BGSU at OAH

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

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BGSU History students, faculty, and alumni formed a lively presence at the Ohio Academy of History’s recent conference at the University of Dayton on March 23-24, 2018.  Their participation showed that History Falcons foster a valuable network within the state and help maintain the profession of teaching, researching, and writing History.

The panel from OAH, all BGSU alumni. From left to right: Dr. Kevin Kern, Mr. Chris Blubaugh, and Dr. Dustin McLochlin. Also known as the all-beard panel!

Rebekah A. S. Brown, a first-year History M.A. student at BGSU, presented her paper, “The Ohio Company, Medical Practice, and Westward Expansion, 1786-1794,” in a session on “Medicine, Society and Images of America in late 18th and early 19th Centuries.”  It is noteworthy that her work was accepted for presentation while she is still in her first year of our graduate program.

Don C. Eberle (BGSU Ph.D., 2013) presented his paper, “‘Our Airmen Were Hoping to Raid Cologne Every Night Week After Next’: Harry ‘Bud’ Fisher, an American Censor in the British Army during the First World War,” in a session on “The American Experience in the First World War.”  Dr. Eberle now teaches at Northwest State Community College in Archbold.

Chris Blubaugh (BGSU M.A., 2013) and Dustin McLochlin (BGSU Ph.D., 2014) presented papers in a panel on “19th Century Presidents: New Perspectives.”  Mr. Blubaugh, now teaching at Ohio Dominican University, presented a paper on “Protecting Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to the Nation’s Capital.”  Dr. McLochlin, now Curator at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums, presented a paper on “Complicated Narratives: Rutherford B. Hayes.”  Chair and commentator Dr. Kevin Kern (BGSU Ph.D., 1997) moderated a lively discussion among those who attended the session.  Dr. Kern is Associate Professor at the University of Akron, author of Ohio: A History of the Buckeye State (2013), co-founder and editor of the Northeast Ohio Journal of History, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Ohio Academy of History.

Dr. Herndon (left) presenting Dr. Jackson (right) the Junior Faculty Research Grant Award for her book project.

During the conference award ceremony, Dr. Ruth Herndon, Professor of History at BGSU and chair of the Ohio Academy’s Junior Faculty Research Grant Award Committee, presented the dual award to BGSU faculty colleague Dr. Nicole Jackson and to Dr. Tom Weyant, who teaches at the University of Akron.  Dr. Jackson’s award-winning book project is “Colonization in Reverse: Black British Family Activism in ‘Post’-Imperial England,” a study of Black British immigrants from the British Caribbean to London and other locales from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Also during the conference award ceremony, Dr. Dwayne Beggs (BGSU Ph.D, 2010) presented the Academy’s Teaching Award to Dr. Mitchell Lerner, Professor of History at Ohio State University.  This was most appropriate, as Dr. Beggs, now Assistant Professor at Lourdes University, himself won the outstanding graduate teaching award from the History Department in 2010.

BGSU History students, faculty, and alumni thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other at the Ohio Academy’s conference.  They renewed professional ties, exchanged news about their teaching and scholarship, and encouraged each other in their shared work of practicing history around the state.

 

 

 

 

Meet Our New Senior Secretary!!

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

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Get to know our new Senior Secretary, Nicki Lee Reimer, with this brief introduction of her via interview questions!

Q. How long have you been at BGSU? What brought you here?
I have been at BGSU since June 2014 when I took a part-time position as a secretary at the Speech and Hearing Clinic. The part-time hours fit well with my family’s busy schedule back then. More recently, I worked at the Falcon Team Store in the Stroh Center, but still on a part-time basis. My kids are both in high school now, so I was ready to make the move to full-time when this position became available.

Q. What do you do in your free time? What are some of your hobbies/interests?
I *love* attending my kids’ sporting events. I’ve spent many an hour watching football, wrestling, and gymnastics – and I can’t think of any better way to spend my free time! I am also a part-time fitness instructor, so a lot of my remaining free time is consumed with designing and practicing fitness classes. Currently, I teach barre, cycle, and kickboxing classes. I also run sometimes, and recently I developed an infatuation with kayaking. I adore anything that takes me outside in the sunshine, bonus if it has to do with water and/or the woods.

