News and Events
2010 - 2011
Department of History honors students at 2010-2011 annual Awards Reception
The Department of History is pleased to announce its scholarship and award winners for 2010-2011.
Lawrence L. and Louise Graves Scholarship: Laura Dixon, Ming Jhong, James Sandy, Erin Fox, Brittany Moses, Amanda Tolbert, Andrew Wong
Oscar A. Kinchen Scholarship: Mike Rollin
S.S. McKay Memorial Scholarship: Sarah Myers
David and Winifred Vigness Memorial Scholarship: Bennett Kimbell
W.B. and Mozelle Rushing Scholarship: Gene Burton, Cody Lass
Ernest Wallace Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship: Jacynda Ammons
Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship: Autumn Costa
Clint and Siva Chambers Scholarship: Justin Simundson
Rachel E. Hudson European Studies Scholarship: Corbin Williamson
Professor Otto Nelson Undergraduate Scholarship: Todd Hemelstrand
Drs. Otto Nelson and Allan Kuethe Graduate Scholarship: Dennis Berger, Richard Driver, John Sager
Alwyn Barr Dissertation Research and Writing Award: Richard Driver
Helen DeVitt Jones Dissertation Research Fellowship: Krystal Humphreys, Philip Pope
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Paper: James Hogue, Thomas Rooklidge, Levi Schlegel
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Emily Headley
Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Sarah Myers
Balch Outstanding Graduate Part-Time Instructor: Krystal Humphreys
Outstanding MA Student: Wesley Lummus
Outstanding Ph.D. Student: John Southard
Gretchen Adams publishes essay in "Perspectives"
Gretchen A. Adams' article:
"The Digital Revolution and Teaching about Memory and
Political History" has been included in the May 2011 issue
of the American Historical Association's Perspectives in
History. The article is part of a special issue on
"Political History." It focuses on the use of the Gallipoli
Campaign, the Vietnam War, and the recent events in Egypt in
the undergraduate classroom.
Gretchen Adams contributes to Encyclopedia
Gretchen Adams contributed the essays: "Dorr's Rebellion",
"Thomas Dorr", and "Male Suffrage" to the recently published
encyclopedia Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations and
Rebellions in American History. The volume was edited
by Steven L. Danver for ABC-Clio Press.
Barbara Hahn gives Invited Talk
Barbara Hahn spoke at Schenectady County Community College on April 8, 2011. Her talk, "Growing the Business: The Slave South and the Origins of the U.S. Tobacco Industry," was part of the college's community cultural outreach program.
Newsweek interviews Gretchen Adams
Gretchen Adams was interviewed by Newsweek magazine for an article on the history of political "witch hunts" in March 2011 in connection with the recent Congressional hearings on Muslims in the United States.
Gretchen Adams appointed as Editor of H-Memory
Professor Gretchen Adams has been appointed as an editor of the
H-Memory, an academic listserv on H-Net. H-Memory is a
discussion network open to all academics and researchers
concerned with Memory Studies.
Abigail Swingen Wins Pottle Fellowship from Yale University
Abigail Swingen has been awarded the Frederick A. and Marion S. Pottle Fellowship in 18th-century British Studies from the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. The fellowship will support one month of research in the Beinecke's extensive archive in British historical sources. She will use it to conduct research for her book manuscript in progress, "Competing Visions of Empire: The Politics of Labor and the Origins of the British Empire, 1650-1720."
Ethan Schmidt wins President's Excellence in Teaching Award
Ethan Schmidt has been awarded with the Texas Tech University President's Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Schmidt will formally receive this honor at the Faculty Awards Convocation on April 19, 2011.
San Antonio Express-News Interviews Phillip G. Pope
History Ph.D. candidate Philip G. Pope was recently interviewed by the San Antonio Express-News. The interview focused on the 175th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo and its place in popular culture.
Abigail Swingen Awarded Fellowship
Abigail Swingen has been awarded a long-term fellowship for the academic year 2011-2012 from the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. The fellowship provides research and writing support while in residence at the library, which is one of the premiere archives in North America for early modern British history. Dr. Swingen will focus on finishing her book manuscript entitled "Competing Visions of Empire: The Politics of Labor and the Origins of the British Empire, 1650-1720."
Alan Barenberg Awarded Fellowship
Alan Barenberg, Assistant Professor of History, has been awarded a Kennan Institute Title VIII Research Scholarship at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. This fellowship provides nine months of support for research and writing in residence at the Woodrow Wilson Center during the 2011-12 academic year.
Alan Barenberg Publishes Article on Soviet Forced Labor
Alan Barenberg, Assistant Professor of History, has published an article entitled, "Tiede ja asuttaminen varhaisessa Gulagissa" ("Science and Colonization in the Early Gulag: The Case of Vorkuta") in Idäntutkimus (Finnish Review of East European Studies), no. 4, 2010. This article examines overlapping visions of colonization and the conquest of nature in the early Soviet system of forced labor.
Lynne Fallwell Publishes Entries in Routledge History of the Holocaust
Lynne Fallwell, Assistant Professor of History, and Robert G. Weiner, Associate Humanities Librarian, have co-authored two entries, "Holocaust Documentaries" and "Sequential Art Narrative and the Holocaust", for the Routledge History of the Holocaust ed. Jonathan C. Friedman (2011).
Abigail Swingen Comments on Panel at North American Conference on British Studies
Abigail Swingen, assistant professor in the department of History, was invited to provide the comment on a panel at the North American Conference on British Studies in November 2010 in Baltimore, MD. The panel was entitled "Scotland's Revolutions," and explored the long-term implications of the Glorious Revolution in Scotland.
Abigail Swingen Interviewed by KJTV FoxTalk 950
In November 2010, Abigail Swingen, assistant professor in the Department of History, was interviewed on the radio station KJTV FoxTalk 950 to discuss the historical meaning and importance of the recently announced British royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Kenna Lang Archer Wins Grant, Publishes Encyclopedia Articles
Kenna Lang Archer, doctoral candidate (and Lecturer at Angelo State University) recently won a grant from the John and JD Dowdy Memorial Congressional Research Endowed Fund, in association with the Poage Legislative Library at Baylor University, for research in their congressional archives. In addition, Archer recently published articles in the Encyclopedia of the US Government and the Environment: History, Policy, and Politics (December 2010), the Encyclopedia of American Environmental History (November 2010), and in the World History Encyclopedia (April 2010).
Ethan Schmidt to Participate in TTU Institute for Inclusive Excellence
Ethan Schmidt was recently selected to participate in Texas Tech University's new Institute for Inclusive Excellence. For more information about this institute, click here.
Ethan Schmidt Contributes to Encyclopedia
Ethan Schmidt recently contributed the section on "Bacon's Rebellion" to the just published Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations and Rebellions in American History: An Encyclopedia, edited by Steven L. Danver for ABC-CLIO Press.
Philip G. Pope Publishes Article in Scholarly Journal
History Ph.D. candidate Philip G. Pope published an article entitled, "The Crucible of Milam County: Railroad Construction and Community Competition in Late Nineteenth-Century Texas" in the Spring 2011 issue of the East Texas Historical Journal. The article explores urban-styled competition, growth, and boosterism within a rural Texas county.
