin's Press to Publish his first Novel!

2011-08-01T15:46:00.005-05:00

Congratulations are due to assistant professor Sam Thomas, who has accepted a two-book contract with St. Martin's Press to publish his first historical novel, tentatively entitled The Midwife's Story: A Tale of Tyranny, Treason, and Murder. The book is scheduled to come out next year, probably in the fall. He will soon begin writing the sequel.

Sam has prepared a website to support the book and link it to its historical setting, including links to documents about the historic midwife, Bridget Hodgson, on which his novel is based.

Congratulations, Sam!

Welcome to New UAH Historian and Colleague Evan Ragland!

2011-07-24T21:32:00.004-05:00

The UAH history department is delighted to welcome our new colleague, Evan Ragland, who will begin teaching for us in fall semester 2011, focusing in his upper-level coursework on the history of science and technology.

Evan earned his B.S. in history and mathematics from Hillsdale College, his M.A. from Indiana University in the History and Philosophy of Science, and will receive his PhD. from Indiana. At IU, he studied the history and philosophy of science from ancient cultures to current policy, specializing in early-modern science and medicine. His dissertation reconstructs the history of chymico-anatomical experimentation in research on digestion and disease from seventeenth-century Leiden in the Netherlands to the nineteenth-century scientific medicine of Claude Bernard. He has long-term interests in the history of experiment, the relations between science and medicine, and the complex interaction of science and religion. Also at Indiana, he taught undergraduate courses in the history of science and the history of science and Christianity.

The history of alchemy, chymistry, and chemistry also intrigues him, and he has worked on Isaac Newton's chymical manuscripts, transcribing and encoding a portion of the roughly one million words Newton wrote on the subject. Along with this textual work, he was part of a team re-creating some of Newton's chymical recipes. He has done archival research in London, Amsterdam, Leiden, Den Haag, and Delft. He loved his stay in the Netherlands, and has published on early-modern Dutch medical experimentation in Early Science and Medicine. Most recently, he received the 2011 Partington Prize from the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry.

At UAH, he will enjoy teaching world history, as well as the history of science, technology, and medicine. So far, he usually prefers the life of a historian to his previous jobs as a mover, retail clerk, factory worker, and IT assistant. When he's not researching or writing, Evan loves spending time with his wife, Zoe, and daughter, Charlotte.

Special Thanks to UAHuntsville History Majors for Hosting Faculty Appreciation Dinner

2011-04-17T21:53:00.010-05:00

The history faculty at UAH were greatly honored when our majors, led by Brittney Fore, Kayleigh Last, and Amanda Smith, organized a Faculty Appreciation Dinner on Friday May 8 in the Shelby Center.

Students prepared a buffet with lots of food for dinner, as well as an impressive variety of desserts. Students also created humorous awards for each faculty member.

Pictured here are Kayleigh, Brittney, and Amanda, the main coordinators; a group of faculty and students enjoying the good food; staff assistant Bev Gentry received the "World's Nicest Person" award; and department chair Andy Dunar receiving the "Least Likely to Ever Retire" award.

Thanks so much, history majors! We are so lucky to be teaching passionate, engaged, and considerate students like you!

Congratulations to Our History Students for Recognition on University Honors Day!

2011-04-11T21:13:00.008-05:00

On April 4, 2011, the history department recognized several accomplished students during UAH's annual "Honors Day."

Top honors went to Joshua Riddle for "Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement" and to Craig Noneman for "Outstanding Graduate Achievement."

Additional winners were Kenneth "Franky" Garcia, who won the "National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Alabama History Essay Award" and Derrick Chatterton, who received the "Colonel Walter Aston Chapter of the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century History Award."

Rounding out our history honorees was Alyson Buck, who received the second annual "Dr. John Rison Jones Award in Southern History sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society."

The Classical Studies Program, led by history professor Dr. Dick Gerberding, honored Julia Paul as its Outstanding Student at Honors Day.

Pictured here are Franky Garcia, Derrick Chatterton, and Joshua Riddle; history Alyson Buck along with Dr. John Kvach; Derrick Chatterton along with Mrs. Bonnie Turner, who presents the Colonel Walter Aston award each year; and Julia Paul along with Dr. Dick Gerberding.

Congratulations to you all! We are very proud of our wonderful students.

Congratulations to Christine Sears on Publications

2011-04-11T12:18:00.006-05:00

Congrats to Dr. Christine Sears, assistant professor of history, for two publications out this spring!

The first is "Slavery as Social Mobility? Western Slaves in Late Eighteenth Century Algiers" Research in Maritime History, issue entitled "Rough Waters: American Involvement with the Mediterranean in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries," no. 44 (March 2011): 207-220.

The second, co-authored with Dr. Jason O'Brien in UAH's education department, is "Victor or Villain? Wernher von Braun and the Space Race" in The Social Studies 102, no. 2 (March 2011):59-64.

This historical role play focuses on Wernher von Braun's involvement in and culpability for the use of slave laborers to produce V-2 rockets for Nazi Germany. This role play invites students to hone their critical thinking skills as they debate a complex, multi-layered historical scenario.

Kudos to Chad Pearson for Appearance on C-Span

2011-04-10T21:50:00.004-05:00

Dr. Chad Pearson, an instructor in the UAH history department and the PASS (Peer Assisted Study Session) coordinator for UAH's Student Success Center, participated in a round table discussion at the 2011 American Historical Association conference in Boston on Beverly Gage's The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror (Oxford University Press, USA, 2009). Several panelists responded to the book, which focuses on the 1920 Wall Street bombing in order to provide a broader analysis of the history of terrorism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chad's presentation discussed the ways in which Gage's book helps us understand an era shaped by employer-led attacks on labor unions and left-wing activists.

C-Span recorded the session.

Good work, Chad!

Student Kayleigh Last Receives Summer Internship through the National Park Service

2011-04-10T21:33:00.000-05:00

The history department is pleased to announce that student Kayleigh Last will be spending the summer interning at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park with the Student Conservation Association in partnership with the National Park Service. Her duties will include working at the visitors' center as an historical interpreter and providing help at the bookstore and gardens. This internship will provide her with an opportunity to work with park staff and assist on special park projects. This competitive national internship will aid her development as a public historian and should be a lot of fun. Great job Kayleigh!

Calling All Alumni: Please Check In!

2011-03-25T19:53:00.004-05:00

The faculty and staff in the history department always enjoy receiving updates from our alumni, and we like to broadcast your news on our blog. So, please check in with us at history@uah.edu! We also encourage you to join our new department Facebook group.

Alumni Update from Whitney Snow

2011-03-25T19:40:00.004-05:00

The history department is pleased to announce that MA alum Whitney Snow has just passed her comprehensive exams for her PhD studies at Mississippi State University. Her fields are U.S. History Since 1877; U.S. History to 1877; Southern History; and Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History. She is now working on her dissertation proposal and plans to write on the domestic tung oil industry. Whitney has also been busy presenting her research at academic conferences and has published articles in the Journal of East Tennessee History and the Alabama Review, and articles accepted by Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture and the Journal of Mississippi History. Whitney also very much enjoys her work as a teaching assistant at Mississippi State, though she finds it hard to get to know her students when she has over 300 at one time!

We are pleased to hear how well Whitney is doing and wish her luck as she continues the dissertation process!

Congratulations to our New Phi Alpha Theta Members

2011-03-22T22:15:00.005-05:00

This year's induction ceremony for the Tau Omega chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honorary, took place on March 12, 2011 at the home of history professor John Kvach. Several dozen faculty members and current and graduated Phi Alpha Theta members also joined the celebration.

The inductees were Evan Gieselman, Anna Grace, and Jared Robinson. The featured speaker was Phi Alpha Theta member and UAH history alum Elisabeth Spalding who briefly spoke about her experience studying abroad in Norway.

Congratulations to Evan, Anna, and Jared, and thanks to Sandra Mendiola, Phi Alpha Theta faculty advisor, for organizing the induction.

UAH History Students Invade Shiloh Battlefield and Corinth, Mississippi

2011-03-22T22:09:00.006-05:00

Fifteen UAH students from three classes spent Friday, March 18, 2011, visiting Corinth, Mississippi, and the Shiloh National Battlefield. Although Dr. John Kvach organized the day long tour as part of his Civil War and Reconstruction class, students from other history classes tagged along to learn more about the battle of Shiloh.

The day included a visit to the Corinth Interpretative History Center, an architectural tour of downtown Corinth, and a park ranger-led tour of Shiloh battlefield. Students also enjoyed eating lunch at oldest continuously operated drugstore in Mississippi (famous for something called the Slugburger) and dinner at Hagy’s Catfish Hotel (fish check in but don’t check out). All in all a great day of history!

Interesting Volunteer Research Opportunity for UAH History Student

2011-02-17T11:45:00.003-06:00

The Apollo Project is the second largest student organization at UAH and one of only two that claims over 50 members. The Apollo Project utilizes students from a variety of different majors in an effort to build a working flight simulator that can be used for research work on campus.

Currently, the Apollo Project is looking for an upper-level history student to join the organization as a lead researcher. The lead researcher will search through historical archives at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the UAH Library, and the Marshall Space Flight Center in order to find technical and software information that will aid in the construction of the flight simulator.

The position is unpaid, but presents a great opportunity for students to become acquainted with significant academic and professional figures, while also improving their resume.

If you are interested in the position, please contact Christian Edenfield through email at ce0010@uah.edu or by phone at (256) 682-4543. You can also read more about the Apollo Project here.

Dr. Christine Sears Films Teaching Segment for National History Education Clearinghouse

2011-01-18T13:07:00.007-06:00

In April 2010, Dr. Christine Sears filmed a “Best Practices: Examples of Historical Thinking” segment for the National History Education Clearinghouse. The NHEC is collaboration between George Mason University’s Center for History and New Media and Stanford University’s School of Education, and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. This is a centralized, interactive website where K-12 American history teachers can find resources, research, advice, and support to enhance their teaching, including history content, lesson plans, and video of classroom teaching in action. The organizers asked Christine to participate because of her experience teaching junior high and high school.

Christine's twenty-minute presentation, “The Barbary Pirates: Letters to Tripoli,” analyzes two letters between Consul James Cathcart in Tripoli and the Secretary of State, written in 1800, not long before the outbreak of the US's war with Tripoli (1801-1805). She was asked to model analyzing primary sources, historical thinking and information relevant to K-12 teachers. Christine says that the NHEC employees were experts at making her feel comfortable despite the glaring lights and running camera, and they did excellent editing work.

Please check out Christine's presentation and the other helpful resources on this exciting website!

Pictured here is Christine with at the grave of William Bainbridge, who was captain of the USS Philadelphia, which he lost to the Tripolitans during the Tripolitan War 1801-1805. According to Christine, he did very well, however, in the War of 1812 as the Captain of the USS Constitution and scored a thrilling victory over the HMS Java.

UAHuntsville Students and Alum Sign Book Contract

2011-01-07T14:00:00.003-06:00

UAHuntsville public history students Charity Ethridge and Michele Hopkins and UAHuntsville history alum Susanna Leberman have recently signed a book contract with Arcadia Publishing to produce a pictorial history of Huntsville, Alabama. The book will highlight the city’s rich history and allow the authors to use their public history experience in a meaningful manner. Arcadia Publishing, a major producer of local history books throughout the nation, will market the book to the general public and add it to a national database dedicated to promoting the use of local history. Dr. John Kvach will oversee the project as part of an ongoing effort to build the public history program at UAHuntsville, and proceeds from the sale of the book will go towards the public history program. This project also highlights the growing partnership between the University and the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library.