Q. Are you a history nerd? Do you like history?
History… a little… nerd… definitely. If quoting old movies counts as being a history nerd, then I nailed it. The cheesier the movie, the better!! But in all seriousness, I do enjoy history quite a lot. No particular time period or events per se, my interests run the gamut. That’s part of why I was excited to be offered this position with the department. I have a general fascination with the past; I think we can learn a great deal from it.

Q. Who is your favorite President? Why?
If I had to pick (which she had to, because that is the point of the interview), I suppose Abraham Lincoln or Theodore Roosevelt. Lincoln because of the personal tragedies that he had to endure and overcome during his presidency. While dealing with a nation trying to tear itself apart, he dealt with losing more family members than any one person should. And yet, he persevered. That says a lot about his strength of character. Roosevelt is a candidate for multiple reasons, but mostly because I believe in the preservation of land and am grateful for his dedication to the national parks. Among the great contributions he made to our country, the national park system is an amazing national treasure (see above comments regarding sunshine, water and/or the woods).
Q. Do you collect anything?
I’m always walking into things – do bruises count?

Q. What times can students expect to see you in your office?
For the most part, they can find me in the office between 8am and 5pm M-F.

“Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution” Activity in Revolutionary America

15 Thursday Mar 2018

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This entry, written by BGSU student Nicole Schwaben, is about a “Reacting to the Past” game led by Dr. Andrew Schocket in HIST 4220, America in the Revolutionary Era, Spring 2018. If interested, secure your spot in this Fall 2018’s reacting to the past (HIST 3910) course!

 

In the game, Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution, which our class played in HIST 4220, all students are assigned a role, whether it be in the Crowd/Gallery or within the Provincial Congress. I was assigned the character of John Cuyler, Jr., a member of the Moderate faction within the Provincial Congress. Additionally, there were also Loyalist and Patriot factions in the Provincial Congress. Along with the other Moderates, I had a unique position in which I could sway the direction of the game. Both the Loyalists and the Patriots needed the votes of the Moderates in order to reach their objectives.

As Moderates, we tried our best to provide a fair and level-headed perspective of the issues at hand. However, this

Game in development 

proved to be difficult at times. Many of the Moderates, myself included, were in debt; therefore, a member of the Loyalist faction somewhat controlled us. This was frustrating for the Moderate faction because we also desired to maintain autonomy. Without autonomy, we would not be able to make our own thoughtful decisions. Instead, we would be forced to put our personal beliefs aside and act as our creditors wanted, or face the consequences.

In my role, I was also the publisher of a newspaper that was distributed twice throughout the game. This gave me control of the media, including the ability to report on other events, cover what speeches and debates happened during the game sessions, and leave my own commentary on what actions I believed the Provincial Congress should take. The other factions seemed to notice the power that the newspaper held, and both sides attempted to use that to their advantage. At the beginning, the Loyalist faction nominated me to be speaker. I assumed I was nominated so that the member of the Loyalist faction, Frederick Phillipse, whom I was indebted to, could control my actions. Luckily, I was not chosen to be speaker. On the Patriot side, Judge Livingston also tried to gain control of the newspaper. Livingston offered to pay off my debts, as long as chose to vote in favor of the Committee of Inspection and write my newspaper in a way that benefited the Patriots. I refused to agree to these conditions, largely because I desired my newspaper to be relatively unbiased.

Unfortunately, there were consequences for not agreeing to the terms set by the Patriot faction. Because I refused, the Patriot faction mobbed me. The mob was an incredibly stressful situation in which I was not provided much time to make a decision, but had several options. I could attempt to form a counter mob; however, there was not enough people to accomplish that. I could shoot into the mob; however, that seemed risky and I did not want to promote violence. I could submit to the Patriot’s wishes, but then I would lose my autonomy. I could resist the mob, but then I would have been tarred and feathered and my newspaper would have been destroyed. I decided to flee to a British ship and miss the rest of the session, effectively ending the game for me.

