Past Newsletters
Winter 2006-07
Spring 2007
Winter 2007-08

SPRING COMMENCEMENT

On Friday, May 23, 2008, the Graduate Faculty, the Dean of the Graduate School, and family and friends welcomed two new doctoral recipients and eight master of arts conferees to the ranks of History graduate alumni. The Commencement festivities can be viewed online by clicking here.

ADMISSIONS

For the 2007-2008 admissions cycle, the Department received 250 applications. Seventy-four offers of admissions were made. Thirty students will matriculate in Fall 2008.

ALUMNI NEWS

Elaine Breslaw (PhD, US, 1973; Advisor: David Grimsted), visiting scholar at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, published Dr. Alexander Hamilton and Provincial America: Expanding the Orbit of Scottish Culture (Louisiana State University Press) in January 2008. Dr. Breslaw attended at book-signing party at the Maryland Historical Society (Baltimore, MD) in May 2008.

Naomi Coquillon (MA, US, 2006; Advisor: Leslie Rowland) has been appointed Associate Director for School Programs at the Maryland Historical Society (Baltimore, MD).

Pete Daniel (PhD, US, 1970; Advisor: Louis Harlan), Curator in the Division of the History of Technology at the National Museum of American History (Washington, DC), is serving as president of the Organization of American Historians for 2008-09.

Bruce W. Eelman (PhD, US, 2000; Advisor: Whitman Ridgway), Assistant Professor of History at Siena College (Loundonville, NY), published Entrepreneurs in the Southern Upcountry: Commercial Culture in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1845-1880 (University of Georgia Press) in February 2008.

Max Grivno (PhD, US, 2007; Advisor: Leslie Rowland), Assistant Professor of History at University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS), won the 2008 Richard T. Farrell Prize, awarded each spring to the best dissertation submitted to the Department in the previous calendar year. The dissertation, "'There Slavery Cannot Dwell': Agriculture and Labor in Northern Maryland, 1790-1860," was also designated runner-up for the 2008 Herbert G. Gutman Dissertation Prize, which is awarded by the Labor and Working Class History Association.

Mary Clement Jeske (PhD, US, 1999; Advisor: Whitman Ridgway), Editor of the Charles Carroll of Carrollton Papers, published "From Slave to Slave Owner: The Life of Robert Pearle of Maryland" in the 2008 edition of Maryland Historical Magazine.

Alexander Magoun (PhD, Science and Technology, 2000; Advisor: Robert Freidel), Curator of the David Sarnoff Library (Princeton, NJ), moderated a session at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference in Chautauqua on "The Lone Arranger and the Disaster Recovery Plan" and spoke on "Engaging and Enlightening Audiences beyond the Academy on the Business of Innovation" at the Business History Conference, held April 10-12, 2008, in Sacramento, CA.

Trisha Posey (PhD, US, 2007; Advisor: David Grimsted), Assistant Professor at John Brown University (Siloam Springs, AR), has been appointed Senior Scholar at the Gilder-Lehman Institute of American History (New York, NY).

James Rice (PhD, US, 1994; Advisor: James Henretta), newly promoted Associate Professor of History at SUNY-Plattsburgh, published “Escape from Tsenacommacah: Chesapeake Algonquians and the Powhatan Menace” in Peter Mancall, ed., The Atlantic World and Virginia, 1550-1624 (University of North Carolina Press for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture) in July 2007.

Donald Ritchie (PhD, US, 1975; Advisor: H. Samuel Merrill), Associate Historian of the United States Senate Historical Office (Washington, DC), is co-chair of the Program Committee for the 2009 annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians, to be held in late March in Seattle, WA.

Sarah Russell (PhD, US, 2000; Advisor: Ira Berlin) has won a Fulbright to Denmark.

Joseph Slaughter (MA, US, 2006; Advisor: Whit Ridgway) completed his teaching duties at the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) as is now serving as a catapult and arresting gear officer on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Sam Walker (PhD, International and Diplomatic, 1974: Advisor: Wayne Cole), Historian of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Washington, DC), has been offered an advance contract by the University of North Carolina Press for a history of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball, 1953-1972.

Yafeng Xia (PhD, International and Diplomatic, 2003; Advisor: Shu Guang Zhang) has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of History at Long Island University (Brooklyn, NY).