Pictured here is Huntsville's Courthouse Square in 1864.

Graduate Student Alyson Buck Working at the Weeden House

2011-01-07T13:52:00.004-06:00

Alyson Buck, a history graduate student at UAHuntsville, has been busy working at the Weeden House, a house museum in the center of Huntsville’s historic downtown district. According to the museum's director and board of directors, Buck’s enthusiasm, dedication, and willingness to jump in and take on new responsibilities have had an important impact on how the museum and its staff interpret the past. Buck hopes to build upon this experience after graduation and find a job in the public history sector. Good luck Alyson!

Congratulations to our Fall 2010 Graduates!

2011-01-04T13:05:00.004-06:00

In December, eight students graduated from UAH with BA degrees in history, Kyla Brickhouse, Thomas Coke, Melanie Eckstein, Katie Graham, Michael Henriksen, Joseph "Eddie" Kimbrough, Jonathan Neely, and Amber Willis.

Congratulations to all! Please keep the history department updated on your doings and remember to check out our blog from time to time!

Pictured here are Katie Graham celebrating her degree, Kyla Brickhouse doing the same, and Kyla and Jonathan Neely at the commencement ceremony.

Profile of Graduate Research Assistant Matthew Menarchek

2011-01-04T12:59:00.003-06:00

The history department's Graduate Research Assistant for 2010-2011 is Matthew Menarchek. He received his BA in history from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2010, and he is currently enrolled in the MA program.

Matthew's primary graduate assistant work is research for a local attorney preparing a federal judicial case involving taxation and public education in Alabama. He is also collaborating with the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau to highlight local Civil War tourist attractions.

We are happy to have Matthew in our MA program and as our research assistant!

UAH History Grad Student Alyson Buck Participates in Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll

2010-11-04T10:14:00.001-05:00

Alyson Buck, a current UAHuntsville history student, served as a
costumed interpreter at this year's Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll. Alyson
had to find a person buried at the cemetery, conduct research on the
person, find an appropriate costume, and play the person for over three
hours at this year's event. Her excellent work was reflected in the
large crowds that gathered to hear about her character. Alyson hopes to
continue working on her character and will be looking for new public
history opportunities.

Kudos to Student Kayleigh Last for Successfully Adding Local Cemetery to Historical Register

2010-11-04T10:08:00.004-05:00

Last semester UAHuntsville public history student, Kayleigh Last, completed a Cemetery survey to nominate a historical cemetery to the Alabama Historical Commission. The graveyard, located in Limestone county, is an African American masonic graveyard that makes a significant cultural contribution to the surrounding community. On September 11th, she got word that the graveyard was officially accepted to the AHC and was only the second graveyard on the register in Limestone County. Kayleigh plans to bring together members of the local community to work to preserve the cemetery. Great job!

Molly Johnson is new head of Women's Studies at UAH

2010-11-01T09:42:00.007-05:00

Dr. Molly Johnson, associate professor in the History Department, has been named the new director of the Women’s Studies Program at UAH. She has taught two history courses cross-listed with Women's Studies and served on its Program Advisory Committee. Dr. Johnson looks forward to the opportunity to promote the interdisciplinary study of women and gender at UAH, as well as to reach out to the North Alabama community through public programs and events.

Dr. Johnson plans to strengthen ties between the History Department and Women's Studies. She is also very excited to work with UAH alum Erin Reid; Erin earned a master’s degree from the History Department and is the invaluable WS Staff Assistant. Pictured here is Erin on the left, and Molly on the right.

Global Studies in Germany

2010-08-06T13:17:00.000-05:00

Seven UAHuntsville students, including several history students, traveled to Germany in May along with Dr. Molly Johnson for a class on “Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich: Legacies of the Third Reich.” The class, offered through UAH's Global Studies program, visited a variety of sights that explored how the Nazis used both the spatial and the visual as aesthetic strategies to gain and maintain power, as well as how Germany as a nation-state and different cities and groups document and reflect on the history of Nazi Germany today through memorials, museums, and other memory sites.

Pictured here are students in front of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, with Potsdamer Platz in the background; students in front of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin; students at the Koenigsplatz in Munich, which was used as a Nazi parade ground; and students with Herr Franz Mueller, a surviving member of the White Rose student resistance group based at the University of Munich in the 1940s. Students also took in some Cold War lore while in Berlin. Katie Graham is standing next to a Trabant automobile, and Jesse Bates is posing with a piece of the former Berlin Wall.

For more information on Global Studies at UAH, see:http://www.uah.edu/colleges/liberal/global/

Successful UAHuntsville Public History Summer Institute

2010-07-23T09:52:00.005-05:00

The UAHuntsville Department of History and the History Channel recently hosted a public history institute for fifteen tenth-graders from Huntsville High School from June 14-18, 2010. The high school students, with help from four UAHuntsville history students, learned about history and historical methods by working on a history website, participating in an archaeological dig at the remains of a plantation house on Redstone Arsenal, taking a military staff ride at Chickamauga Battlefield, touring the Special Collections at the Huntsville Public Library, and learning about antebellum life at the Weeden House in downtown Huntsville. These activities allowed students to interact with history and learn skills that are often used to recreate the past. The students, mentors, and teachers who participated in the first annual summer institute enjoyed a fun and educational week . . . despite the hot weather!

Kudos to Dr. John Kvach for his leadership and coordination of the institute, as well as to all of the UAH students who helped make the week a success: Charity Ethridge, Michael Henriksen, John Milling, Whitney Reid, Joshua Riddle, Ben Tyler, and Emily Hampton.

New History Course for Fall 2010: "Making of Modern Science: The Scientific Revolution to the Twentieth Century"

2010-07-22T15:45:00.003-05:00

The history department has added a new class to the fall 2010 schedule: HY 399-06, "Making of Modern Science: The Scientific Revolution to the Twentieth Century."
Dr. Randall Dills, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, will teach the course on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:50 pm.

Here is the course description:

"The course covers the history of modern science from 1500 to the 20th century. We will consider the nature of science, its practices and practitioners and sites of study in relationship to society over a broad spectrum of history. We will examine scientists at work in a number of sites, from voyages of discovery and the laboratory to museums and the cosmos as we challenge the received stories about the “Heroes” of modern science. How should one view the work and careers of Galileo, Newton, Darwin and others? Every step of the way, we will situate scientists and their theories within the society and culture of the time, including Romanticism, Imperialism, and the Cold War. We will study the conflicts between those who viewed science as autonomous and independent of outside influences and those who viewed it as an instrument of social and economic progress. Ultimately, as scientists sought to “de-mystify” the world by identifying the laws upon which the natural world is built, we will understand that the modern state and the expansion of European ideals is linked with the rise in the authority of scientists who claimed to know, understand and interpret it. Readings will include selections from the leading historians of science and the primary sources of participants and observers."

If you have any questions, please email Dr. Dills at Dills@uiuc.edu.

Spread the word about this exciting new class!

Congratulations to Spring 2010 UAHuntsville History Graduates!

2010-07-22T15:38:00.004-05:00

The faculty of the UAH History Department are pleased to congratulate our recent graduates, who received their degrees on May 15, 2010.

The following students graduated with BA degrees in History: Christina Barnett, Charity Ethrdige, Veronica Ferreira, Sarah Fisher, Christopher Helson, Matthew Menarchek, Jonathan Neely, Gustavo Ortiz, Bradley Trent Pepper, George Preussel, Whitney Reid, Casey Smith, Elisabeth Spalding, Ben Tyler, Chris Weed, and Charles Westbrook.

Earning MA degrees in History were Stephanie Allen, Thomas Bockborn, and Jennifer Masters Frisby.

Pictured here are Sarah Fisher and Veronica Ferreira and Sarah Fisher, Ben Tyler, and Whitney Reid.

Congratulations to you all!

History Department Hires Dr. Randall Dills as Visiting Assistant Professor for History of Science and Technology

2010-07-22T15:30:00.002-05:00

The history department is pleased to welcome Dr. Randall Dills as a Visiting Assistant Professor for the 2010-2011 academic year. He will teach world history survey courses and two upper-level courses in the History of Science and Technology.

Randy has a PhD in History from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His teaching interests include Russian and East European history, the histories of science, technology and medicine, environmental history, and world history. At UAH, he plans to teach courses on the history of modern science and the history of science in the Soviet Union. His dissertation explored the intersections of environment, society and culture along the banks of the River Neva, in the Russian imperial capital of St. Petersburg. Interdisciplinary in nature, his work explored the patterns of river use in the 19th century by following the engineers responsible for making the city livable despite the poor environmental conditions and the sometimes disastrous flooding that plagued the city. He conducted extensive research for the project in archives and libraries in St. Petersburg as a Fulbright-Hays Fellow in 2005-06.

Welcome, Randy!

History Major Elisabeth Spalding and History Alum Jennifer Staton Meet up in Norway

2010-05-06T15:24:00.004-05:00

History alum Jennifer Staton, working in Celle, Germany, as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant, recently traveled to visit history major Elisabeth Spalding, currently studying abroad in Oslo, Norway.

According to Jennifer, "We swapped stories of our experiences living abroad, comparing certain aspects of life in Norway and Germany and joking about certain quirks that reach across borders (i.e., how almost nothing is open on Sundays). We both realize and appreciate this moment in our lives, and our experiences abroad now happily overlap because this visit."

Pictured here are Jennifer and Elisabeth on a fjord atop Holmenkollen, one of Elisabeth's favorite sites.

To read more about their experiences, please check out Jennifer's blog and Elisabeth's blog.

Stephanie Allen and Jennie Frisby Successfully Pass MA Exams

2010-05-06T13:34:00.006-05:00

Congratulations to Stephanie Allen and Jennie Frisby, who have both passed their master's comprehensive exams and will receive their MA degrees at graduation in May.

When asked her final thoughts on her time at UAH, Stephanie, pictured above, said,
"During my matriculation at UAH, the awesome faculty has challenged and encouraged me. The rigorous coursework, challenging books, and attention to detail enriched my historical knowledge, writing skills and teaching pedagogy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of my professors and Ms. Gentry."

Stephanie will now pursue her certification in graduate level geography at the University of Alabama and she will also participate in a study abroad program in Ghana this summer. Says, Stephanie, "I am excited and thrilled to begin my new journey."

Jennie, pictured below, also shared her concluding thoughts on her time at UAH, which included earning both BA and MA degrees: " Working and completing both my Masters and Bachelors at UAH has been a challenging and inspiring experience at UAH. I am thankful for the help and support I received throughout my academic career from the professors and my fellow classmates. If there is one thing I will take away from this department, it would be that the teachers genuinely care and hope the best for their students. I encourage everyone who are even remotely considering returning to school for history to go to our department because of the environment that I have been in for the last 6 years."

Jennie hopes to further her education at some point in the future by pursuing a PhD, but for now plans to stay in the Huntsville area and hope to find a career that allows her to use her experience in history. Says Jennie, "I am excited to have completed this stage of my life and look forward to everything the future holds." She also promised, "I will definitely be back to visit everyone!"

We wish Stephanie and Jennie all the best!

2010 Liberal Arts Tournament Day

2010-04-22T19:46:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 273 students from Randolph School, Ardmore High School, Johnson High School, Catholic High School, Covenant Christian Academy, Athens High School, Brewer-Falkville High School, and Lee High School competed in four disciplines at the College of Liberal Arts Tournament Day, US History and World History (100), Government (55), and Art (118).

The winner for US History was William Robb from Randolph School, and the winner for World History was Matthew Riggle from Catholic High School. David Mayo won the Government competition, and Becky Robinson and Daniel Guthrie won the Art competitions.

