John O'Brien recognized for Study on Divorce in the Antebellum South

So much of the study of history revolves around forming a strong argument, backing it up with evidence, and presenting the information well. John O'Brien, who just graduated with his bachelor's degree, shines at this. He recently wrote an outstanding paper on divorce in antebellum Alabama that provides a new interpretation of the issue. Not only did he win the award for best paper at the Alabama Regional Phi Alpha Theta conference, but also the Dr. John Rison Jones Award in Southern History sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society for his work on this paper. 

More information on John's paper can be found here: UAH history student sheds new light on divorce in antebellum South. As a former colleague of the Department would put it, John's clearly an "old pro" at this paper-writing business. Congratulations John! Here's hoping you get paid to tell people about Alabama.

Alumni Watch: Katie Graham

Dr. Johnson recently got in touch with one of the Department's alumna, Katie Graham, class of 2011. She told her some about her job with the Global Deployment Program Office of the Missile Defense Agency as a Document Specialist, Certified Correspondence Reviewer, and Records Liaison Officer. Among other things, she gets to "develop policies, plans, processes, procedures, and guidance for site activation, system deployment, and logistical and operational practices." She will also get to travel to sites where missiles and radars are set up.

For her time at the Department, Katie has much to say. "My history degree has helped me in numerous ways in my career so far. Writing and researching all of those term papers was excellent practice for my work as a Document Specialist and a Certified Correspondence Reviewer for MDA. In this way, I am able to write and review documents detailing the work of the Global Deployment Program Office. Some of these documents eventually make it all the way up to Congress! My favorite role, though, is as the Records Liaison Officer for my office. Starting in September of last year, I began archiving all of the GDPO's records, and I actually JUST finished this archival process last week......this totals over 7,000 records that I archived for our team. The classes that I took for my history degree helped to prepare me for this type of work, and in this way, I helped secure the history of my office for the Missile Defense Agency."

Great job on your success Katie. We wish you the best.

Congratulations to the Spring 2014 History Graduates!

Yesterday, Sunday, May 4th, the Department said farewell to some of its students as they walked across the stage and graduated from their studies at UAH. Congratulations to everyone!

Undergraduates included Kirsten Currier, Andrew Donovan, Heather Gargis, Seth Kelly, David Kemmerer, John O'Brien, David Smith, and Chase Tate. Graduate students were Elysha Francis, Charity Ethridge, Chris LeQuieu, and Nathan Raby.

We in the Department are very happy for all of your hard work and accomplishments. This was no easy task, yet you all prevailed. Whatever lies ahead, we hope the best for all of you.






Kristen Currier on her way to the ceremony

Nathan Raby with Dr. Stephen Waring
               

John O'Brien with Dr. Stephen Waring and Dr. Nicole Pacino

Congratulations to the 2014 Phi Alpha Theta Inductees!

The Department can be rigorous at times, but the hard work pays off. Not only do our students win awards, they also get into honor societies. On April 12, our annual induction ceremony was held for Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honor society. The standards are high. Students must have twelve hours of history classes under their belts, with a 3.5 GPA in these courses, and a 3.0 overall.

Dr. John and Ann Kvach hosted the event again at their lovely home, and it was a success. Friends and colleagues gathered to talk, snack, and even climb in trees. Most importantly, we were there to congratulate and recognize our inductees. This year's inductees included Megan Renee Anders, Charlotte Ashley Cain, Ashley L. Coates, Todd Fulda, Cole B. Kelley, Young Nicole Westrope, and Adrienne Woodland.

It was a lovely day, and we were glad to be there. Thanks to the Kvachs, and congratulations to the inductees!