Lynne Fallwell Publishes Book Chapter
Lynne Fallwell published a chapter entitled "Through the Looking Glass Darkly: Considering Theories of Nazi Film and Concepts of Transgression," in Robert G. Weiner and John Cline eds., Cinema Inferno: Celluloid Explosions From the Cultural Margins (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2010): 269-290.
Philip G. Pope Publishes Article in Scholarly Journal
History Ph.D. candidate Philip G. Pope published an article entitled, "Sowing an Image: The Portrayal of the American Farmer in Modern Country Music," in the November 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas. The article explores the issue of masculinity in both the reality and the fiction of an American icon.
Alan Barenberg Gives Paper at Ohio Conference
Alan Barenberg, assistant professor in the Department of history, presented a paper entitled “Resistance and the Everyday: Reconsidering the Vorkuta Prisoner Strike of 1953” at 10th Annual International Young Researchers Conference: The Gulag in History and Memory, Havighurst Center of Russian and post-Soviet Studies, Miami University Ohio, October 2010.
Alan Barenberg Presents Research in Stockholm
Alan Barenberg, assistant professor in the Department of history, presented a paper entitled, "Science and Colonization in the Early Gulag: The Case of Vorkuta," International Council for Central and East European Studies VIII World Congress 2010, Stockholm, Sweden, July 2010.
Paul Bjerk Publishes Article in Scholarly Journal
Paul Bjerk, Assistant Professor of African History, published an article entitled "Sovereignty and Socialism in Tanzania: The Historiography of an African State," in the 2010 issue of the journal, "History in Africa." The article is a wide-ranging analysis of scholarship on the Tanzanian state since independence.
Ph.D. Student John Sager Wins Prize for Best Graduate Paper in Military History
History Ph.D. student, John Sager, wins the First Division Cantigny Museum Prize for the best paper in military history presented by a graduate student at the 2010 Northern Great Plains History Conference held 13-16 October 2010 in Grand Forks, ND. The conference was hosted by the University of North Dakota. Sager presented a paper entitled, "'The Army for the protection of the entire nation:' Universal Military Training and the Concept of the American Citizen," at a session sponsored by the Society for Military History.
Paul Bjerk delivers conference paper
Paul Bjerk, Assistant Professor of African History, delivered a paper entitled "Confounding the Cold War: The Creation of Tanzania" at the Cold War Cultures Conference at the University of Texas at Austin on October 2. The paper argued for the strategic nature of the union between Zanzibar and Tanganyika that created the new nation of Tanzania.
Ron Milam delivers Lecture at Texas State University
Ron Milam, associate professor of history, recently delivered the Taylor Lecture at Texas State University. His lecture, entitled "The Vietnam War in (inter) National Memory" was followed by a question and answer session, which was followed by a book signing, featuring his recently published work Not a Gentleman's War.
Abigail Swingen presents paper at Western Conference on British Studies
Abigail Swingen, assistant professor of history, presented a paper at the Western Conference on British Studies in Austin, TX, on September 25. The paper, entitled “War, Slavery and English Imperial Designs” is a key piece in the penultimate chapter of her book manuscript in progress, "Competing Visions of Empire: The Politics of Labor and the Origins of the British Empire."
Los Angeles Times interviews Mark Stoll
Mark Stoll, associate professor of history, was recently interviewed for a story in the Los Angeles Times. Click here to access that story.
Mark Stoll presents paper at Paris Conference
Mark Stoll, associate professor of history, presented a paper, "Religious Roots of France's Light-Green Society," at an international conference, "Protecting nature and the environment in the 19th and 20th centuries: The French experience," held in Paris, France, September 23-25, 2010.
John Howe publishes two articles, appointed to editorial council
John Howe recently authored "'Re-Forging the ‘Age of Iron’: Part I: The Tenth Century as the End of the Ancient World?” published on-line, August 4, 2010, in History Compass (Wiley-Blackwell), as well as "Did St. Peter Damian Die in 1073? A New Perspective on His Final Days." Analecta Bollandiana, 128 (2010): 67-86. Professor Howe was also recently appointed to the editorial council of Signum, the journal of the Associaçāo Brasileira de Estudos Medievais.
Graduate Student wins fellowship, research grant
David C. McDaniel, doctoral candidate in history, was recently awarded $10,000 from the Helen Jones Foundation for a dissertation-writing fellowship. McDaniel was also awarded a $2,000 research grant to do archival research in Spain by the Program for Cultural Cooperation sponsored by Spain's Ministry of Culture.
Helen Jones Foundation recognizes Graduate Program
The Helen Jones Foundation has awarded $50,000 to the Graduate Program in the Department of History to be used for Recruiting and Dissertation Writing Fellowships. This is the second consecutive year the Department of History has received this award.
Ethan Schmidt publishes article
Ethan Schmidt, History, recently published "The Well-Ordered Commonwealth: Humanism, Utopian Perfectionism, and the English Colonization of the Americas." The article appeared in Atlantic Studies Vol. 7, No. 3, September 2010, 309-328.
2009 - 2010
Assistant Professor publishes book
Sean P. Cunningham recently
published his new book, Cowboy Conservatism: Texas and
the Rise of the Modern Right. The book explores
themes of partisan realignment, the importance of public
perception, and the manipulation and marketing of political
ideology. The book was published by the University
Press of Kentucky in June and has been favorably reviewed by
the
Washington Times, the
New York Journal of Books, and
Publishers Weekly.
Ethan Schmidt publishes book review
Ethan Schimdt recently published a review of A Nation of Women: Gender and Colonial Encounters Among the Delaware Indians by Gunlög Fur. The review appeared in the Spring 2010 Issue of The Chronicles of Oklahoma, published by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Miguel Levario wins Diversity and Equity Award
Miguel Levario was recently presented with the President’s Award for Diversity and Equity at Texas Tech University. He received the recognition at a reception Monday afternoon, May 3.
Gretchen
Adams to give two invited talks in Europe
Gretchen A. Adams will give two
invited talks at symposia in the UK based on her current
research on cultural memory. She will speak at Queen's
University in Belfast, No. Ireland on April 29th and the
University of Strathcylde in Glasgow, Scotland on June 3rd.
Three Honored at University Faculty Honors Convocation
Three professors from the Department of History were recognized at the University Faculty Honors Convocation, Tuesday April 20. Justin Hart was presented with the President's Excellence in Teaching Award, Gretchen Adams won the President’s Book Award, taking first place for The Specter of Salem, and Sean Cunningham won a Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award.
Ethan Schmidt gives talk at Lubbock Women's Club
Ethan Schmidt gave a talk on Friday, April 9 to the Society of Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Colonies at the Lubbock Women’s Club. His talk was based on a chapter from his book manuscript and was titled “Cockacoeske, Weroansqua of the Pamunkey and Indian Resistance in Seventeenth Century Virginia.” It examines the role of the Pamunkey Indian leader Cockacoeske in navigating the Virginia political landscape in order to advance her people’s interests. In doing so, she established the basis for the legal relationship that exists between the Pamunkeys and the Virginia government to this day.