Kudos to Beverly Gentry, senior staff assistant for the history department, pictured here, who put in many hours to help make Tournament Day a success!

Congratulations to New Phi Alpha Theta Initiates

2010-04-18T20:06:00.006-05:00

On April 16, 2010, the Tau Omega chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta international history honorary, advised by Dr. Sandra Mendiola, inducted five new members: Britney Fore, Whitney Reid, Jesse Thomas, Anthony Howard, and Mary Fleming.

Britney and Whitney were able to attend the ceremony at Dr. Richard Gerberding's Castle, where we all enjoyed good food, beautiful spring weather, and the chance to celebrate the academic achievements of these students. Thomas Reidy, Phi Alpha Theta inductee from 1981, UAH history MA, and current PhD candidate at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, also gave a brief talk about his work on a PBS documentary about civil rights activists Virginia and Clifford Durr.

Pictured here are 1) Britney and Whitney with their certificates, 2) Britney and Whitney with previously-inducted PAT members Samantha Hillgartner (chapter president) and Sarah Fisher, and 3) a group picture of the PAT students with Thomas Reidy and faculty members Richard Gerberding, Andrew Dunar, Stephen Waring, Molly Johnson, and faculty advisor Sandra Mendiola.

Congratulations to the new inductees!

History Major Sarah Fisher Wins Funding for PhD Studies and for Foreign Language Study in India!

2010-04-18T13:54:00.003-05:00

The history department is very proud of Sarah Fisher, who will graduate in May with double majors in history and political science and a minor in philosophy.

Sarah has received a prestigious multiple year fellowship and research assistantship for the fast-track PhD program in International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She will begin her studies in Fall 2010.

Before she moves to Athens, Sarah will spend 10 weeks in Jaipur, India, beginning her studies of the Hindi language, with the support of a Critical Languages Scholarship from the US Department of State.

Sarah describes her history major as a critical foundation for her graduate studies:
"Throughout my undergraduate classes, I have found that having a deep understanding of history serves as the basis any sort of political analysis or social commentary. I also know that the writing and research skills gained as a History major at UAH will prove invaluable in my PhD program."

Sarah added that, "I am forever indebted to the awesome people in the UAH History Department. :)" We, too, are indebted to Sarah for her hard work on behalf of the Peer Assisted Study Session program -- she was one of our first two student mentors, her participation in the Phi Alpha Theta honorary, and her great presence in class these last four years.

We wish Sarah all the best!

Classics Week 2010 / Classical Studies Outstanding Student Award

2010-04-13T12:48:00.008-05:00

Kudos to the Society for Ancient Languages at UAH for a successful Classics Week 2010, featuring guest speaker Dr. Bryan Ward-Perkins from the University of Oxford.

Dr. Ward-Perkins gave two lectures on the controversial fall of the Roman Empire on Friday April 9, “The Death and (very slow) Rebirth of Public Statuary, 300-1500AD,” and “A Real Economic Melt-down – The End of Roman Britain."

Society members and friends and Dr. Ward-Perkins also gathered at Dr. Gerberding's Castle on Saturday April 10 for the annual Convivium.

Pictured here see Dr. Ward-Perkins with Society members at the Castle and at the US Space and Rocket Center.

Society President Joseph Baxley was instrumental in making this year's Classics Week a success. As a recognition of his leadership, as well as his superb academic achievement, Joseph was recognized on Honors Day April 6, 2010, with the Outstanding Classical Studies Award. See Joseph here after the Honors convocation with Dr. Gerberding, Society advisor, and Latin student Julia Paul, who read a selection from Cicero, translated by Joseph, to conclude the Honors convocation.

Students Samantha Hillgartner and Sarah Fisher Present Papers at Phi Alpha Theta Conference

2010-04-13T09:57:00.004-05:00

Two Phi Alpha Theta members, Samantha Hillgartner and Sarah Fisher, accompanied by faculty advisor Dr. Sandra Mendiola, attended the 2010 regional Phi Alpha Theta conference held at the University of North Alabama on April 10, 2010.

Sarah presented a paper on “Tense Theology in a Holy Hierarchy: Liberation Theology vs. the Vatican” as part of a panel on "Religion," and Samantha presented a paper on "Calvin Coolidge: The Action of Inaction" as part of a panel on "Twentieth-Century America."

Pictured here see Samantha presenting her paper at the podium and Sarah, second from left, seated with her fellow panelists during her presentation.

Kudos to Samantha and Sarah for presenting their work!

History Alum Joseph Richardson Receives Assistantship to Pursue Graduate Studies at Ole Miss

2010-04-13T08:24:00.003-05:00

Congratulations are in order for Joseph Richardson, BA 2009, who has just accepted a full graduate teaching assistantship at the University of Mississippi. Although a man of many intellectual talents -- he was also very active in the Society for Ancient Languages and won the Outstanding Classical Studies Student Award while at UAH -- Joseph has chosen to focus his studies on Southern History. He begins in Fall 2010.

Pictured here is Joseph with Dr. John Kvach at Honors Day 2009, where Joseph received the first ever "Dr. John Rison Jones Award in Southern History sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society."

Hurray for Joseph! We encourage all of you blog followers here in Huntsville to try to get Joseph to give you one of his hallmark tours of Maple Hill Cemetery before he leaves town!

Congratulations to Honors Day Student Award Winners

2010-04-12T21:03:00.006-05:00

On April 6, 2010, UAHuntsville and the College of Liberal Arts honored our outstanding students. Five history students received honors: Charity D. Ethridge won the Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Award; Thomas E. Bockhorn won the Outstanding Graduate Achievement Award; Matthew Menarchek won the "National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Alabama History Essay Award"; Samantha Hillgartner won the "Colonel Walter Aston Chapter of the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century History Award"; and Whitney Reid won the "Dr. John Rison Jones Award in Southern History sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society. Pictured here are Samantha, Whitney, Charity, Thomas, and Matthew.

Two other history majors also won awards, sociology double major Veronica Ferreira the Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Award in Sociology and political science double major Sarah Fisher the "College of Liberal Arts Highest Academic Achievement Award" as the best student in the College. Pictured here are Sarah and Veronica.

We are very proud of all of our students!

MA Student Thomas Bockhorn Successfully Defends MA Thesis and Wins Department's Outstanding Graduate Student Award

2010-04-12T20:37:00.007-05:00

The history department is proud to congratulate MA student Thomas Bockhorn, who will graduate in MA, for defending his thesis, "To Save Alabama’s Children: Power, Politics, and Child Labor, 1880 - 1908," and then winning the award for Outstanding Graduate Student in History at the April 6, 2010 Honors Day at UAHuntsville.

Pictured are a photograph of Thomas with his thesis advisor Dr. Stephen Waring after the Honors convocation and a historical photograph of Merrimack Mill employees, including many children.

Here is Thomas's thesis abstract:

Alabama became a political battleground during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anti child labor reformers held rallies and created literature to aid in their cause. While southern anti-child labor reformers campaigned for the same cause, the question of whether states or the federal government should intervene became a heated controversy for southern progressives. Two major camps emerged by the early twentieth century: state reformers and southern nationalists. State reformers brandished their hope that the best advocates and defenders of children were the particular states where they resided. Southern nationalists, on the other hand, believed that the child labor problem was so vast that only a federal solution would stop the labor practice. The public split among southern Progressives, coupled with the 1907 Beveridge bill, allowed business interests to change the debate from saving children to decrying federal interference. These competing interests effectively stalled the movement.

History Major Veronica Ferreira Receives Assistantship for PhD Program at University of Iowa

2010-04-12T20:27:00.006-05:00

The history department celebrates the good news of our major Veronica Ferreira, who has received a teaching assistantship for the PhD program in sociology at the Univeristy of Iowa. Her areas of focus will be gender, family and inequality. She will begin her studies in Fall 2010.

Although Veronica will pursue graduate studies in her double major of sociology and not in history, she credits her history coursework with providing an invaluable foundation for her graduate plans, particularly by teaching her how to do research and by showing her how current social phenomena are always shaped by historical context.

To the amusement of many of her history professors, Veronica also claims that "as a sociologist, I will always miss Chicago style. It makes checking sources so much easier, and it looks so much nicer on the page."

We wish Veronica much luck in her graduate studies! We also thank her for all her contributions to the history department, particularly her involvement with History Club and Phi Alpha Theta and her work as one of the first two student mentors through the Peer Assisted Study Session program. We know Veronica will be a very good teaching assistant and teacher.

Pictured here is Veronica on Honors Day with her husband Brian and children Timothy, Cecilia, and Lillian.

Congratulations to Dr. Sam Thomas for Research Fellowships

2010-04-11T13:50:00.003-05:00

Sam Thomas has received two generous research grants to support his current research project, "Midwives and Society in Early Modern England." The National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend, and a joint grant from the Newberry Library and the British Academy, will allow him to conduct research in three archives in Yorkshire, England. Pictured here is an old map of Yorkshire.

Sam's goals for this trip are to find evidence on previously anonymous midwives, and gain a better understanding of early modern social history, including the experience of childbirth and the role midwives played in supporting the patriarchal system.

Congratulations, Sam!

Jane Deneefe co-authors book on Alabama civil rights history

2010-03-21T15:10:00.009-05:00

Jane DeNeefe, an alum of the UAH History Department, recently co-authored a book called The Alabama Civil Rights Trail by the University of Alabama Press. At a Huntsville celebration of the publication, Ms. Deneefe read passages from the book. There was also a musical performance from Ivy Joe and the Snowballs, a musical group with a black singer and a white band that played to audiences of all colors during the 1960s and 1970s and helped integrate Huntsville. Great work and congratulations Jane!

Is Your History Career at a Crossroads?: Announcing the Department's New Public History Blog!

2010-02-02T17:40:00.006-06:00

As the Public History program at UAHuntsville continues to grow, a new department public history blog will allow you to track the program and follow the progress of ongoing projects. The link to the blog is located on the History Department's main webpage under "Public History Program."

Public history is a wonderful way for students to learn skills, gain experience, and find a history-related job outside of the classroom or enhance your classroom skills. Public historians often find jobs as museum professionals, government and business historians, historical consultants, archivists, teachers, cultural resource managers, curators, film and media producers, policy advisers, oral historians, and in some cases, professors.

In the next couple of days Dr. John Kvach, who spearheads UAHuntsville's public history program, will begin posting updates on current projects that involve students and faculty from UAHuntsville. There will also be some upcoming posts that will announce new projects and opportunities.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Dr. Kvach at john.kvach@uah.edu or stop by his office at 407 Roberts Hall, regardless if you are a history major or not, and talk about your interest in public history or possible internships and volunteer opportunities.

Pictured here is the construction of a Huntsville street car line in 1888.

New Huntsville Times Article on "Real People, Real History" Project

2010-02-01T18:00:00.004-06:00

Check out the February 1, 2010, article in the Huntsville Times about Dr. John Kvach and his community collaborators' work to track down Civil War-era photos and documents in Madison County!

This is part of the History-Channel-sponsored effort to create an online exhibit called "Real People, Real History" in order to preserve public and private memories of the Civil War as it affected people who lived here in 1861 through 1865. The project and Web site will serve as foundations for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in 2011.

See here a photograph featuring Union troops occupying Huntsville.

Exhibit and Website: Dora and the V-2: Slave Labor and the Space Age

2010-01-31T20:22:00.011-06:00

The history department is proud to be collaborating with colleagues in the art and art history departments and the College of Liberal Arts at UAH to organize an upcoming exhibit "Dora and the V-2: Slave Labor in the Space Age."