Patriots, Loyalists, and Revolution allows students to immerse themselves into history. Students are encouraged to do their research on the American Revolutionary era, which enables them to play their character to the best of their ability and accomplish historically accurate objectives in the game. Through the speeches and debates during the game, students are able to empathize and gain a better understanding of those who actually faced these issues before the breakout of the American Revolutionary War.

BGSU Center for Archival Collections (CAC) Internship Opportunity

13 Tuesday Mar 2018

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The deadline to apply for summer and fall internships in BGSU’S Center for Archival Collections (CAC) has been extended to April 2. See a brief description/excerpt from the CAC, located in Jerome Library, below:

The University Libraries (UL) at Bowling Green State University welcomes undergraduate and graduate students interested in developing academic related internships/co-ops/practicums professional opportunities within the UL. Considered a leader among academic libraries, especially in Ohio, the University Libraries’ strengths include instruction and reference, access and technical services, government documents, and special collections which represent the collecting areas of popular culture, sound recordings, K-12 curriculum materials, regional and Great Lakes history, university archives and rare books. Students may have the opportunity to work closely with professional librarians and archivists, gaining practical professional experience. Students enrolled in graduate programs in library science, archival administration, history, American culture studies, popular culture studies and other related fields are encouraged to apply.

 

** The History Department strongly encourages all students to apply, with our own History students having benefitted immensely from this opportunity on multiple occasions.

 

Further information about the program and application process can be found at: https://www.bgsu.edu/library/about/ULEmployment/internships-and-special-projects.html

History Professional Day 2018

11 Sunday Mar 2018

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The History Department at Bowling Green State University is pleased to announce that its annual…..

History Professional Day!

Date: Friday, April 6, 2018.  

Place: BGSU Main Campusm Room 142 of the Jerome Library

Time: 8:15 AM- 1:00 PM

Registration Fee: $20

 

Description: History Professional Day offers area history and social studies teachers the opportunity to update their knowledge of history subject matter and recent historiographical trends in the profession.  This year’s event will feature presentations on the Catalan Crisis (Dr. Douglas Forsyth), early modern Europe (Dr. Kara Barr), and a workshop on archival sources (Michelle Sweetser, MSI and head of BGSU’s Center for Archival Collections).

Schedule of Events:

Time Event Presenter
8:15-8:45 AM Registration, Coffee
8:45-9:00 AM Welcome
9:00-9:50 AM Workshop on archival sources Michelle Sweetser, MLIS
10:00-10:50 AM Early Modern Europe Kara Barr, Ph.D.
11:00-11:50 AM Catalan Crisis Douglas Forsyth, Ph.D.
12:00 PM-1:00 PM Catered lunch and conversation

 

Please register online at  bgsu.edu/historyprofessionalday. The registration page has information on parking for the event. For further information, or to let us know about any dietary restriction, please email us at history@bgsu.edu.

We hope you can make it!

 

Job Opening at Carter Historic Farm

02 Friday Mar 2018

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HISTORIC FARM & HISTORY SPECIALIST

Aerial of Carter Farm

Carter Historic Farm

Wood County Parks is looking for a Program Coordinator and history specialist at Carter Historic Farm with supervisory responsibilities relating to seasonal and part-time staff, interns and volunteers. Employee has the authority to recommend any reward or disciplinary actions necessary.

Duties include working to research, plan, develop, conduct and evaluate programs and special events that inform the public (schools, community organizations, and the general public) of the history of Wood County Parks; running every day operations; creating interpretive, educational and interactive displays, exhibits, etc; developing a Collections Policy and managing the historic collections and acquisition of historic items, including donations, documentation, inventory, maintenance, cleaning, repair and placement of the items; generating an annual budget proposal for CHF equipment, materials, supplies, maintenance, and operations.

Minimum requirements include a bachelor’s degree in interpretation, history, education or related field is preferred, however applicants with at least 3 years related experience including providing public programs for all ages and backgrounds will be considered. Preferred applicant will have working knowledge of interactive educational museum operations, historical farming practices and operations, agricultural experience/knowledge, and history of northwest Ohio.

<For more information, go to the Wood County Park District’s website @ http://www.wcparks.org/about/employment/ 

Partners of the Public History Program Receive Grants to Support Their Work

02 Friday Mar 2018

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Two key partners of the Graduate Certificate in Public History have received grants from Ohio History Connections to support their work in preserving and making accessible our region’s history.