Lynne Fallwell invited to speak at two events commemorating Yom HaShoah
Lynne Fallwell has been invited
to address participants in a one-day symposium in
commemoration of Yom HaShoah on ‘Teaching the Holocaust,’
April 13, 2010. Approached to participate by the US
Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C., her talk “But You're Not
Jewish?!” Exploring the Dynamics of Embodiment and
Assumption in Teaching the Holocaust,” addresses the
preconceived notions students and teachers hold about who
chooses to study the Holocaust and why.
Lynne Fallwell recently published
a chapter in Memorialization in Germany Since 1945,
edited by Bill Niven and Chloe Paver. Her article “Beating
Nazis and Exporting Socialism: Representing East German War
Memory to Foreign Tourists,” explores how English-language
guidebooks published by the East German state utilized
memories and representations of World War II sites to
further their official national agenda within the larger
rubric of Cold War rhetoric.
Sean Cunningham interviewed by Washington Post
Dr. Sean Cunningham was recently interviewed for “Political Bookworm,” an online blog of The Washington Post. The interview focused on Cunningham’s new book, Cowboy Conservatism: Texas and the Rise of the Modern Right and can be accessed by clicking here: “Modern Conservatism: Texas-Style.”
Justin Hart Publishes Book Chapter
Dr. Justin Hart has published a chapter entitled, "'Foreign Relations, Domestic Affairs': The Role of the 'Public' in the Origins of U. S. Public Diplomacy," in a book edited by Kenneth L. Osgood and Brian Ethridge, The United States and Public Diplomacy: New Directions in Cultural and International History (Leiden: Brill, 2010).
Abigail Swingen offers comments on British Studies panel
Dr. Abigail Swingen was invited to provide comments for a panel at a British history conference entitled "1763 And All That." The panel was entitled "Post-1763 Imperial Visions," and was made up of historians and art historians of the British empire. The conference was held at the University of Texas, Austin and was sponsored by the Institute of Historical Studies and UT's British Studies Program.
Kenna Lang-Archer publishes article in botany journal, Castanea
Doctoral candidate Kenna Lang-Archer recently co-authored "Forest Succession and Grazing in William Cameron Park, an Urban Natural Area in Waco, Texas", an article published in the March 2010 issue of Castanea, a botany journal. The article is an environmental history of a local park that is celebrating its centennial this year and, now, is the first published study of the park.
Mark Stoll and Kenna Lang-Archer present papers at national meeting of American Society of Environmental History
Mark Stoll and Kenna Lang-Archer recently presented papers at the national meeting of the American Society of Environmental History. Lang-Archer's paper, “Prairie-fairies, Posy-Pickers, Tree-Huggers": Nature, Gender, and the White Male Leadership of the Radical Environmental Movement," was accompanied by others in a session chaired by Dr. Stoll, who also presented his paper, "The Cradle of Conservation: New York and the “Calvinist Crescent”.
John Southard wins Travel Grant
Graduate student John Southard was recently awarded the Russell Weigley Travel Grant from the Society for Military History. This grant will fund John's trip to Virginia in May for the annual Society for Military History meeting where he will present a paper on U.S. Marine Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam.
Ron Milam publishes chapter in Blackwell Companions to American History
Ron Milam, assistant professor of history, published a chapter, "The Vietnam War" in Wiley-Blackwell's A Companion to American Military History, Volume I.
Gretchen Adams named
to Editorial Board
Dr. Gretchen A. Adams has been
named to the editorial board of the Historical Journal
of Massachusetts.
Abigail Swingen presents paper at Huntington Library, San Marino, California
Abigail Swingen was invited to give paper at the "Economies of Empire in the 18th Century" conference at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA January 22-23, 2010. Her paper was entitled "Competing Visions of Empire: Planters, Companies and the State, c. 1660-1720," which provides a broad overview of her book manuscript in progress, called "The Politics of Labor and the Origins of the British Empire."
Miguel Levario named one of the 20 Most Influential Latinos in Lubbock
Assistant Professor Miguel Levario was recently named one of the 20 most influential Latinos in Lubbock, according to the local newspaper, Latino Lubbock.
Laura Calkins publishes article in Bioethics
Assistant Professor Laura Calkins recently published the article, "Detained and Drugged: A Brief Overview of the Use of Pharmaceuticals For the Interrogation of Suspects, Prisoners, Patients, and POWs in the US." Using medical literature citations, Congressional hearings, and declassified documents this paper examines the uses of pharmaceuticals in the interrogation of vulnerable populations. From the use of IV relaxants on criminal suspects during the 1920s to the Global War on Terror, the nexus of drugs, testing, and interrogations will be explored in both the domestic and international contexts.
The Specter of Salem, by Gretchen Adams, named an Outstanding Academic Title
"The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America" (Chicago, 2008) by Gretchen A. Adams was named in "Choice's" January 2010 issue as an "Outstanding Academic Title, 2009." The journal of the American Library Association annually awards the distinction to titles its subject editors deem the "most significant print and electronic works reviewed in Choice during the previous calendar year." The book was originally reviewed and ranked "essential" for academic libraries in the December 2009 issue.
Alan Barenberg presents paper at Annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
Dr. Alan Barenberg presented a paper at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies on November 13 in Boston, Massachusetts. His paper is entitled "How to Make a 'Human Compote': Ex-Prisoners, Demobilized Soldiers, and Local Authorities in Vorkuta, 1953-1965" and is part of his larger book project on the Soviet system of forced labor and its legacy in the post-Stalin era.
Alan Barenberg publishes journal article, "Prisoners Without Borders: Zazonniki and the Transformation of Vorkuta after Stalin."
Dr. Alan Barenberg recently published a peer-reviewed article in volume 57, issue 4 of the Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas (Dec. 2009). The article, which is entitled "Prisoners Without Borders: Zazonniki and the Transformation of Vorkuta after Stalin," offers new insight into the nature of the Stalinist Gulag and the transformation of the Soviet prison camp system under Khrushchev. It argues that Gulag prisoners were rarely isolated completely from the communities surrounding the camps, and that the Gulag itself cannot be considered as separate from Soviet society.
Philip G. Pope wins "Best Paper Award" at the American Studies Association of Texas Annual Meeting and Conference.
History PhD candidate Philip G. Pope presented a paper in San Angelo, Texas on November 18 at the Annual Meeting and Conference of the American Studies Association of Texas. The paper, entitled, "Sowing an Image: The Portrayal of the American Farmer in Modern Country Music," explores the issue of masculinity in both the reality and the fiction of an American icon. The paper won the ASAT's "Best Paper Award."
Ethan Schmidt leads public panel discussion on documentary film, November 12, in observance of American Indian Month.
Dr. Ethan Schmidt led a panel discussion at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, November 12, after a showing of the re-released 1961 documentary The Exiles. The film depicts 12 hours in the lives of seven young Native Americans who have left the reservation to live in Los Angeles. The showing was in observance of American Indian Month.