The exhibit will be on the campus of UAH from February 21 to March 12, 2010. The exhibit has an accompanying website www.dora.uah.edu, and received major funding from the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Both the website and the exhibit explore the history of forced labor in the construction of the V–2 missiles at the Dora concentration camp and Mittelwerk underground factory near Nordhausen, Germany, during World War II. The stories center on the victims of Dora, the prisoners from many nations who were forced to work in the camp and its sub-camps and in the underground factory assembling the V–2. Usually, especially in Huntsville, Alabama, the V–2 is remembered through the engineers who designed it, rather than the forced laborers who put it together. Yet the prisoners died by the score or lived through dehumanizing cruelty, and their experiences deserve to be remembered.

The exhibit features:

First U.S. showing of work from two European museums:
La Coupole, History and Remembrance Center, Saint-Omer, France
Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial and Museum, Nordhausen, Germany

From La Coupole:

Color photos of V–2 forced labor taken by Hitler’s favorite photographer
Artwork created by Dora's victims and survivors

From Mittelbau-Dora Museum:

"Forced Labour for the 'Final Victory': Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp, 1943-1945," a new traveling poster collection
Artifacts

From UAHuntsville:

Snapshots taken by John Rison Jones, a resident of Huntsville who helped liberate Dora and documented its horrors with his camera

There are also associated talks by pre-eminent experts from France, Germany, and the United States.

Please check out website and stay tuned to our Events blog for reminders of Dora-associated lectures and performances. There is also a Facebook Group page.

The website will remain after the exhibit closes as a testament to the suffering of the slave laborers of Dora.

Check out History Major Elisabeth Spalding's Blog from her Study Abroad Semester in Oslo, Norway!

2010-01-31T18:12:00.005-06:00

The faculty of the history department are very excited for history major Elisabeth Spalding, who is currently studying abroad in Oslo, Norway, through the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), to which UAH is affiliated. Elisabeth is passionate about Scandinavian literature and history and is excited to study and live in Norway and visit other sites in Scandinavia and Europe.

Elisabeth has started a blog to document her experiences, "Hobbit Abroad: Adventures of a 5'1 Globetrotting Student from the States."

Please check it out!

Pictured here is Elisabeth in snowy Norway. We look forward to following her adventures as she learns and grows through her study abroad experience.

Congratulations to Brian Tyson, Chosen for Teach for America

2010-01-31T17:56:00.003-06:00

The history department congratulations graduating senior Brian Tyson, who has been chosen by Teach for America to spend the next year teaching at a high school in Houston, Texas. He will begin training in June and assume his teaching position in August 2010.

Brian says that he applied for Teach for America because he wanted to contribute to furthering social justice by working to close the achievement gap between affluent and low income schools. He credits his history coursework at UAH with helping him prepare for Teach for America by improving his writing skills and by forcing him to develop strong organizational skills and discipline. He also worked as a Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) tutor for Dr. James' Isbell's History 103 courses in Fall 2009 and found this experience very beneficial.

After completing his teaching service, Brian plans to pursue a PhdD in International Affairs or attend law school and focus on international law.

Best of luck, Brian!

Update from MA Alum Whitney Snow

2010-01-04T18:58:00.005-06:00

The history department is pleased to have received an update from alumna Whitney Snow, MA 2008, who is now pursuing a PhD at Mississippi State University in the fields of Nineteenth-Century United States, Post-Civil War South, Women's Studies, and Agricultural/Rural/Environmental History.

Whitney has served as Teaching Assistant for two Early U.S. courses and one Modern U.S. course and as instructor of record for one Modern U.S. course.

She also had an article published: "Slave Owner, Slave Trader, Gentleman: Slavery and the Rise of Andrew Jackson," The Journal of East Tennessee History 80 (2008): 47-59. Pictured here is an image of Andrew Jackson published in the article.

We are very proud of Whitney and wish her much continued success!

Congratulations to Fall 2009 History Graduates

2009-12-20T14:07:00.005-06:00

The history department congratulates its most recent graduates, who received their degrees Friday December 18 and Saturday December 19, 2009. Alan Backer received an MA degree in History, and William "Bill" Bailey III, Alyson Buck, Rachel Hillman, Lewis Martin, Elizabeth "Beth" Simmons, Casey Smith, Dawn Suiter, and Christopher Weed received BA degrees in history, with Hillman, Martin, Simmons, and Suiter receiving Class B, History and Social Sciences, Grades 6-12 teaching certification.

Pictured here are Rachel Hillman with her daughter, Dawn Suiter and Beth Simmons, and Bill Bailey at the Liberal Arts commencement ceremony.

Congratulations to Sam Thomas on New Publication on Midwives

2009-11-20T17:00:00.017-06:00

The history department congratulates assistant professor Sam Thomas on his new article, "Early Modern Midwifery: Splitting the Profession, Connecting the History," published in the Journal of Social History 43, No. 1 (2009): 115-38.

In this article, Sam analyzes documents from church courts to demonstrate that in early modern England a midwife's social status was key to her success as a medical practitioner. The wealthier a woman was, the better she could do the work of a midwife. He also examines changing perceptions of midwifery, arguing that in the early 1700s men and women began to view midwifery as a science, and thus a field for men rather than women.

See here a document that Sam interprets, an affidavit claiming that a midwife is 'ordinarily addicted to Lyeing, sweareing, and cursing.'

Alumnus Susanna Leberman publishes book of love letters

2009-10-30T14:20:00.005-05:00

Susanna Leberman, who received both her BA and MA degrees from the department, recently edited a booklet of letters showing the life of Mabel Hughes, a local school teacher. Susanna found the letters while working at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library. The letters are from two of Mabel's beaus, who were "wooing her by mail." The letters, which include several from a sailor in the merchant marine, reveal amazing passion and show the literacy of a bygone era. Susanna added a narrative that puts the letters in the context of life in Huntsville in the early decades of the 20th Century and selected photos. Mabel's story became part of a recent theater production at Merrimack Hall; Susanna was a historical consultant for the play. You can buy the book at the main branch of the library in the archives on the third floor.

Ancestry.Com Grant for "Real People, Real History" Public History Project

2009-10-11T15:47:00.003-05:00

The department congratulations professor John Kvach on receiving an "Ancestry Institution" award to support the "Real People, Real History" public history project on the Civil War in Madison County, funded in part by the History Channel. For more on this project, see the below blog entry .

The grant will give all 250+ local high school students as well as the UAH students involved in the project full access to Ancestry.com. This award will allow students to explore census, land, legal, local, military and personal records and newspapers. The award is worth $155.40 per person for the year and there will be about 265 people associated with the project, bringing the value of the award in terms of services provided to $41,075.

Congratulations to Dr. Kvach and his public school and library colleagues. We look forward to seeing the end result of this exciting endeavor!

Fieldnotes from History Alum and Fulbright Scholar Jennifer Staton

2009-10-06T21:52:00.009-05:00

The history department was very proud of Jennifer Staton, class of 2009, who won a highly-competitive Fulbright fellowship to work as an English Teaching Assistant in Germany for academic year 2009-2010.

Since early September, Jennifer has been teaching at the Grundschule Klein Hehlen (a primary school), in the city of Celle, helping with the English classes of grades
1-4.

In an email to the UAH history department, Jennifer reports that, “It's so much fun, even though I don't believe I'll ever be able to fully understand Kinderdeutsch. The children seem to look forward to my visits to their class, and I'm instantly recognized by them when I'm out in the courtyard (and then some; I must get "I saw you yesterdaaaay!" at least once a day, since they see me walking in the afternoons). It makes me feel like I must be doing something right while TA-ing, since they are fairly proficient at learning the lessons. The teachers are also friendly and obliging, and the headmistress, Frau Katrin Doehrmann, has especially made me feel welcome to the school (she also teaches four of the English classes I assist). Everyone has helped me so much.”

Jennifer, reflecting on her time at UAH, stated that, "Being a part of the Fulbright program is definitely a life-changing experience, but I look back on the application process at UAH and still thank everyone involved in this grant. This includes the History Department. . . . Even though I'll change in many ways because of this grant, I won't forget the great experience I had as a history undergrad at UAH."

Pictured here see a photograph of the town of Celle featuring the bicycles everybody rides; a picture of the Grundschule Klein Hehlen; and a picture of Jennifer enjoying herself in her free time in Germany.

We wish Jennifer continued success during her year in Germany!

Huntsville Times Article on Dr. John Kvach's History Channel Grant

2009-09-27T22:04:00.004-05:00

The Huntsville Times recently published an article detailing the work of assistant professor John Kvach, in cooperation with area secondary school teachers, the Huntsville Public Library, and UAH and high school students, to document the history of the Civil War in Madison County, Alabama. The project was one of 11 projects chosen out of 535 applicants for funding by the History Channel.

For furthur details, please see the Huntsville Times article and the blog posting below from 31 July 2009.

Pictured here see John with his sons Tom and Ben.

We look forward to seeing how this project evolves and applaud the cooperative effort involving so many facets of the historical community in Madison County, Alabama.

Book on Civil Rights Movement Published by UAH History Alum John W. McKerley

2009-09-27T21:56:00.002-05:00

John McKerley, one of our graduates who earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Iowa in 2008, has co-edited his first book, Foot Soldiers for Democracy: The Men, Women, and Children of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, through the University of Illinois Press. Dr. McKerley is a member of the faculty of the University of Maryland in College Park, where he is a faculty research associate and assistant editor of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project.

Pictured here see John and his wife Heather after his dissertation defense.

Congratulations, John!

Study Nazi Germany in Germany: Global Studies/History Class Spring 2010

2009-09-12T19:59:00.007-05:00

In May 2010, Dr. Molly Johnson will take UAHuntsville students to Germany as part of a course entitled "Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich: Legacies of the Third Reich." Participating students can get 3 hours of either History 399 or Global Studies 199 credit. In consultation with the instructor, students can also develop 400, 500, and 600-level credit options.

The course will explore three cities integral to the history of Nazi Germany: Munich (the “capital of the movement”), Nuremberg (site of the Nazi Party rallies), and Berlin (official capital of the Third Reich).

The course will begin during the spring semester with instruction once a week at UAHuntsville and will end with a two-week trip to Germany from May 9 to May 22.

The course has three objectives. First, while in Huntsville, students will learn about the rise and fall of Nazism in Germany. Second, while in Germany, students will analyze the “aestheticization of politics” in Nazi Germany by viewing Nazi architecture and visiting the sites of Party rallies and parades. Third, also while in Germany, students will examine how the cities of Munich, Nuremberg, and Berlin reflect the history of the Nazi period today, with particular focus on memorials and monuments.

If you would like more information, please contact Dr. Molly Johnson at molly.johnson@uah.edu or the Global Studies Program at globalstudies@uah.edu.

There will also be an informational session on Friday October 2 at 1:30 p.m. in Roberts Hall 423 featuring free German desserts from Hildegard's!

Pictured here see photos of UAHuntsville students who took this class in 2008. The first photo features the group at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the second and third photos feature several students at the Olympic Park in Munich and the Burg fortress in Nuremberg.

History Channel Awards Grant to John Kvach and Community Partners

2009-07-31T11:50:00.005-05:00

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

2009-07-27T14:47:00.013-05:00

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

2009-07-01T22:04:00.003-05:00

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"

2009-07-01T21:49:00.007-05:00

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.

Germans Visit Summer Class

2009-06-24T11:09:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday June 17, 2009, three citizens of Germany -- who grew up in communist East Germany and who had just begun their university studies when the wall came down in 1989 -- participated in a panel discussion in Dr. Molly Johnson's summer class, History 479/579, "Europe in the Twentieth Century: Special Focus, The Cold War, 1945-1991."