First, the Center of Archival Collections at BGSU, in partnership with the History Department, has obtained an Ohio History Connections grant to digitize interviews with WWII veterans and holocaust survivors. The interviews were collected from 2001 to 2004 by students enrolled in the HIST3030 course on World War II, under the direction of Dr. Walter Grunden. Both Dr.  Grunden and Kasey Harrington, M.A. student in History with a specialization in Public History, are core contributors to this project. The project is led by Michelle Sweetser, head of the Center for Archival Collections. Dr. Grunden and Sweetser regularly teach graduate seminars in History and the Graduate Certificate of Public History; Kasey Harrington has contributed to this project since her senior year as a major in History; she is graduating from our M.A. program in May.

Additionally, the Wood County Historical Society obtained funding to improve the storage of artifacts in its collection and serve as a model of stewardship practices for other institutions. The project is led by Holly Hartlerode, who regularly teaches ACS/HIST 6530, Historical Organization, in the Graduate Certificate of Public History.

A full description of the grant is available in The Toledo Blade: http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/03/02/BGSU-s-collection-of-World-War-II-era-stories-to-be-digitized.html

The grants demonstrate the contributions of our public history program to the preservation and diffusion of the history of our region.

Trivia Night Recap

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Events, Faculty News, Graduate Student News, Phi Alpha Theta

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The History Department’s Annual Trivia Night occurred last Friday, February 23. Here is a quick recap of the night’s events.

Michael Ginnetti and Phi Alpha Theta sponsored the event, with Ginnetti serving as the MC/providing commentary. Carol Singer served as official scorekeeper.

The Professor’s team, aptly named after the Aztec God of War Huitzilopochtli and inspired by Dr. Challu’s crest, entered as the heavy favorites after having decimated the competition last year. Drs. Brooks, Challu, Carver and Jackson faced off against 2 undergraduate and 2 graduate teams. Would the underdogs be able to beat the dynasty? The short answer is no.

As the night started, many students in attendance seemed to be slightly dazed from the large amount of pizza they stocked up on prior to the event. Because of this, Team Huitzilopochtli (The Professors) got out to an early 7-5-4-4-4 lead. After a quick score update, which induced an unwarranted feeling of hope for the student teams, Dr. Challu was forced to leave due to a prior commitment, but his crest featuring the Aztec God of War remained with the team. The crest seemingly inspired The Professors and they soon took a commanding lead, led by Dr. Brook’s knowledge of local history and Dr. Carver’s knowledge of all things trivia. Despite losing Dr. Challu (or because they lost Dr. Challu?), Team Huitzliopochtli easily won the event by 10+ points. Dr. Brooks, bad foot and all, proudly started dancing with the Huitzilopochtli crest, with the student teams glimmering in envy. With the event coming to a close and plenty of fun times had, Michael Ginnetti thanked all participants and commended the student teams on a hard fought battle, but in the end The Professors were simply to much to handle. Despite this, students left with a feeling of hope and professors with a feeling of dread as the same thought crossed everyone’s mind: Dynasties are destined to fall.

See you next year!

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Don’t Get Discouraged! A story of Perseverance, Success and Finding One’s Passion Post-Graduation

09 Friday Feb 2018

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Dana Bogart Cress, M.A., Architectural Historian, BGSU History B.A. Alumna 2012

I was a junior at BGSU when I changed my major from Social Studies Education to History. My parents had the stereotypical worries about my majoring in History. An education degree has an obvious end goal of a teaching job, but the history field is an open ended path with a range of specialties. I was fortunate enough to sample several of these specialties through my undergraduate and graduate careers, and my career goals became more refined with each new experience.

“How a 1900s Black Detroit Community was Razed for a Freeway”, WDET Detroit Public Radio, 19 October 2015.

“How a 1900s Black Detroit Community was Razed for a Freeway”, WDET Detroit Public Radio, 19 October 2015.