Ethan Schmidt, Department of History, host "When Indians Play Indian", a symposium on Native American History.
Dr. Ethan Schmidt and the Department of History hosted a symposium on Native American history, Friday, November 6. The symposium featured presentations from eight scholars representing six different institutions, including papers by Texas Tech graduate student James Cloninger and Texas Tech Research and Development Librarian Katherine Dodds.
Abigail Swingen presents paper at annual North American Conference on British Studies, November 6.
Dr. Abigail Swingen presented a paper at the annual North American Conference on British Studies on November 6 in Louisville, KY. Her paper is entitled "The Politics of Slavery and War in the 1690s" and is part of her larger book project on the politics and political economy of the early English empire in the late seventeenth century.
Sean P. Cunningham presents paper at the 75th annual meeting of the Southern Historical Association, November 6.
Dr. Sean P. Cunningham, professor of history, presented a paper November 6 at the 75th annual meeting of the Southern Historical Association. The paper, entitled, "Busing and the Limits of Progressive Politics in Houston, 1969-1972", is part of Dr. Cunningham's forthcoming book, Cowboy Conservatism: Texas and the Rise of the Modern Right, published by University Press of Kentucky and now available for pre-order online.
Abigail Swingen presents paper at British Studies Colloquium of Yale University, October 15.
Abigail Swingen presented a pre-circulated paper at the British Studies Colloquium of Yale University on Thursday, October 15. The paper was entitled "Restoration Imperialism: the Case of Jamaica, 1675-1681," which explores the shaping of early modern English imperialism in Jamaica during the political upheaval of the Exclusion Crisis. Dr. Swingen hopes to turn the paper into an article this year.
Ron Milam publishes book on Junior Officers in Vietnam
Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War focuses on the role of platoon leaders and debunks the conventional wisdom that they were poorly trained, unmotivated and guilty of atrocious behavior as typified by Lt. Calley of My Lai Infamy. The book is published by the University of North Carolina Press.
David C. McDaniel to publish six articles in forthcoming: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology.
History PhD candidate David C. McDaniel to publish six articles concerning medieval Spain in the forthcoming work: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. The articles include: "Alfonso III of Asturias", "Alfonso VI of Castile-Leon", "Alfonso VII of Castile", "The Battle of Guadalete", "Sources for Iberian history 500-1100 AD", "Recent Historiography on warfare in Iberia during the period 500-1100 AD". The encyclopedia will be available in February 2010.
Ethan Schmidt delivers paper at Annual Meeting of American Society for Ethnohistory
Ethan Schmidt delivered a paper in New Orleans the weekend of October 2-4 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Ethnohistory. His paper was titled "Cockacoeske, Weroansqua of the Pamunkey and Indian Resistance in Seventeenth-Century Virginia." Dr. Schmidt also chaired another session at the conference, titled "Early Mesoamerican and Spanish Encounters with Native North Americans."
Mark Stoll publishes chapter on Rachel Carson
Mark Stoll, associate professor of history, a chapter entitled, "Rachel Carson: The Presbyterian Genesis of a Nature Writer," in Nicolaas Rupke, ed., Eminent Lives in Twentieth-Century Science and Religion, 2nd rev. and much exp. ed. (New York: Peter Lang, 2009). The chapter describes her devout Presbyterian family, including a grandfather and an uncle who were Presbyterian ministers, and explains how this background shaped her views of nature. It also analyzes the distinctively Presbyterian values that informed her great work, Silent Spring. - Link
2008 - 2009
History Research Grant Put to Good
Use
Doctoral Candidate (medieval
Spain) David C. McDaniel recently returned from a ten-week
archival research trip to Spain. Assisted by a competitive
research grant of $4200 from the History Department, he
conducted research in medieval Spain at various archives,
including, in Madrid, the National Historical Archive, the
National Library, and the Royal Academy of History.
Additionally, he visited archives at the cathedrals of
Toledo, Burgos, Leon, Oviedo, and the archives of several
monasteries as well.
Barbara Hahn comments at Business History Conference in Milan, Italy
Barbara Hahn, assistant professor of History, was invited to comment on a panel at the joint meeting of the Business History Conference and the European Business History Association that was held in May in Milano, Italy. The papers on the panel compared the process of "Striking a Bargain: Labor and the State" on three continents and two centuries.
History M.A. Graduate
Publishes Journal Article
Jonathan
B. Crider, a recent M.A. graduate in history at TTU under
the direction of Drs. Gretchen Adams, Mark Stoll, and
Catherine Miller of that department has a article in the
September 2009 volume of the journal
American Nineteenth Century History
(vol. 10:3, pg. 317-332).
The article, "De Bow's Revolution: The Memory of the
American Revolution in the Politics of the Sectional Crisis,
1850-1861," was drawn from his TTU thesis research with the
assistance of Dr. Adams. Mr. Crider is beginning the
doctoral program at Temple University this fall.
Lynne Fallwell Interviewed by U.S. Holocaust Museum
Dr. Lynne Fallwell, Assistant Professor
of History, was interviewed by the
Ron Milam to deliver Keynote Address at Officer Candidate Class Graduation, Ft. Benning, GA
Dr. Ron Milam, assistant professor of history, will deliver the keynote speech at the formal banquet of the graduating Officer Candidate Class at Ft. Benning, Georgia, Tuesday, August 25. His topic is "Leadership: A Military Historian's Viewpoint". Two Texas Tech graduates will receive commissions as 2Lts. in the U. S. Army.
Graduate Student John Southard wins partial fellowship from United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps has awarded John Southard with a partial fellowship, including funds to attend a Combined Action Platoon (CAP) reunion in Washington, DC this November, where he will conduct as many as 30 oral histories with former CAP members.
Graduate Student Jonathan Edgeller wins Medieval Academy CARA Scholarship
The Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame recently named Jonathan Edgeller as one of the Summer 2009 winners of a Medieval Academy CARA Scholarship.
2008-09 Departmental Award Winners
The Department of History is pleased to announce its scholarship and award winners for 2008-2009.
Lawrence L. and Louise Graves Scholarship: Emily Headley and Krystal Humphreys
Robert A. Hayes Latin American History Scholarship: Halen Watkins
Oscar A. Kinchen Scholarship: Richard Driver and Mehr Singh
S.S. McKay Memorial Scholarship: Philip Pope
W.B. and Mozelle Rushing Scholarship: Cody Lass
David and Winifred Vigness Memorial Scholarship: Kenna (Lang) Archer
Paul J. Woods Scholarship: Andrew Murguia
Ernest Wallace Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship: Jon Crider
Clint and Siva Chambers Scholarship: Jim Cloninger
Rachel E. Hudson European Studies Scholarship: Johnathan Edgeller
Distinguished Alumni Award: Rachel Hudson
Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship: Brian Robertson
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Paper: Kathryn Snyder
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Mehr Singh
Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Sarah Barwinkel
Outstanding Graduate Part-Time Instructor: David McDaniel
Outstanding Graduate Student: Kenna (Lang) Archer
Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award: Dr. Ron Milam
Dr. Miguel Levario Featured in Texas Tech Today
Dr. Miguel Levario, Assistant Professor in the Department of History was recently featured in Texas Tech Today .The article, available at http://today.ttu.edu/2009/04/debunking-drug-violence/ chronicles Dr. Levario's many efforts to correct public misconceptions about the recent violence in Mexico. Dr. Levario focuses on the history of US/Mexico border and has appeared on both television and in radio locally to discuss the issue.