Pictured here from left to right see Jana Sachsinger, Katrin Rebiger, and Bill Rebiger. (Katrin and Bill's son Simon was an exchange student at Huntsville High School in 2008-2009.)

UAH students asked the panelists a wide range of questions pertaining to topics as varied as the Stasi (the East German secret police), the Free German Youth organization, their views of the positives as well as the negatives of East German communism, their participation in resistance activities and demonstrations in 1989, their memories of shortages of consumer goods in East German times, the phenomenon of nostalgia for East German communism, etc. Bill Rebiger commented afterwards to Dr. Johnson that he was extremely impressed by the questions the students raised. Hurray for UAH students!

Many thanks to Jana, Katrin, and Bill for sharing their insights and experiences and enriching the class experience for all students.

Memorable Travel to Rome for Dr. Richard Gerberding's Course on "Rome: The Eternal City"

2009-06-21T21:54:00.006-05:00

From Thursday May 14 to Monday June 1 2009, thirteen History students, Classical Studies students, and students representing other UAH majors traveled to Rome, Italy, as part of Dr. Richard Gerberding's Global Studies 199/History 399 course on "Rome: The Eternal City." This is the fourth time Dr. Gerberding has offered this course for UAH students, and it was once again a resounding success.

After a semester's worth of lectures in Huntsville, students benefited from additional lectures in Rome as well as the opportunity to see and interpret historical sites for themselves, including: St. Peter's Basilica; the Roman Forum; the Palatine; the Coliseum; the tomb of Augustus; the Ara Pacis; the Circus Maximus; the Catacombs; the Parthenon; the Basilica of Maxentius/Constantine; the Capitoline Museum; the church of San Clemente; the Castelo Sant Angelo; Santa Maria Maggiore; the Villa; the Vatican Museums and St. Peters; the Villa Borghese; Piazza Navona; the Victor Immanuel Monument; Mussolini’s Sports Stadium (Foro Italico); and the Milvian Bridge. Students also took excursions to Pompeii, Capri, and Florence.

Pictured here are two groups of students in Rome, one group next to the Trevi Fountain and another group on the way to the Opera.

The History Department is delighted these students got to experience such an amazing opportunity and encourages all History majors and minors to consider future Global Studies/History courses.

Three UAH History/Education Students Participate in Workshop on Teaching the Holocaust

2009-06-21T21:40:00.004-05:00

On Friday May 8, 2009, three UAH History/Education students -- Kim Willis, John Milling, and Eddie Kimbrough -- participated in "Echoes and Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust," a Continuing Education workshop held at Athens State University for area teachers and teachers-to-be. The workshop was organized by the Anti-Defamation League, the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, and Yad Vashem Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, with funding from Dana and Yossie Hollander and the Braun Holocaust Institute-Glick Center for Holocaust Studies.

Students participated in six hours of workshops and also received extensive curricular material tied to Alabama Education Standards, including multiple lesson plans on themes as varied as Anti-Semitism, the Ghettos, Jewish Resistance, and Children. Participants also discussed innovative ways of using literature courses as well as history courses to teach the Holocaust.

Particularly impressive to participant John Milling were the oral interviews that were done for the project. According to John, "They are a great primary source. It is fascinating to see the emotions people have and the intricate details people remember after more than sixty years. During their conversations, you can see on their faces that they are reliving their past in their memory. It is very sad to see how they are still affected by those events. That is something you miss by merely reading a personal account."

Pictured here are John and Kim with a copy of the curriculum materials they received at the workshop.

The history department commends Kim, John, and Eddie for seeking out this opportunity and hopes future History/Education students will also participate in similar workshops.

Annual History Research Journal Now Available

2009-06-16T22:02:00.004-05:00

The History Department is pleased to announce the publication of the 2009 edition of "A Journal of Graduate and Undergraduate Research in History." The Journal features the papers prepared by students enrolled in Dr. Andrew Dunar's senior seminar course (History 490 and History 590) in spring 2009.

The prize winning papers, based on a vote by seminar participants, were:
-- "Camaraderie or Competition: Dissension Between the National Japanese American Citizens’ League and its Seattle Chapter in the Struggle for Redress" by Charity Ethridge
-- "Tense Theology in a Holy Hierarchy: Liberation Theology Versus The Vatican" by Sarah Fisher
-- "Frances Cabaniss Roberts: Teacher and Historian" by Charles Westbrook

The remaining papers were prepared by William Bailey, Christina Barnett, Ruth Behling, Alyson Buck, Arthur Harrison, Rachel Hillman, Eddie Kimbrough, Jonathon Moore, Jonathan Neely, Craig Noneman, Elizabeth Simmons, Elisabeth Spalding, Casey Smith, and Chris Weed.

Congratulations to all students for completing the very demanding senior seminar class. Don't forget to pick up your copy of the Journal in Roberts Hall 409!

Congratulations to Svetlana Jovanov for MA Thesis, "Yugoslav-American Relationships during the Truman Presidency"

2009-06-11T21:37:00.004-05:00

The history department is happy to congratulate Svetlana Jovanov on completing and defending her MA thesis entitled "Yugoslav-American Relationships during the Truman Presidency: Truman’s Eggs and Tito’s Separate Road."

According to Svetlana's abstract, "This study addresses the historical, political, military, and economic issues that established the character of the relationship between the United States and Yugoslavia during the Truman presidency. This relationship faced great challenges after the end of the World War II. Although the American government had been supportive during the war, it expressed concerns about Tito’s communism and his loyalty to Stalin after the war. The approach of the American government toward Yugoslavia changed after the Cominform’s expulsion of Yugoslavia in June 1948 and as a result of the Kremlin’s desire to force Yugoslavia down to the level of the occupied East European countries. After overcoming initial obstacles, the Yugoslav-American relationship became generally positive and pragmatic. American aid enabled Yugoslavia to survive as an independent socialist country, following its own socialist path. The historical material used in this study relies on sources from both countries, and presents motives that led the American and Yugoslav governments to overcome initial obstacles and develop a positive relationship."

Pictured here see Svetlana on Honors Day 2009 with her MA thesis advisor, Dr. Andy Dunar. Svetlana received the department's top award for a graduate student on Honors Day.

Congratulations to Whitney Snow on MA Thesis "The Cotton Mills of Huntsville"

2009-06-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

The history department is proud to commend recent MA graduate Whitney Snow on completely one of the department's two successfully defended MA theses for academic year 2008-2009. Whitney's thesis was entitled, "The Cotton Mills of Huntsville." According to Whitney's abstract: "The textile industry fueled industrial, economic, and cultural growth in the city of Huntsville, Alabama. The Huntsville industry, a
microcosm of the Southern textile industry, maintained reactionary tendencies while becoming an agent of change. Its mills, though dependent on Northern funds, became regional, national, and international competitors. Mills assisted in the transition from farm to factory by providing employment to the masses, implementing corporate welfare, and fostering village life. The textile industry and its accompanying culture shaped both Huntsville and the South."

Whitney is now working towards a PhD in history in the field of "New South" at Mississippi State University. Congrats, Whitney!

Congratulations to Our Recent Graduates

2009-05-25T21:03:00.003-05:00

The History Department is pleased to congratulate our students who graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with BA and MA degrees in December 2008 and May 2009.

In December 2008, Whitney Snow graduated with an MA degree in history, and James Bedsole, Jenna Fanning, Adam Keenum, Dillon Lee, and Stephanie Pinto graduated with BA degrees in history.

In May 2009, Greg Hughes, Svetlana Jovanov, and Carl David Stanford graduated with MA degrees in history, and Ruth Behling, Jeremy Garrett, Stanley Arthur Harrison, Christine McIntosh, Geoffrey Michael, Craig Noneman, Mosheda Pettus, Joseph Richardson, and Jennifer Staton graduated with BA degrees in history.

We are very proud of all of our graduates, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Please stay in touch with the history department!

Congratulations to Chad Pearson on Dissertation Award

2009-05-08T11:11:00.005-05:00

The department is pleased to congratulate Chad Pearson on international recognition for his dissertation, completed at SUNY-Albany in 2008, on "’Organize and Fight’: Communities, Employers, and Open-Shop Movements, 1890-1920." The Labor History journal chose Chad's dissertation as one of the best three dissertations in labor history for the year, giving it an "honorable mention."

Chad teaches world history and western civilization courses and US history survey courses at UAH and at Calhoun Community College. He is also teaching an upper-level course on US Labor History at UAH in the fall 2009 semester.

"Organize and Fight" explores organized employers and anti-union activism in three cities: Cleveland, Ohio, Buffalo, NY, and Worcester, Massachusetts. He points out that hundreds of employers were active movement-builders, union-busters, and political activists. In the study, he highlights the difficulties of building union-busting associations, the tensions between employer-organizers and rank-and-file members, the drama of breaking strikes and busting unions, and the ways in which employers used public relations in their struggles. This work seeks to explain the chief reasons why organized labor failed to achieve many of its goals during the so-called Progressive Era.

Chad is currently revising the dissertation and has begun working on a new chapter on organized employers and open-shoppery (a philosophy that insists that workers have the right to refuse to join labor unions) in Huntsville and Chattanooga.

History Major Sarah Fisher Wins a Student Government Association Student Leadership Award

2009-04-23T12:07:00.010-05:00

History major Sarah Fisher, who is also double majoring in Political Science and has a minor in Sociology, was awarded a Student Leadership Award at the Student Government Association annual awards dinner Monday April 20.

Sarah was nominated and won the award primarily for her successful work as a Peer Mentor in the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program sponsored by the Student Success Center at UAH. As a PASS tutor for 5 semesters, Sarah has attended the survey courses of 4 different history professors and organized thrice weekly break-out sessions with enrolled students to review course concepts and develop study skills. Dr. Diana Bell, director of the Student Success Center, has chosen Sarah to help coordinate and supervise PASS mentors in Academic Year 2009-2010.

Sarah is also about to start a co-op internship with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) here in Huntsville. She hopes to work for the government after her graduation in Spring 2010.

Congratulations, Sarah!

Another Successful Liberal Arts Tournament Day

2009-04-23T11:43:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to Bev Gentry, event coordinator for the History Department, and to all of the students who participated in and won awards at the 2009 Liberal Arts Tournament Day on April 16, 2009. Students from area high schools, including Randolph, Grissom, Ardmore, Johnson, Catholic, Covenant Christian Academy, Buckhorn, Athens, and Brewer/Falkville, traveled to campus to compete in the categories of US History, World History, Art, and Government. In addition to participating in the competition, visiting high school students found out information about attending UAHuntsville and enjoyed a good lunch.

Total competitors in the two History categories were 130 students. Stephen Thrasher of Grissom High won the US History award and Marshall Moore of Grissom High won the World History award.

We were delighted to welcome so many high school students to UAHuntsville. Special thanks to Bev Gentry for all the hard work that made this successful event possible!

History Major Ruth Behling Selected for FBI Internship

2009-04-23T10:51:00.005-05:00

Congratulations are in order for History major Ruth Behling, who has won a "Scholastic Honors Internship" with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She will graduate from UAH in May 2009, and she will complete the Scholastic Honors Internship from June 8, 2009 to August 14, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Ruth has worked very hard during her years at UAH. In addition to completing a History major, she has also completed minors in Art History and Global Studies. Ruth is also a member of the Phi Alpha Theta history honorary. The FBI internship is also a clear marker of Ruth's persistence. As she stated, "When I recieved word that I was second place I stayed with the application process. Then I received word I actually received a position. This was not another "almost" in my life but an actual opportunity to do something different." Ruth hopes that the internship "will open doors for me to venture into and help me figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life." She also stated that, "With this internship I can learn how I can stop the corruption that is prevalant in our nation."