Following graduation from my History M.A. program, I entered into two years of AmeriCorps service in the Ohio History Service Corps as a Community Surveyor. In this position, I completed comprehensive neighborhood architectural surveys and house histories for Piqua, Ohio. I was also introduced to the fields of historic preservation and cultural resource management (CRM). After what seemed like hundreds of resumes later (don’t get discouraged!), I obtained a career in cultural resource management at a consulting firm as an Architectural Historian.

Personally, I see CRM as the more corporate side of historic preservation. Historic preservation is typically focused on advocacy, while CRM concentrates on the permitting process within federal preservation legislation. In 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). This act mandated that anybody using federal funds for new construction must investigate the project’s potential the effects on historic sites. This legislation obviously came as a direct result of preservation activists in the 1960s reacting to Eisenhower’s Federal-Aid Highway Act. In order to construct these massive highways, city planners often targeted older sections of cities, which they viewed as “slums”, and demolished entire neighborhoods. The NHPA safeguards against widespread demolition of historic properties.

This movement to protect historic buildings culminates to my day-to-day job. Essentially, I work with clients who use federal funding in some capacity for development projects to ensure they follow federal preservation laws. These clients can range from energy companies, state transportation departments, and community development groups. My duties comprise of several stages of work to produce a report that is sent to the appropriate State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for review. I complete extensive background research on the project area to determine the unique historical narrative, as well as determine which structures may be historic by comparing modern aerials to historic maps. I then get to travel to the site and do an intensive walking survey of the area, photographing and documenting historic properties for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) potential. To be NRHP-eligible, a property must have high architectural and historical integrity, so these are always exciting finds on my trips. My documentations and historic research are compiled in to official reports for the client and SHPO. If I determine any NRHP-eligible properties are in the project area, I have to evaluate the potential

Picture taken in Annapolis, MD while on a research trip to the Maryland State Archives.

Picture taken in Annapolis, MD while on a research trip to the Maryland State Archives.

adverse effects and include my recommendations in the report to the state and federal agencies involved. The clients use my reports to either revise their projects to avoid historic sites, or to identify appropriate mitigation measures.

The process seems very jargon-y. Despite this, I enjoy being an Architectural Historian consultant, knowing that I am applying preservation standards to projects not inherently preservation-minded, as well as identifying previously unrecorded historic sites that are eligible for the NRHP.

I know that sometimes majoring in something that seems as intangible as history can feel daunting, but keep in mind that there are several careers for aspiring historians. I recommend trying different subfields of history and taking advantage of internships to explore these possibilities. Volunteer positions and class projects can translate into experience that can be used to find a great start to a career path.

My Experience in New Orleans

03 Saturday Feb 2018

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By Dominique Seo, History Senior

 

Prior to coming back to school to begin the spring semester, I had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans, LA to attend the Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Convention. While at the convention I listened to a variety of undergraduate paper presentations from colleges and universities across the nation.

 

My paper focused on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton. Throughout my paper, I argue that Hamilton is so popular because it is able to depict how the social and cultural issues, immigration, personal-political disputes, and political sex scandals that plague today’s society are the same issues that troubled society in the Revolutionary Era.

 

Since I was only in New Orleans for a short amount of time, I was not able to explore all of the city, but was able to visit the National WWII Museum, Bourbon Street, the Tulane Campus, and to look at the mansions on St. Charles Avenue. I was also able to sample some of the foods that NOLA is known for, such as Bananas Foster and Beignets.

Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street

 

Needless to say, I had a wonderful time in New Orleans, although there was one minor issue that arose. When attending my first session, I was stunned to find that there was no use of PowerPoints or other technology used to present, which sent me into a small panic because I had prepared a PowerPoint presentation. Even though this was a setback, I was able to regroup and successfully present my paper. I was even able to receive valuable feedback from the moderator and my fellow presenting peers.

 

So, where do I go from here? This is not the end to my study on Alexander Hamilton. In the coming months, I plan to further research Hamilton by investigating how the same social and cultural issues discussed above are present in other eras of history. I will specifically be exploring the Jacksonian Era, as it is when formal immigration policy started to become present in American society- something I am keenly interested in studying. I hope to be able to present my findings at an additional conference by the end of my senior year.

 

Finally, I would like to thank the History Department and Dr. Ruth Herndon for supporting me throughout this process and making this trip possible.

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