Graduate Students Present Papers at Western Social Science Conference
History PhD students Kenna Archer and Jon Crider presented papers at the annual Western Social Sciences Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico April 15-18. Kenna Archer will present two papers, one titled, "Building off the Great Tohomoho: An Urban-Environmental History of Waco, Texas, and the Brazos River" and another titled,"Where Rivers Flow, Cities Grow: A Conversation between Environmental and Urban Historians." Jon Crider will be presenting his paper, "The Memory of the American Revolution in the Politics of the Sectional Crisis" at the conference as well.
History Graduate Student Kenna Archer wins Cash Fellowship
History PhD Student Kenna Archer was recently notified that she is the recipient of a $3000 Cash Family Fellowship from the Graduate School. Ms. Archer is currently finishing the second year of her PhD at Texas Tech where she is a Teaching Assistant for the History Department. Her dissertation focuses on Anglo, Hispanic and Native American views of the environment in early Texas.
Sean P. Cunningham presents paper at the 113th annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association
Dr. Sean P. Cunningham, professor of history, presented a paper March 27 at the 113th annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association. The paper, entitled, "Another Well-Oiled Fluke: John Tower’s Re-Election in 1972", is part of Dr. Cunningham's forthcoming book, Cowboy Conservatism: Texas and the Rise of the Modern Right, published by University Press of Kentucky.
Dr. Miguel Levario wins Meyerson Fellowship.
Dr. Miguel Levario, Assistant Professor in the Department of History recently received the Marlene Nathan Meyerson Fellowship from the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. He will be a fellow there this coming academic year doing research on several collections regarding the National Guard and Texas Rangers along the Texas-Mexico border during the Mexican Revolution.
Dr. Miguel Levario is Guest on Morning Radio
Dr. Miguel Levario, Assistant Professor in the Department of History has been featured twice recently on Palms Springs KPSI AM Newstalk radio Morning Show with Stan Layne to discuss the drug violence along the northern Mexican border. Dr Levario, an expert on the U.S.-Mexico Border was interviewed on the show for the second time on March 25 and it appears that he will more than likely make regular appearances on the show for as long as the drug violence remains a top news story across the United States and Mexico.
Dr. Ron Milam contributes column to US News and World Report
Ron Milam, Assistant Professor of History and Interim Director of the Center for War and Diplomacy in the Post-Vietnam War Era, recently authored a column for the magazine US News and World Report. The column, which appeared in the February 27th edition of the magazine, was included as part of US News and World Report's Two Takes feature, which invites authors who hold differing views on a particular topic to engage in debate. Dr. Milam wrote a column supporting the Pentagon's decision to lift the ban on photos of military coffins at Dover Air Force Base.
Dr. Ethan Schmidt wins Teaching Award
Ethan Schmidt, Assistant Professor in the Department of History is one of two recipients of the IS 1100-Freshman Seminar Innovative Teaching Award. He won the award for a lesson and activity he taught on Diversity last Fall.
Dr. Julie Willett Publishes Article
Julie Willett, an Associate Professor in the Department of History, has published an article in the most recent edition of the journal Sexuality and Culture. Her article, " 'A Father's Touch:' Negotiating Masculinity and Sexual Subjectivity in Child Care," can be found in Volume 12, No 4 of the journal.
Graduate Student Kenna Archer Receives Research Travel Award
Kenna Archer, a doctoral student in the Department of History recently received the William and Madeline Smith Research Travel Award from the from the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas-Austin. Kenna will use the award to conduct research for her dissertation project on Texas environmental history.
History Department Says Goodbye to Two Longtime Professors
With the end of the Fall Semester, the History Department bid farewell to two Professors who collectively have devoted over 40 years of their lives to teaching History at Texas Tech University. Dr. Paul Carlson and Dr. James Reckner both retired, effective at the end of the Fall term. The department and the University remain extremely appreciative of their many contributions and wish them the best of success in retirement! A news story covering Dr. Reckner's retirement and his founding of the Vietnam Center and Archive can be accessed here.
Graduate Student Philip Pope Presents Paper at Conference
Philip Pope, a graduate student in the Department of History recently presented his paper "A Landmark Decision: How Texas Stadium Provided Irving with an Identity," at the American Studies Association of Texas annual conference at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The paper discusses Irving's evolution in the 1960s from a bedroom community dependent on Dallas, into an emerging metropolitan center with its own identity, and the political maneuvering required to achieve that goal. The construction of Texas Stadium was part of a larger growth movement in Irving, and the stadium provided the city with a landmark that was readily identifiable at both the local and national levels.
Dr. Ron Milam Receives National Appointment
Ron Milam, Associate Professor of History has been appointed to serve as a member of the board of directors of the David Westphall Veterans Foundation.Milam, a Vietnam veteran who is involved with the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech, was appointed to the board in October.The David Westphall Veterans Foundation is the founding organization responsible for the creation of the Vietnam Veterans National Memorial located near Angel Fire, N.M. Milam was asked to serve on the board of directors for the memorial after serving as the keynote speaker at the Memorial Day services held at the memorial.
Dr. Ethan Schmidt Serves on Two Panels for American Indian Month
As part of Texas Tech's American Indian Month Celebration, Ethan Schmidt, Assistant Professor in the Department of History served on two different panels regarding Native American culture and issues. The first panel, sponsored by the Department of Housing, discussed issues surrounding the Thanksgiving Holiday. The second, sponsored by the Museum of Texas Tech in conjunction with Native American Film Festival, discussed the issues depicted in the documentary Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story
Paul Kelton delivers guest lecture.
On November 6, Dr. Paul Kelton, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History at the University of Kansas, delivered an invited lecture titled "Epidemics and Enslavement: Biological Catastrophe in the Native Southeast." The lecture was based upon his current book of the same name.
Dr. Allan Kuethe publishes two articles and one book chapter.
Dr. Allan Kuethe, Horn Professor of History is currently engaged in a flurry of publication activity including two articles co-authored with José Manuel Serrano Alvarez:
“El astillero de La Habana y Trafalgar,” Revista de Indias (Madrid), LXVII (no. 241, 2007), 763-776. Appeared in Spring 2008.
“La Texas colonial entre Pedro de Rivera y el marqués de Rubí: Aportaciones económicas al sistema presidial,” Colonial Latin American Historical Review, XIV ): 281-311.