JOB PLACEMENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

Robert Chase (PhD, US; Advisor: Gary Gerstle) will hold a postdoctoral fellowship at the Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) for the 2008-09 academic year.

Mark Hagerott (PhD, Military; Advisor: Jon Sumida) has been appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD).

Rinna Kullaa (PhD, Modern Europe; Advisor: John Lampe) will hold an inaugural one-year postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University's Harriman Institute for the 2008-09 academic year.

A. Ricardo López (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Barbara Weinstein) will begin a tenure-track assistant professorship at Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA) in Fall 2008.

Jennifer Malia McAndrew (PhD, US, 2008; Advisor: Al Moss) will begin a tenure-track assistant professorship at John Carroll University (University Heights, OH) in Fall 2008.

Linda Noel (PhD, US, 2007; Advisor: Gary Gerstle) will begin a tenure-track assistant professorship at Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD) in Fall 2008.

Sarah Sarzynski (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Barbara Weinstein) will be a Visiting Assistant Professor at Mt. Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA) for the 2008-09 academic year.

Jonathan White (PhD, US, 2008; Advisor: Herman Belz) has been appointed an Assistant Historian at the Federal Judicial Center (Washington, DC).

Glenn Williams (PhD, Military; Advisor: Jon Sumida) has been appointed Senior Historian of the National Museum of the United States Army (Fort Belvoir, VA). For more information on this appointment, click here.

FELLOWSHIPS , GRANTS, AWARDS, PRIZES, AND HONORS

External Fellowships and Awards

Leandro Benmergui (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Daryle Williams) has received an International Dissertation Research Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council, a Grant-in-Aid for Research at the Rockefeller Archive Center (Sleepy Hollow, NY), and a Bursary award from the Urban History Association.

Ted Cohen (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) has received a James R. Scobie Memorial Award for Preliminary PhD Research from the Conference on Latin American History.

Shane Dillingham (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) has won a Foreign Area Language Studies grant to study Mixtec, an indigenous language spoken southern Mexico, during the summer 2008.

Megan Dwyre (HiLS, Women and Gender; Advisor: Elsa Barkley Brown) has been awarded the College of Information Studies' Frank G. Burke Fellowship.   The Burke Fellowship is given to a current CLIS student based on academic achievement and plans for an archival career.

Melissa Kravetz (PhD, Modern Europe; Advisor: Jeffrey Herf) has won a dissertation fellowship from the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies.

Giacomo Mazzei (PhD, US; Advisor: Saverio Giovacchini) has received dissertation research and travel grants from the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations, New York University's Center for the United States and the Cold War (New York, NY), and the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

Glenn Williams (PhD, Military; Advisor: Jon Sumida) is the recipient of the 2008 Tyree-Lamb Research Fellowship from the Society of the Cincinnati.

Department of History Dissertation Awards

Ian Drake (PhD, US; Advisor: Herman Belz) "The Tort Revolution: Progressivism, Product Liability, and the Rule of the Courts"

Thanayi Jackson (PhD, US; Advisor: Leslie Rowland) "'Devoted to the Interests of His Race': Black Officeholders and the Political Culture of Freedom in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1865-1877"

Katarina Keane (PhD, US; Advisor: Leslie Rowland) "Second-wave Feminism and the American South, 1960-1977"

Jake Kobrick (PhD, US; Advisor: Robyn Muncy) "'Let the People Have a Victory': The Politics of Transportation in Philadelphia, 1947-1976"

Shari Orisich (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) "'Sarcastic and Insolent, Insubordinate and Immoral': The Making of Juvenile Delinquency in Mexico City, 1926-1970"

Chas Reed (PhD, Britain; Advisor: Richard Price) "Imagining an Imperial Monarchy: Englishness, Identity, and Imperial Citizenship, 1860-1901"

Daniel Rubin (PhD, International and Diplomatic; Advisor: Keith Olson) "Suitcase Diplomacy: The Role of Travel in Sino-American Relations, 1912-1972"

Michael Soracoe (PhD, Britain; Advisor: Richard Price) "'A Faithless and Violent Character': Tipu Sultan and the Reshaping of British Imperial Identity, 1780-1830"

Mary Savage Snouffer Dissertation Fellowship, College of Arts and Humanities

David Hunter (PhD, US; Advisor: Gary Gerstle) "'Jim Crow Goes Abroad': Race and the American Nation During World War II"