We are so happy for you, Ruth, and looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

Congratulations to MA Alum Thomas Reidy

2009-04-23T10:42:00.007-05:00

The history faculty at UAH were pleased to hear recently that our MA alum, Thomas Reidy, who is pursuing a PhD in American history at the University of Alabama, has received the Frank Lawrence Owsley Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is given annually to a UA Grad student who demonstrates superior competency in American History.

Tom was also asked to and will begin working on a documentary for PBS about the lives of Clifford and Virginia Durr. The Durrs were an Alabama couple. They were New Dealers who became deeply committed to Civil Rights and are the subjects of several books.

We are also pleased that Tom will be rejoining us in Fall 2008 to teach two sections of History 103, the first half of the world history sequence.

It is nice to see our alumni doing so well!

Congratulations to History Major Jennifer Staton, Winner of a Fulbright Fellowship!

2009-04-09T19:05:00.004-05:00

The History Department is proud to celebrate the achievement of Jennifer Staton, who just received word that she has won a Fulbright fellowship to teach English in Germany during Academic Year 2009-2010. The fellowship will cover almost all of her expenses. She will be placed at a high school and will assist an English teaching inside and outside the classroom.

This prestigious honor is the culmination of years of hard work at UAH. In addition to majoring in History, Jennifer has completed a minor in English and has also taken several courses in German. She has also developed her teaching skills by working as a tutor in the Writing Center and in the Peer Assisted Study Session program led by the Student Success Center. Jennifer also spent two weeks in Germany in May 2008 as part of a Global Studies/History course on Nazi Germany.

In addition to fulfilling her responsibilities as a teaching assistant and cultural ambassador, Jennifer will also have the chance to travel, visit art museums, and pursue her interests in early modern German and English history by visiting libraries and archives.

Pictured here see two photographs of Jennifer taken in Germany in May 2008, one picturing her with a painting by Johannes Vermeer in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and a second featuring her in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Congratulations, Jennifer. We are proud of you and wish you all the best!

Congratulations to Student Award Winners!

2009-04-09T18:47:00.008-05:00

On Tuesday, April 8, UAH Huntsville had its annual "Honors Day," where it celebrated student award winners for the year.

The History Department is proud to congratulate five student winners. Pictured here, see Joseph Richardson, winner of the new Dr. John Rison Jones Award in Southern History (sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society); Jennifer Staton, winner of the department's Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Award; Svetlana Jovanov, winner of the department's Outstanding Graduate Achievement Award; Craig Noneman, winner of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Alabama History Essay Award; and Veronica Ferreira, winner of the Colonel Walter Aston Chapter of the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century History Award.

History students received commendation in other departments, too. Veronica Ferreira and Jennifer Staton both received Women's Studies honors, Veronica as Outstanding Student and Jennifer as second-place winner in the Upper-Division Essay Contest. History major Sarah Fisher also received second-place in the Lower-Division Essay Contest. Sarah, a double major in Political Science, also received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award for the Political Science Department.

We are very proud of our outstanding students. Congratulations to you all!

Congratulations to New Phi Alpha Theta Inductees

2009-04-06T20:23:00.008-05:00

On Friday April 3, 2009, the Tau Omega chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta history honorary inducted seven new members, all of whom had met demanding eligibility criteria in their history classes and other coursework at UAH.

Dr. Richard Gerberding offered up his Castle for the ceremony, and new inductees and their family members joined the history department faculty and several already-inducted members for a lovely early spring evening of conversation, casual hors d'oeuvres, and tours of the Castle building and grounds.

Pictured here see new inductees Matthew Menarchek, John Milling, Bill Bailey, and Josh Riddle. Also inducted but unable to attend the ceremony were Derrick Chatterton, Nate Gibson, and Reeves Jordan.

Also pictured are new members with several already-inducted members in attendance, including Greg Hughes, Thomas Bockhorn, Dawn Suiter, Elisabeth Spalding, and Joseph Richardson.

Congratulations to all our new inductees!

Congratulations to the Society for Ancient Languages on a Successful Classics Week 2009

2009-03-07T20:27:00.010-06:00

The History Department would like to commend the Society for Ancient Languages and the Classical Studies Program for yet another successful Classics Week.

This year, Classics Week featured Professor Robert Kaster, Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin at Princeton University. Kaster gave two lectures on Friday, February 27, one on "Roman Values and Virtues," and another on "Cicero in Mourning."

Professor Kaster also spent much time conversing with students in the Society for Ancient Languages over meals and visits to local sites. The highlight of Professor Kaster's visit was the annual Convivium at Dr. Richard Gerberding's Castle, where current and former members of the Society for Ancient Languages as well as many supporters and friends gathered for an elegant evening of fine dining, intellectual stimulation, and a musical interlude provided by Vox Angelica.

Special thanks to Society member Joseph Richardson for documenting the event through his photography. Featured here are a select number of photographs, one featuring Professor Kaster during a public lecture; a second featuring students, photographed from above, gathered in the Great Hall of Dr. Gerberding's home; a third featuring students sitting at the table with Professor Kaster (with Society president and main event organizer Bill Bailey at the head of table with Professor Kaster to his side); and a fourth featuring Dr. Richard Gerberding, Director of the Classical Studies Program, together with Professor Kaster.

Phi Alpha Theta Members Present at Regional PAT Conference

2009-02-08T19:46:00.005-06:00

On Saturday, February 7, four members of the Tau Omega chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta history honorary at UAHuntsville traveled to Livingston, Alabama, to present papers at the 2009 Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference hosted by the University of West Alabama.

Thomas Bockhorn presented a paper on "How the Children Saw It: James Hamilton Couper, Bennet Barrow, and Slavery." Jamie Farrell presented a paper on "Three Ways of Looking: Three Different Visual Representations of the Prostitute in Nineteenth Century Europe." Elisabeth Spalding presented on "Lesbian Persecution under the Third Reich." Sarah Fisher presented on "Vague Condemnations and a Vindicated Conscience: Pius XII and the Holocaust," for which she won a "Best Paper" prize. Faculty Advisor Molly Johnson accompanied the students and moderated a panel on U.S. Labor History.

We are very proud of our students and their hard work preparing for and participating in the PAT conference. They did us proud!

Pictured here see Thomas, Jamie, Sarah, and Elisabeth relaxing outside after their presentations. See also Jamie, Sarah, and Elisabeth -- with moderator Joe Frazer from Judson College -- before their presentations.

New Article by Professor Emeritus Johanna Shields

2009-01-31T10:17:00.002-06:00

Retirement sure hasn't slowed down the scholarly efforts of Johanna Shields! She has recently published an article, "The Dynamics of Southern Friendship in the Civil
War Novels of Augusta Evans and Jeremiah Clemens," in Mississippi Quarterly, 60
(Spring 2007), 305-33.

Congratulations, Johanna. We hope we will remain so productive over the years!

Congratulations to Sandra Mendiola

2009-01-29T19:33:00.007-06:00

We are pleased to announce that first year faculty member Dr. Sandra Mendiola has received a UAH Research Mini-Grant for $4,651.00 and a UAH Humanities Center Faculty Research Grant of $2165.00 to pursue research on "Mexico's 'Dirty War' on Street Vendors, 1973-1986" in Puebla and Mexico City, Mexico, in Summer 2009. In Mexico City, she will visit the General National Archive and the National Autonomous University's newspapers collection, and in Puebla, she will also conduct oral interviews with female street vendors. This research will contribute to Sandra's book manuscript, a revision of her doctoral dissertation, tentatively entitled "Marketers, Street Vendors, and Politics in Mexico."

Sandra has also been invited to be the featured scholar at a February meeting of the Newberry Library in Chicago. Her pre-circulated paper on the state repression that street vendors faced as they formed a militant union that fought for access to public spaces will be the sole subject of discussion for organizers and participants.

Pictured here see Sandra conducting an oral history interview during her dissertation research.

The History Department is delighted that Sandra is off to such a good start and congratulations her on her early successes!

Congratulations to Sam Thomas

2009-01-27T18:46:00.003-06:00

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Sam Thomas. Sam just received word that he received a UAHuntsville Research Mini-Grant worth $7800 and a Wellcome Institute Grant (based in England) for $2200.

Sam will use the funding for two primary projects. In May, he will attend a seminar at the Folger Library in Washington, DC, on "Secularization and Selfhood." The seminar will explore how individuals in England and America understood the shift from the religious culture of the early modern period to the so-called "disenchantment of the world" that developed in the wake of the Enlightenment.

Then in July, he'll spend two weeks in Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, England, laying the groundwork for his project under development on "Midwifery, Medicine and Society in Early Modern England." While there, he'll survey archives that he will use as he researches and writes two books on the social and cultural history of midwifery between 1660 and 1800.

Well done, Sam!

Scholarship Application Deadline on December 1

2008-11-09T09:41:00.003-06:00

Reminder to All Students:

The deadline to apply for UAHuntsville scholarships is December 1! Click here for information.

Please consider applying!

History Club: Halloween Visit to West Mastin Lake Elementary School and Election Day Fundraiser

2008-11-06T11:30:00.005-06:00

The History Club has been very active lately. On Halloween Friday, the History Club visited a third grade class at West Mastin Lake Elementary School in Huntsville. President Veronica Ferreira brought goodie bags full of healthy treats, and member Craig Noneman talked to students about how Halloween started, how Irish immigrants brought Halloween with them to the New World, how trick-or-treating came about, why people make Jack-o-lanterns, and how Americans began the practice of carving pumpkins. Students then asked a lot of questions.

The History Club also held a successful fundraiser on November 4, Election Day, selling baked goods in Morton Hall and making $120.00. The Club will use the money to organize additional service activities at West Mastin Lake Elementary, one for Presidents' Day in February and for Women's History Month in March.

Great work, History Club!

Pictured here are Craig, Veronica, and Veronica's son Timothy, a member of the third grade class at West Mastin Lake Elementary.

UAHuntsville History Alum Featured in Huntsville Times

2008-11-06T11:14:00.002-06:00

Rusty Hughes, a UAHuntsville History Alum, was recently featured in the Huntsville Times, which described a mock election activity that he organized with all 780 students at Riverton Middle School to help them learn about the electoral college.

According to the article, "Each classroom in the building represents a state, from the largest homeroom designated as California, which has the most electors at 55. Principal Todd Markham's office represents Montana, with its three electoral votes. The students will vote Tuesday by homeroom, or state, and the votes will be tallied to see who wins the election."

Hughes' eighth grade students also hosted a debate with ten students researching Barack Obama's positions and another ten researching those of John McCain.

Hughes teaches seventh grade civics and geography and eighth grade world history.

It is so exciting to see our alums engaging so creatively in the classroom and in their schools! Good work, Rusty!

Dr. Johnson publishes "Training Socialist Citizens"

2008-11-03T11:17:00.010-06:00

Molly Johnson's book, Training Socialist Citizens: Sports and the State in East Germany is out! The press is Brill Academic Publisher of Leiden, The Netherlands. Here is the summary from the back of the dust jacket:

"Offering a counterbalance to previous scholarship on elite Olympics sports and doping scandals, this study analyzes how the East German government used participatory sports programs, sports festivals, and sports spectatorship to transform its population into new socialist citizens. It illuminates the power of the East German dictatorship over its population, the ways that citizens participated in, accommodated to, and resisted state goals, and the government's ultimate failure to create eager socialist citizens. It also highlights the orchestration of participation in modern dictatorships, the role of mass participatory sports as both a valuable political tool and a popular leisure activity, and elements of continuity and change in twentieth-century German history."