And one forthcoming book chapter authored individually:
“Decisiones estratégicas y las finanzas militares del siglo XVIII,” in Por la fuerza de armas: Ejército e independencias en Iberoamérica, ed. By Juan Marchena and Manuel Chust (Castellón, Spain, 2008), pp. 83-100.
Dr. Miguel Levario to deliver Fall Phi Alpha Theta Lecture on Friday, October 17.
Miguel Levario, an Assistant Professor in the Department of History will deliver the Fall Phi Alpha Theta Lecture this Friday, October 17th in the Escondido Theater of the Student Union Building. There will be a reception at 6:30 pm followed by the lecture "When they Came: Militarization, Conflict, and Race Along the Texas-Mexico Border, 1895-1924," at 7 pm. Phi Alpha Theta is the International History Honor Society. The Texas Tech Chapter is the Sponsor for this event.
Dr. Allan Kuethe presents at Conferences in Europe
Horn Professor of History Allan Kuethe recently papers at the International Congress of the European Association of Historians of Latin America in the Netherlands and the Coloquio: El primer siglo XVIII americano, problemas y perspectivas (1700-1750) in Madrid, Spain.
Texas Tech to Host the Eighteenth Annual Texas Medieval Association Conference October 2-4
The Eighteenth Annual Conference of the Texas Medieval Association (TEMA) will have its first ever meeting in Lubbock on October 3-4, 2008. Conference themes will be "Medieval Imagination" and "The Medieval Southwest." Participants will convene on Friday, October 3, in the museum quadrant in the northwestern part of the campus, for a variety of sessions and Texas barbeque; on Saturday, October 4, the meeting shifts to the central campus, where sessions will center on the Southwest Collection Library and its exhibit on "The Medieval Southwest." Plenary speeches will include Thomas F.X. Noble (Chair, Department of History, University of Notre Dame), "Charlemania: Writing Charlemagne 828-2008"; Jane Chance (Andrew W. Mellon Professor of English, Rice University), "Tough Love: Teaching the New Medievalisms"; and W. Michael Mathes (Professor Emeritus of History, University of San Francisco; Library Director, El Colegio de Jalisco), "Medieval Castile on the Llano Estacado: The Vázquez de Coronado Expedition, 1540-1541". Associated events include on Saturday night a medieval banquet and a concert of “Songs of Devotion,” presented by the internationally acclaimed medieval musical group Altramar, featuring both sacred and secular songs.
Participants can register in advance or on Friday morning, from 8:00am on, at the International Cultural Center. For detailed information, see the TEMA Website at http://pages.towson.edu/duncan/tmahome.html or contact the local program organizer, John Howe, at John.Howe@ttu.edu.
History Graduate Students Present Papers at Mid-America Conference on History
Five graduate students in the Department of History recently presented their work at the 2008 Mid-America Conference on History in Springfield, Missouri. The names of the students and the titles of their papers are as follows:
James Jones, "Beware the Monsters: 'The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street' and a Critique of McCarthyism"
John Huntington, "Everyday Explosions: Cinema, American Foreign Policy, and the Nuclear Device"
Bryan Treadway, "West German Conceptions of Communism through Cover Images"
John Sager, "A Good Militia: The Pennsylvania Militia and the Early Republic"
Kenna Lang, "Building off the 'Great Tohomoho'-An Urban-Environmental History Waco, Texas, and the Middle Brazos River"
Congratulations to these students on their hard work and for representing the History Department so well!
Dr. Miguel Levario to Deliver Talk for Fiestas del Llano
Dr. Levario's talk, titled La Jaula de Acero (the steel cage): A historical, personal, and candid look at the U.S-Mexico Border Wall will be held in room 104/105 of the Lubbock Civic center as part of the Fiestas del Llano celebration this Friday, September 12 at 3pm. This three-day event includes concerts, parades, exhibits, car shows, lectures, ballet folklorico and the 2008 Miss Hispanic Lubbock Scholarship Pageant.
Dr. Aliza Wong delivers invited lecture in Houston
Aliza Wong, Associate Professor of History and Director of European Studies, was invited to give a lecture in the 2008 Italy Through the Ages Lecture Series under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy in Houston at the Italian Cultural and Community Center on September 3, 2008.
Dr. Dolly Smith Wilson publishes chapter on Migration
Dolly Smith Wilson, Assistant Professor of History, has published a chapter in an interdisciplinary collection on migration. “Gender, Race and the Ideal Labour Force” appears on pages 89-104 in "Gendering Migration: Masculinity, Femininity and Ethnicity in Post-War Britain," edited by Louise Ryan and Wendy Webster, just published by Ashgate in time for the fall catalogs. The book, part of the Studies in Migration and Diaspora series, focuses on ethnic groups and issues left out of most histories of immigration to Britain after 1945. Dr. Wilson's chapter explores similarities in the treatment of immigrant men and UK-born women in the labor market.
Dr. Barbara Hahn receives Filson Fellowship
Barbara Hahn, Assistant Professor of History, has been named a Fellow of the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky. As part of that honor, she has received grants to perform research in the Filson Archives in summers 2008 and 2009, when she will trace the movement of tobacco cultivation into the western part of Kentucky in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Dr. Ethan Schmidt Featured in Chronicle of Higher Education Story
Ethan Schmidt, Assistant Professor, was featured in the July 11 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Dr. Schmidt, who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Kansas in 2007, was interviewed for a story about KU's transition from comprehensive written exams to a portfolio exam system for Doctoral students. Dr. Schmidt was the first graduate student at KU to take the portfolio exam. Subscribers to the chronicle can access the article at http://chronicle.com.
2007 - 2008
Dr. Allan Kuethe receives Mrs. Percy Jones Award
Horn Professor of History Allan J. Kuethe and Jose Manuel Serrano
Alvarez of Sevilla, Spain, recently received the Mrs. Percy Jones Award
from the West Texas Historical Association for their article "The San
Saba Presidio and Spain's Frontier Policy in North America." The
article, which challenges long-held assumptions about the presidio's
role in frontier defense, appeared in the October 2007 issue (Vol. 83)
of The West Texas Historical Association Year Book.
Dr. Jorge Iber Named to Receive National Publication Award
Dr. Jorge Iber, Professor of History and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, was recently notified that he is a recipient of the 2007 NASSH Book Award for Best Anthology. The award, given by the North American Society of Sport History, recognizes Dr. Iber's reputable book, Mexican Americans and Sports: A Reader on Athletics and Barrio Life (TAMU Press, 2007), co-edited with Dr. Samuel Regalado of Cal State Stanislaus. The NASSH is the largest and most important association focusing on sport history in North America.
Dr. Mark Stoll, Associate Professor of History, published an article, "Milton in Yosemite: Paradise Lost and the National Parks Idea," Environmental History 13 (April 2008): 237-74.
"Milton in Yosemite" investigates why English and certain American visitors to Yosemite so often described the valley in religious terms, particularly in terms of an Eden. Reformed Protestantism formed a peculiarly strong nostalgia for Eden that John Milton gave a powerful form in Paradise Lost. The poem's influence on Reformed culture in England and America reached Yosemite via three important paths: landscape architecture, landscape art, and literature. Paradise Lost had an especially large impact on the thought and works of John Muir. The conventions of the Miltonic Eden established in the nineteenth century continue to inform the dominant ways Americans envision Yosemite and the National Parks today, for example in the continued popularity of the work of Ansel Adams.