Nathan and Jeannette Miller Center for Historical Studies Dissertation Award

Susanne Eineigel (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) "Distinction, Culture, and Politics in Mexico City, 1890-1940"

Department of History Research and Travel Awards

Patricia Acerbi (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Barbara Weinstein) "Slave Legacies, Alternative Modernities: Street Commerce and the Transition to Free Labor in Rio de Janeiro, 1860-1925"

Jeffrey Brideau (PhD, Science and Technology; Advisor: Thomas Zeller) "From Quiet Diplomacy to Contested Constructions: The International Joint Commission and Canadian-American Transboundary Waters"

Shane Dillingham (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) "Bilingual Teachers, Communities, and Trade Unionism in La Mexica, Oaxaca, 1930-1976"

Ian Drake (PhD, US; Advisor: Herman Belz) "The Tort Revolution: Progressivism, Product Liability, and the Rule of the Courts"

Joshua Furman (PhD, Jewish; Advisor: Marsha Rozenblit) "YIVO Institute for Historical Research"

Reid Gustafson (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) "Performing Class, Sexuality, and Gender in Mexico City's Public Sphere, 1920-1926"

Thanayi Jackson (PhD, US; Advisor: Leslie Rowland) "Devoted to the Interests of His Race': Black Officeholders and the Political Culture of Freedom in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1865-1877"

Jake Kobrick (PhD, US; Advisor: Robyn Muncy) "Let the People Have a Victory': The Politics of Transportation in Philadelphia, 1947-1976"

Mary-Elizabeth Murphy (PhD, US; Advisor: Elsa Barkley Brown) "Black Politics, Culture, and Labor in 1920s Washington, DC"

Chas Reed (PhD, Britain; Advisor: Richard Price) "Imagining an Imperial Monarchy: Englishness, Identity, and Imperial Citizenship, 1860-1901"

Daniel Rubin (PhD, International and Diplomatic; Advisor: Keith Olson) "Suitcase Diplomacy: The Role of Travel in Sino-American Relations, 1912-1972"

Michael Soracoe (PhD, Britain; Advisor: Richard Price) "A Faithless and Violent Character': Tipu Sultan and the Reshaping of British Imperial Identity, 1780-1830"

Rachel Sutcliffe (MA, Britain; Advisor: Richard Price) "Constructing a Civilized League: The League of Nations and the Cultural Politics of Morality in Britain, 1918-1926"

Katie Witty (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Mary Kay Vaughan) "Contested Resources: Forests, Ecological Degradation, and Community Response in Durango, Mexico, 1930-1994"

CONFERENCES, PAPERS, PUBLICATIONS, AND PRESENTATIONS

Patricia Acerbi (PhD, Latin America; Advisor: Barbara Weinstein) will present "Women, Street Vending, and the Transition to Free Labor in Rio de Janeiro, 1860-1910" at the Fourteenth Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, held June 12-15, 2008, in Minneapolis, MN.

M. Scott Heerman (PhD, US; Advisor: Ira Berlin) presented "Monsters of Impurity: Marriage and Slavery in 'Native-French' North America, 1650-1710" at the 34th Annual meeting of the French Colonial Historical Society, held in Quebec City, Canada, May 14-18, 2008.

Daryl "Gus" Grissom (PhD, Ancient Mediterranean; Advisor: Art Eckstein) presented "Romanitas on the Red Sea: How the Tenth Legion 'Romanized' Ancient Ayla" at the Yale Classics Department Graduate Colloquium Provincials and Empire , held in New Haven, CT, on April 25-26, 2008.

Katarina Keane (PhD, US; Advisor: Leslie Rowland) has been offered a place at "Sequels to the 1960s," one of three workshops at the 2008 Schlesinger Library (Cambridge, MA) Summer Seminar on Gender History. In the workshop Kate will present a chapter from her dissertation on second-wave feminism in the US South.

Tina Ligon (HiLS, US; Advisor: Leslie Rowland) presented "'We Must Lift as We Climb': Jennie Davis Porter and the All-Black Harriet Beecher Stowe School" at the 20th Annual Conference of the National Black Graduate Student Association, held March 15, 2008, in Chicago, IL. The paper won second prize in the humanities and will be published in the association's journal. Tina was also elected Historian of the Association.

Steven Scala (PhD, Modern Europe; Advisor: Jeffrey Herf) will present at the Thirty-Second Annual Conference of the German Studies Association, to be held October 2-5, 2008, in St. Paul, MN.