Congratulations, Molly, we are proud of you!

Congratulations to New Phi Alpha Theta Inductees

2008-10-26T22:02:00.004-05:00

On Friday, October 24, UAHuntsville's Tau Omega chapter of the national Phi Alpha Theta history honorary inducted ten new members. Pictured here see Christina Barnett, Ruth Behling, Charity Ethridge, Jamie Farrell, Samatha Hillgartner, Svetlana Jovanov, Jonathon Moore, and Craig Noneman. Robin Flachbart and Lewis Martin were also inducted, but were unable to attend.

Many current PAT members also attended the induction. See here the full group, which includes the new inductees, Faculty Advisor Dr. Molly Johnson, and members Jennifer Staton, Joseph Richardson, Elisabeth Spalding, Charles Westbrook, Sarah Fisher, Dawn Suiter, Jennifer Coe, and Greg Hughes.

Many thanks to UAHuntsville alum, PAT member, and current instructor Barbara Wright for letting us use her home for the ceremony. Thanks also to PAT President Elisabeth Spalding for her help coordinating induction, to Secretary Sarah Fisher, Treasurer Dawn Suiter, and department administrative assistant Bev Gentry for helping set up, and to other PAT members who helped with clean-up.

Congratulations new inductees!

Successful Visit by Oral Historian Charles Morrissey

2008-10-26T21:40:00.007-05:00

The History Department was pleased to welcome distinguished oral historian Charles T. Morrissey to UAHuntsville October 19-23, 2008.

Morrissey gave two public lectures, an afternoon lecture on Tuesday to the Honors Forum on "Oral History and the Modern Presidency," and an evening lecture on Wednesday on "Life and Memory in America: Oral History in an Age of Public Amnesia." He also gave guest lectures in two classes and met with members of the History Department to discuss the public history program we are currently developing.

Thanks again to the UAHuntsville Faculty Senate Distinguished Speakers Series, the Honors Program, the Humanities Center, and the Bankhead Foundation for helping the History Department make Morrissey's visit possible!

Pictured here see Morrissey responding to questions from audience at the Wednesday evening talk and students and community members gathered for a post-lecture reception prepared by History Department administrative assistant Bev Gentry.

Retirement Party for Professor Lee Williams

2008-10-24T12:25:00.005-05:00

On Friday, October 17, the department celebrated the career of Dr. Lee E. Williams, who retired in June 2008 after 36 years as a historian at UAHuntsville. At a dinner in the Great Hall of Dr. Gerberding’s Castle on the Elk River in Rogersville, 34 colleagues and friends gathered to honor Dr. Williams, who specialized in African-American history, also served as director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Dr. Johanna Shields, who herself taught her last class last year, presented a moving tribute to Lee, recalling their years together on the fourth floor of Roberts Hall (then known as the Humanities Building) in the 1970s. Other colleagues in the 1970s, Drs. John White and Philip Boucher, were unable to attend but sent tributes read at the dinner. The department also presented a framed photograph of Roberts Hall, a plaque designed by Dr. Gerberding featuring a white-board marker, and a Western Civ textbook signed by all members of the department.

Once again, best wishes to Lee!

Andy Dunar, Department Chair

Phi Alpha Theta Visit to Maple Hill Cemetery

2008-10-20T08:46:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, October 18, 2008, Phi Alpha Theta member and history major Joseph Richardson gave Phi Alpha Theta members a tour of Maple Hill Cemetery in downtown Huntsville; it is Huntsville's oldest and largest cemetery, founded around 1822.

Joseph explained the history of the cemetery to us and then focused our tour on the oldest parts of the cemetery, visiting the graves of several Alabama governors, senators, and other prominent figures in the history of Huntsville. We also paid close attention to the final resting spots of many "ordinary" people, learning what we could about life and death in nineteenth-century Huntsville from their gravestones. At the end of the tour, we visited the special Catholic and Jewish sections of the old cemetery, as well as "Potter's Field," where the indigent were buried.

A highlight of the tour was visiting the gravestone of Dr . Frances C. Roberts, the founder of the UAHuntsville History Department. Roberts Hall, where the history department presently resides, carries her name.

Pictured here see Joseph hard at work giving us a tour, and also German exchange student Simon Rebiger and history majors Charles Westbrook, Elisabeth Spalding, and Joseph Richardson at Dr. Roberts' grave.

Research Experience for Undergraduates, Summer 2009

2008-10-17T10:18:00.002-05:00

Calling Undergraduate History Majors!

Are you interested in the opportunity to do independent research under the direction of a history professor during Summer 2009?

In exchange for developing a research plan that would require 32 to 40 hours a week of active research, reading, and writing for 10 to 12 weeks, you could receive a $3000 stipend from the "Research Experience for Undergraduates" program funded by the UAH President’s Office, the Provost’s office, and other sources as they become available. 15-20 proposals will be accepted, pending availability of funds.

If you are interested, please contact a member of the UAH History Department by Monday November 10 to discuss your ideas and to consider possibilities. Prelimininary proposals, prepared by you and a faculty mentor, will be due to the department by November 17. The final deadline for faculty mentors to submit proposals to the Faculty Senate Finance and Resources Committeee is December 1.

We encourage you to consider this exciting opportunity. Be sure to act quickly! You will be competing with students from across the campus and will need time to develop a strong proposal in cooperation with your faculty mentor.

Kudos to History Club and Phi Alpha Theta on a Successful Bake Sale

2008-09-30T21:34:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, History Club and Phi Alpha Theta worked together to host a bake sale in Morton Hall. They raised over $130.00 to use towards service activities and excursions!

Pictured here are Elisabeth Spalding and Craig Noneman selling yummy baked goods.

Thanks to all of you who supported today's fundraiser!

In Memoriam: Sarah Chapman, 1988-2008

2008-09-15T21:33:00.011-05:00

Today, UAHuntsville -- and the many individuals who knew and loved Sarah Chapman -- suffered an enormous loss when Sarah was killed in a bicycle accident near campus.

Sarah -- a Marketing major and Communications Art minor -- was one of 16 students who traveled to Germany in May for a History/Global Studies course on "Nazi Germany." Although Sarah was not a history major, the many history majors who got to know her last spring semester and during the two weeks in Germany in May are full of grief today at her death.

Sarah was a truly extraordinary person. She was very intelligent and hard-working, but even more striking were her natural curiosity and her supreme confidence. In Germany, she was tireless, soaking up every opportunity that came her way, whether formal class activities or extracurricular fun. She went to museums, she listened to the Dalai Lama speak at the Brandenburg Gate, she traveled to Neuschwanstein to see the the "fairy tale castles," and she met people from all over the world -- many of whom are now her "Facebook friends." She was absolutely fearless in the way she put herself out there and got every bit possible out of the experience.

Several memories stand out most to me. In Munich, she and her friends Erica and Daniel wanted to enjoy the Viktualienmarkt -- a famous outdoor fresh food market -- in proper style. Rather than buying a premade sandwich, they ended up buying a baguette and spreading fresh salami and cheese on it from several different stands. I remember Sarah coming to me and asking for advice on how to buy the cheese; Gouda was her preference. She and her friends also bought fresh cherries to eat with their "sandwiches." I was proud that she and the others chose to experience lunch in this "authentic" way.

I remember Sarah hard at work on the train from Munich to Nuremberg, jotting down notes for her take-home final exam. She was simultaneously keeping a journal. As she wrote, she came to me frequently for clarification on details related to class activities. She wanted to remember every single thing she experienced, and she wanted to remember it right. She planned to do a scrapbook on her Germany trip when she returned. The day before her death, in fact, she posted an album related to her weeks in Germany to her Facebook page.

In Berlin, Sarah decided she wanted to go the ballet. During a break from a class walking tour, she and I went to the Staatsoper to inquire about tickets for With/Out Tutu, that night's ballet. Lines were out the door because, as it turned out, that was the opening day to purchase tickets for the coming opera season. I explained to Sarah that class had to continue and we could not wait so long in line. Lo and behold, she later went back to the opera house, bought a ticket, and went to the ballet all by herself. She showed enormous self-confidence -- in a city of over 3 million people who speak German! The next morning at breakfast, she told me -- with glowing eyes - "You'll never believe what I did last night."

I was stunned by Sarah. That she had a keen intellect and good work ethic were perhaps not so surprising; many students do. But her wide-ranging curiosity and her fearless confidence were well beyond her years and left me with great admiration -- and great expectations for her future. It is heartbreaking that she will never know that future -- but I am so glad that she got so much out of the life that she had.

Pictured are Sarah in Munich with her friend and roommate Erica Pruett; Sarah in the cheese store (this is Sarah's own photograph, posted to Facebook the day before her death); Sarah on the train from Munich to Nuremberg working on her final exam; and Sarah (third from left, along with Ruth Behling, George Preussel, and Sarah Fisher) at the Berlin Wall. Here Sarah is wearing a pashmina scarf she bought in Nuremberg. The woman who sold it to her suggested that the fabric made her look mature, and Sarah was very proud of her scarf and wore it most days .

Rest in Peace, Sarah.

--Molly Johnson, instructor of "Munich, Nuremberg, Berlin: Legacies of the Third Reich" (Spring 2008)

Congratulations to New Phi Alpha Theta Officers

2008-09-05T22:13:00.002-05:00

The Tau Omega chapter of Phi Alpha Theta had its first meeting of the new academic year on Friday, September 5. Members elected officers, made plans for the ceremony to induct new members on October 24, and discussed possible service activities, fundraisers, and excursions for the coming year.

Congratulations to new officers, pictured here from left:

Sarah Fisher, Secretary

Elisabeth Spalding, President

Veronica Ferreira, Vice President

Dawn Suiter, Treasurer

New President Elisabeth Spalding also created a Facebook page for the Tau Omega chapter. Search for us under "Phi Alpha Theta -- Tau Omega Chapter" if you are a PAT member and Facebook user and wish to join the group.

Congratulations to Veronica Ferreira on the Completion of her Research Experience for Undergraduates Project

2008-09-01T13:29:00.006-05:00

On Friday, August 29, history major Veronica Ferreira gave a poster presentation on her summer research project, "Heroines and Harlots: The World War II Experiences of the 'She-Soldier.'" Veronica received $3000 from the UAHuntsville Research Experience for Undergraduates program to conduct her summer research under the direction of Dr. Stephen Waring.

In her research project, Veronica interpreted the oral interviews of 150 women veterans of World War II, available through the website of the Library of Congress. After listening to each interview, she created several graphs, dividing the women according to their responses to various questions. Among these were questions about treatment at the hands of servicemen, familial response to the decision to enlist, and whether or not they married while in service. Then, she compared their responses to existing scholarship on women in the military during the second world war in order to create the most accurate and complete depiction of what it was like to live as one of the first ‘she-soldiers’ in the US. She concluded that the common depiction of women is inaccurate, by demonstrating that in World War II, as today, there is no universal experience among women, even in the same occupation. There are some commonalities that emerge, but amidst more nuance and variation than scholarship typically claims.

According to Veronica, who currently plans to pursue a PhD in history, the REU program enabled her to experience the typical process of developing and refining a Master's Thesis. Rather than turning in a paper and receiving a grade, Veronica received extensive feedback from Dr. Waring on multiple drafts and made many revisions before preparing the final version. Veronica also learned to be more critical of her own work and of the scholarship she read during the research process. She is now considering submitting her paper for consideration for publication in a professional journal or presenting it an an academic conference.