Dr. Lynne Fallwell Receives Grant to Conduct Research at Holocaust Museum
Lynne Fallwell, assistant professor in the History Department, has
been awarded a follow-up grant to her two previous Curt C. and Else
Silberman Summer Seminar Grants for University Faculty for study at the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She will be working at the
Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.
Dr. Fallwell received the Curt C. and Else Silberman Summer Seminar
Grant for University Faculty in 2004 and 2005. That month-long
research/teaching seminar brought selected faculty from across North
America together to meet with each other and work with leading experts
in the field. This summer the Holocaust Museum awarded two follow-up
grants to previous participants, one of which went to Dr. Fallwell.
Dr. Barbara Hahn gives Invited Lecture in Berlin
Barbara Hahn, Assistant Professor, gave an invited lecture on March 28 at a conference at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Her paper was entitled "Making Tobacco Bright: The Social Construction of an Agricultural Commodity, 1617-1937."
Dr. Barbara Hahn publishes article in Agricultural History
Barbara Hahn, Assistant Professor, published “Paradox of Precision: Bright Tobacco as Technology Transfer, 1880-1937,” in the Spring 2008 issue of Agricultural History.
Award Winners Announced at annual Phi Alpha Theta Banquet
The following awards were presented at the Annual Phi Alpha Theta Banquet held on April 10th:
Graves Scholarship:
Mary Ann Suhl and Jon Crider
Hayes Latin American History Scholarship:
Valerie Martinez
Kinchen Scholarship:
Jonathan Strickland and Shawna Prather
Mozelle Rushing Scholarship:
John Huntington
Vigness Memorial Scholarship:
Kenna Lang
Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship:
Christopher Trobridge
Woods Scholarship:
Patrick Harned
Wallace Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship:
Brittany Rosales
Chamber Scholarship:
John Southard
Barr Dissertation Fellowship:
Cory Beene
Best Senior Seminar Paper:
Clinton Ball and Brian Kuebler
Harper Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Krystal Humphreys
Balch Outstanding Graduate Part-Time Instructor Award:
Travis Childs
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award:
Elizabeth Barnes and Sebastian Arandia
Outstanding Graduate Student Award:
David McDaniel
Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award:
Dr. Sean Cunningham
Congratulations to all those who won awards this year! You represent the best of a very active and intellectually rigorous History Department!
Dr. Patrick McDevitt to present Lecture at the International Cultural Center
Dr. Patrick McDevitt, Associate Professor of History at SUNY Buffalo will present a lecture titled "Not Cricket: Sport, Scandal & Imperial Masculinity" on Tuesday, April 8 at 6pm. The Lecture will be held at the International Cultural Center with a reception to follow. McDevitt is the author of several works including, "May the Best Man Win": Sport, Masculinity and Nationalism in Great Britain and the Empire, 1880-1935, as well as numerous articles on the history of nationalism and sport in the British empire. He is currently working on two projects that explore Ireland's interaction with the wider Atlantic world.
Dr. William A. Link to Deliver Annual Phi Alpha Theta Lecture
Dr. William A. Link, the Richard Milbauer Chair in History at the University of Florida will present this year's Phi Alpha Theta Lecture on Friday, April 4, at 7pm in the Escondido Theater in the Student Union Building. Dr. Link will be speaking on his new book Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism. A reception will be held prior to the talk at 6:30 pm. Link is also the author of four other books including The Paradox of Southern Progressivism and Roots of Secession: Slavery and Politics in Antebellum Virginia.
Dr. Gretchen Adams Wins Gloria Lyerla Grant
Dr. Gretchen A. Adams, Assistant Professor in the Department of History, is a 2008-09 recipient of the Gloria Lyerla Library Memorial Fund Research Grant. Prof. Adams will travel to the library of the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, for the purpose of completing the research on her second book.
Dr. Schmidt publishes Book Review in Itinerario
Dr. Ethan Schmidt, Assistant Professor in the Department of History
recently reviewed Transatlantic Encounters: American Indians in
Britain, 1500-1776 by Alden Vaughan. The review appears in the
current issue of Itinerario, the International Journal of the
Forum for European Expansion and Global Interaction.
Dr. Barbara Hahn publishes in Enterprise and Society
At the invitation of the Business History Conference, and as part of the Herman E. Krooss plenary in business history, Dr. Barbara Hahn, Assistant Professor of History, published a summary of her dissertation in the December 2007 issue of Enterprise and Society.
Dr. Elena Shulman publishes book chapter
Dr. Elena Shulman, an Assistant Professor in the Department of History, published "'Those Who Hurry to the Far East': Readers, Dreamers, and Volunteers," in Peopling the Russian Periphery: Borderland Colonization in Eurasian History, edited by Nicholas Breyfogle, Abby Schrader, and Willard Sunderland (Routledge, 2007).
Peter Coclanis to Deliver Wood Lecture on Friday, February 22nd
Dr. Peter Coclanis, Albert R. Newsome Professor of History and Associate Provost for International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will give the 24th Annual Wood Agricultural History Lecture this Friday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the International Cultural Center. His topic will be "Two Cheers for Revolution: The Virtues of Regime Change in World Agriculture." A reception will be held at 7:00 p.m. before the lecture.
History Department Ph.D. Graduate Cecilia Gowdy-Wygant Featured on Graduate School Website
Dr. Cecilia Gowdy-Wygant, an August 2007 Graduate of the History Department's Ph. D. program was recently featured on the Website for Texas Tech Graduate School. You can check out the feature at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/profiles/Highlighttext2_08.php . Congratulations Cecilia!
Dr. Milam Interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Company about the Tet Offensive
Dr. Ron Milam, Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Interim Director of the Center for War and Diplomacy in the Post-Vietnam Era was recently interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Company for a story on the 40th Anniversary of the Tet Offensive. Text and audio of the interview are available at http://www.abc.net.au/ra/connectasia/stories/s2151018.htm (2/1/08)
Dr. Reckner becomes first American awarded medal by Vietnamese.
Officials from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam recently awarded Dr. Jim Reckner a medal of honor for his work with the Vietnam Archives. Dr. Reckner is the first American to receive such an award from Vietnam.
Dr. Schmidt quoted in Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Article on Coronado
Dr. Schmidt was recently quote in an article appearing in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal about recent reinterpretations of the route of Spanish Conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.
Several Graduate Students Present Papers at Phi Alpha Theta Conference
History graduate students Jon Crider, James Jones, Valerie Martinez, Richard Driver, and Chad DeMars all presented papers at the Phi Alpha Theta - History Honors Society - 2008 Biennial Convention, held from January 3-5 at The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, sponsored by the University of New Mexico's Sigma Chapter of PAT.
Dr. Schmidt gives paper at Hall Center for the Humanities
Dr. Ethan Schmidt recently attended the Hall Center for the Humanities' British Seminar at the University of Kansas to discuss his paper "The Well-Ordered Commonwealth: Sir Thomas More's Utopia and the Colonization of the Americas." (12/5/07)
Dr. Adams Appointed to Department of Education Grant Review Panel
Dr. Gretchen Adams, Assistant Professor in the Department of History, has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to the grant review panel for the 2008-09 "Teaching American History" grant competition. (12/5/07)
Graduate Students Present Papers at Texas Medieval Association
Graduate Students Judd Burton and David McDaniel each presented papers at the at the annual Texas Medieval Association conference held at Texas A&M in October. Both Judd's paper, "The Religious Periphery of Medieval Banias: Cult Figures, Saints, and Sects." and David's "The Royal Victory of Las Navas de Tolosa, 1212," were well-received. (12/5/07)
Dr. Howe Serving as Project Director for Upcoming Exhibit
Professor John Howe of the History Department is serving as the project director for “The Medieval Southwest: Manifestations of the Old World in the New,” an exhibit which will run from August 14, 2008, to April 5, 2009, occupying much of the public space in the Southwest Collection Building. Sections will highlight discovery, the development of southwestern institutions, and contemporary echoes. Among the topics to be covered are the origins of local cattle culture, of local musical traditions, and of the campus’s Spanish Renaissance architectural theme. Unique features will include unprecedented Lubbock public displays of recently discovered Coronado artifacts from Blanco Canyon and of artifacts unearthed during Texas Tech’s excavations of the San Sabá mission. Howe, aided by faculty members and staff members from across the campus and by volunteers from the Lubbock community, has been the lead writer on successful grant applications from Humanities Texas, the government of Spain, and the Helen Jones Foundation. (11/15/07)
Dr. Schmidt Presents Paper at American Society for Ethnohistory's Annual Meeting
Dr. Ethan Schmidt, Assistant Professor of History, recently presented a paper entitled "Realignment, Relocation, Refuge and Indian Resistance on the Mid-Atlantic Frontier, 1646-1774" at the annual meeting of the American Society for Ethnohistory in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (11/15/07)
Dr. Howe Begins Term as President of the Texas Medieval Association
Dr. John Howe, a Professor in the Department of History, began his term as President of the Texas Medieval Association on October 13 at TEMA's 17th annual meeting, held at Texas A&M.
Dr. Stoll Appointed to Program Commitee of the First International Conference in Environmental History
Dr. Mark Stoll, an Associate Professor in the Department of History, has been appointed to the Program Committee for the First World Congress of Environmental History. The international conference will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on August 4-8, 2009. The conference will be hosted by the International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations (ICEHO) and Roskilde University. (11/13/07)
Dr. Schmidt Delivers Lecture as part of Texas Tech's American Indian Week
Dr. Ethan Schmidt, Assistant Professor of History, delivered a lecture entitled "Beyond Myth, Manifest Destiny and the 'Cameo Theory:' Native Americans and the American Revolution" as part of Texas Tech's 3rd Annual American Indian Week.
Dr. Iber Delivers Presentation on Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Dr. Jorge Iber, Professor of History and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, delivered a presentation on October 12 on the contributions of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans to the American West. Given at the Ranching Heritage Center, the talk was reported on the front page of the Avalanche Journal. The presentation was given in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Dr. Howe Delivers Paper in Italy and Launches the Italian Translation of his Book
Dr. John Howe, a Professor in the Department of History, spoke on "Baronio e S. Domenico di Sora" in Sora, Italy for a Convegno internazionale di studi, October 10-13. Dr. Howe later launched the Italian translation of his prize-winning book, Church Reform and Social Change in Eleventh-Century Central Italy: Dominic of Sora and His Patrons. This ceremony was held at Dominic's tomb in the crypt of the church of San Domenico, and was attended by a large crowd of Dominic's devotees, scholars, and local civic and ecclesiastical officials.
Dr. Forsythe Featured in Presidential Lecture and Performance Series
On October 30 at 3:30 in the Merket Center, the President's Lecture & Performance Series will feature a panel discussion by the most recent winners of the President's Book Award: Dr. Gary Forsythe of History, Dr. Hafid Gafaiti of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, and Dr. Stephen Graham Jones of English. The event and reception to follow are free and open to the public.
Dr. Carlson Publishes Book Chapter
Dr. Paul H. Carlson, a Professor of History, published a chapter, "William R. Shafter: Commanding Black Troops in West Texas," in Bruce A. Glasrud and James M. Smallwood, editors, The African American Experience in Texas (Texas Tech University Press, 2007).
Dr. Reckner Recognized in Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Editorial
In an editorial appearing in the Saturday, September 29 edition of the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, Dr. Jim Reckner, Director of Texas Tech's new Institute for Modern Conflict, Diplomacy, and Reconciliation, was recognized for his almost 20 years of leading and growing the Texas Tech Vietnam Center.
Vietnam Center and Archive Included in New Lucasfilm DVD Set for Young Indiana Jones
Lucasfilm is about to release a new DVD set for the series, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. To increase the educational value of the series for educators and students, Lucasfilm created a number of documentaries on key historical figures featured in the series which include historical materials from Texas Tech's Vietnam Archive and features a website link for additional materials and information for interested viewers.
Dr. Carlson Publishes Chapter on Buffalo Soldiers
Dr. Paul Carlson, a Professor of History, published "William R. Shafter, Black Troops, and the Opening of the Llano Estacado, 1870-1875" in Bruce A. Glasrud and Michael N. Searles, eds., Buffalo Soldiers in the West: A Black Soldiers Anthology (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2007).
Dr. Howe Publishes Study in Journal of Ecclesiastical History
Dr. John Howe, a Professor of History, has his article entitled "St. Berardus of Marsica (d. 1130): 'Model Gregorian Bishop'" appearing in the July issue of the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, England's premier journal of Church history (Cambridge University Press).
Dr. Schmidt Named Contributing Editor-at-Large for Encyclopedia of Colonial North America
Dr. Ethan Schmidt, an Assistant Professor of History, has accepted an invitation to be Contributing Editor-at-Large for the Encyclopedia of Colonial North America, to be published by ABC-Clio.
Dr. Stoll Elected to the Executive Committee of the American Society for Environmental History
Dr. Mark Stoll, an Associate Professor in the Department of History, has been elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the American Society for Environmental History for a four-year term. ASEH is an international society of 1500 members (1100 individual members) and holds annual meetings.
Dr. Rainger Elected to the Executive Council of the History of Science Society
Dr. Ronald Rainger, a Professor in the Department of History, has been elected as a member of the Executive Council of the History of Science Society for a three-year term.
Dr. Carlson Interviewed for Irish Radio
Dr. Paul Carlson, Director of the Texas Tech Center for the Southwest and a full professor in the History Department, was recently interviewed via telephone on Irish radio by Patrick Geoghan, a lecturer in history at Trinity College in Dublin. Geoghan and his program partner, Susie Barnett, interviewed Carlson about his book, The Cowboy Way.