We are very proud of Veronica's hard work and achievement, and we encourage other UAHuntsville history majors to consider the REU program, too.

Global Studies & Legacies of 3rd Reich

2008-08-15T09:18:00.008-05:00

Earlier this summer, sixteen UAHuntsville students, including ten
history majors, traveled to Germany with Dr. Molly Johnson as part of
a class on "Legacies of the Third Reich." The class was coordinated
through UAHuntsville's "Global Studies" program. Students studied how
the Nazis used aesthetics and space to represent and build power, as
well as how three German cities, Munich, Nuremberg, and Berlin, deal
with the legacies of Nazism today through debates and memorials.

Students started their travels in Munich, where they explored
prominent sites associated with the Nazis' rise to power; they also
visited the nearby Dachau concentration camp. A highlight was the
chance to meet with Franz Mueller, a surviving member of the "White
Rose" student resistance group. The group then traveled to Nuremberg,
where students visited the Nazi Party Rally Grounds made famous by
Leni Riefenstahl. The class concluded in Berlin, where students
explored Nazi architecture, including the Olympic Stadium, the
Tempelhof Airport, and the Air Ministry, visited myriad memorials, and
had a surprise meeting with John Berry, a former German who left
Berlin on a "children's transport" in the late 1930s.

In addition to historical sites, students also enjoyed open air
markets, fresh bread, art museums, public transportation, and even the
chance to hear the Dalai Lama speak at the Brandenburg Gate.

For information on future trips led by history faculty and other
UAHuntsville figures, visit Global Studies

Dr. Lee Williams Retires

2008-06-06T13:38:00.010-05:00

Lee Williams: Last day on the clock for UAH

Professor Lee Williams, II, whose lectures featured a familiar booming voice that has echoed through the corridors of Roberts Hall for more than 35 years, has decided to retire. Professor Williams came to UAHuntsville in 1972. Professor Frances Roberts, the founder of the History Department, interviewed Lee Williams, who was on his way to Mississippi State University to complete work on his Ph.D. He accepted the position, and later took a leave of absence to complete his Ph.D. He has been here ever since.

Professor Williams leaves behind a fine record of achievement. His book on twentieth century race riots has recently been reissued by the University of Mississippi Press. He is a frequent book reviewer and contributor to encyclopedias dealing with African American issues. As director of the UAHuntsville Office of Multicultural Affairs, he has assisted countless students, and has brought African American speakers and performers to campus. He, along with his History Department colleague Jack Ellis and three other UAHuntsville faculty members, organized a semester-long collaboration with Alabama A&M University in 2001 to commemorate the civil rights movement. It was a stunning success, bringing to campus central figures in the civil rights movement in Alabama and the nation. Among the featured speakers were Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch and several civil rights pioneers, including U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Diane Nash, Fred Gray, J.L. Chestnut, and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth.

Students remember Professor Williams fondly, and he in turn enjoyed working with them. “I enjoy the students and participating in the process of helping young people find out what they’re all about,” he remarked on the occasion of his 35th anniversary of teaching at UAHuntsville. “It brings such satisfaction to hear kind remarks from former students who enjoyed my class. It makes me feel good.”

With the retirements of Dr. Williams and Dr. Boucher, the last two members of the team that played UAH’s only intercollegiate football games have now left the university. For a brief time in the 1970s, UAH had a club football team that included faculty and students. Although the documentary record is full of holes, it is said that they played other colleges. Here is the team photograph from 1974-1975. Dr. Williams is the first in the back row left; second from the left is Philip Boucher; Clyde Riley of Chemistry is on the front row left.

Lee Williams will be greatly missed by his colleagues in the History Department. With his retirement, and with Drs. Johanna Shields and Philip Boucher teaching their last classes in the recently concluded academic year, the department loses its connection to the 1970s. We will miss hearing about those years, and we will miss Dr. Williams’s shrewd analyses of Alabama politics. The faculty wishes him a wonderful retirement!

--Andy Dunar, Chair

Alum John McKerley earns Doctorate

2008-05-24T08:48:00.007-05:00

On May 15, John McKerley, an alumnus of the UAH History Department, successfully defended his dissertation in History at the University of Iowa.

Entitled “Citizens and Strangers: The Politics of Race in Missouri from Slavery to the Era of Jim Crow,” John’s dissertation examines the ways in which the state’s culture of white supremacy affected the political calculus of white Missourians and the ability of black men and women to use formal political institutions to advance their individual and collective interests between (roughly) 1860 and 1920. It argues that African Americans’ ability to transform formal political participation into effective political empowerment during the first half century after enfranchisement was determined more by where and how they intersected with local and statewide partisan politics than by white racism or their numbers alone. In particular, John’s dissertation emphasizes the importance of industrialization, class conflict, and black urbanization in destabilizing wartime partisan coalitions in the Border South and creating space for limited alliances across the color-line that prevented white Democrats from uniting around a policy of statewide, legal black disfranchisement at the turn of the century.

This fall, John will join the faculty at the University of Maryland in College Park as a faculty research associate and assistant editor with the Freedmen and Southern Society Project. Founded in 1976, the project has produced five volumes of edited documents detailing the transition from slavery to freedom in the United States between 1861 and 1867. As an assistant editor, John will participate in the creation of the sixth installment in the series, Violence, Law, and Justice. His work will involve everything from proofreading, document transcription, checking annotations, indexing, and coauthoring the introduction. In his spare time—if he has any—he also hopes to teach classes in U.S. and African-American history.

At UAH, John was president and vice-president of Phi Alpha Theta, a recipient of the John Hendricks scholarship and the Colonial Dames Essay Award, and a proud member of the Society for Ancient Languages.

Congratulations John! Go Hawkeyes!

Everything old is new for local history scholar Chris Paysinger

2008-05-09T02:19:00.001-05:00

The Athens News Courier has a recent article on Chris Paysinger, the Department's Outstanding Graduate Student in History.
- Meet the Neighbor: Everything old is new for local history scholar Chris Paysinger

History Participates in Liberal Arts Tournament Day, 2008

2008-04-24T15:12:00.005-05:00

On April 17, 2008, the History Department -- together with the Political Science Department, the Art and Art History Department, and the Women's Studies Program (through the Art department)-- participated in the 12th annual Liberal Arts Tournament Day on the UAH campus.

350 high school students from 11 area high schools traveled to UAH, and 150 of these students -- from Johnson High School, Catholic High School, the Randolph School, Ardmore High School, Madison County High School, and the Covenent Christian Academy -- participated in the History competition (pictured). Three of these student groups came with the UAH History alums who are presently their teachers, Brad Lewis of Ardmore, Jeff Murphy of Randolph, and Ann Lawson of Catholic (pictured).

The winner of the U.S. History competition was David Grzybowski of the Randolph School, and the winner of the World History competition was Andrew Jones from Catholic High School.

Special thanks are due to History Department Senior Staff Assistant Bev Gentry for all of her work preparing the event, as well as History Department Student Assistant Matthew McDaniels.

Dr. Boucher's Final Class

2008-04-24T13:56:00.003-05:00

On Monday April 21, Dr. Philip Boucher taught his final class at UAH. Pictured here see him presenting a study guide to his students in History 102, Western Civilization.

Dr. Boucher has now completed his post-retirement contract at UAH. During his successful tenure at UAH, he was appointed the first Distinguished Professor in the College of Liberal Arts, and he also inspired countless students in the many classes he taught over the years, concluding this spring with History 102 and a graduate course, Studies in Early Modern Europe.

The faculty and students of the History Department will miss Dr. B's presence in the classroom and in the hallways, but we wish him well as he enjoys many leisurely moments at his vacation home in Mentone, Alabama! (also pictured)

Congratulations to 2007-2008 Student Award Winners

2008-04-10T09:38:00.015-05:00

At the Honors Convocation on April 8, 2008 five of our history majors received honors and awards. Emily Espenan won the "Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement" award for the history department; Chris Paysinger won the "Outstanding Graduate Achievement" award for the history department; Dillon Lee won the "National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Alabama History" award; and Jennifer Staton won the "Colonel Walter Aston Chapter of the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century History" award. In addition, history major Veronica Ferreira won the "Outstandung Undergraduate Achievement" award for the Women's Studies program.

Pictured here see Jennifer Staton with Mrs. Bonnie Turner (of the Colonial Dames); Dillon Lee and Emily Espenan; and Veronica Ferreira with Dr. Nancy Finley, the Director of Women's Studies.

Dr. Dunar at Cazenovia College -- with his first PowerPoint

2008-04-08T10:17:00.011-05:00

Over spring break, Dr. Andrew J. Dunar, chair of the UAHuntsville Department of History, delivered the 8th annual Paul J. Schupf lecture at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, NY. His lecture title was "Fifty-Fifty: The 1950s Fifty Years Later," and for this lecture, he produced and presented his first PowerPoint show! The first image showed Harry Truman. During his visit, Dr. Dunar also gave a guest lecture in an upper-level U.S. history course for which students read his book America in the Fifties (Syracuse University, 2006).

Dr. Dunar is currently mulling over whether to drop using overhead projector slides (not "vu-graphs"!) in the classroom for what he calls "new-fangled" teaching technology. Meanwhile, he keeps muttering in the coffeeroom, "Williams, Gerberding--eat my dust."

Welcome John Kvach!

2008-04-08T10:09:00.008-05:00

We are pleased to announce the hiring of John F. Kvach!

John's specialty is the Nineteenth-Century South and he is currently finishing his doctorate at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. His dissertation, entitled Up, Up Ye Men of Capital: J. D. B. De Bow and the Antebellum Origins of the New South, shows how influential figures in the Old South promoted economic development and modernization. The work not only offers an intellectual biography of De Bow, the prominent Southern editor and journalist, but also provides a collective biography of the subscribers to his journal from across the region. John's work transcends some historiographical patterns which traditionally argue that the South opposed modernization. In contrast, he shows how De Bow's readers, while mostly slave-owners, called for internal improvements, economic diversification, urbanization, and cultural sophistication.

John taught several years at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, and at UAH will teach courses on the US in the Nineteenth-Century, including the Old South and Civil War and Reconstruction. He also wants to teach the history of Alabama.

In addition, John has a passion for world history and public history. He has a master's degree in public history from West Virginia University and has worked as a public historian for the National Park Service, the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health, and West Virginia's Humanities Council and State Park System. John dreams of teaching a public history course on heritage tourism. Once again, welcome John!

Welcome Sandra Mendiola!

2008-02-29T12:06:00.006-06:00

The History Department welcomes our new colleague, Sandra C. Mendiola! Sandra is currently finishing her doctoral dissertation in the History Department at Rutgers University and will join us this fall.

Her dissertation, entitled Street Vendors, Marketers, and Politics in Twentieth-Century Puebla, examines the lives of market women in Puebla, Mexico. She analyzes their backgrounds and values, and shows how they organized to defend their dignity and enhance their income. Blending labor, gender, and business history, Sandra not only uses traditional evidence, but also oral history interviews and records of police spies.

Sandra loves teaching! At Rutgers, she has taught Latin American Revolutions and Social History of Latin America. Among her ideas for courses in Latin American history at UAH, she suggested introductory surveys, labor and gender history, revolutions and counter-revolutions, the region during the Cold War, as well as media and history. Sandra is expert at teaching with technology (she confesses that she loves gadgets).

Sandra was born and raised in Puebla, Mexico. In 1998, she completed a BA in International Relations at the Universidad de las Américas-Puebla. From 1998-1999 she worked as a Spanish language assistant at Union College, NY. In 2000 she finished an MA in History at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Welcome Sandra!