The College at Brockport, SUNY NUMBER 28 Spring 2016
Inside this issue: Student Activities
2
Alumni News
8
Faculty Work
12
Department Events
13
Student Awards 14
History’s New Home: The Liberal Arts Building Since Fall 2014 we have
side of the tracks. While
matter to academics! But
have two of the classiest
been settling into our
brick is still the campus mo-
there are compensations,
seminar rooms on campus.
commodious new ac-
tif, the curving roof, the
including a kitchen and sev-
commodations on the
plentiful plantings, and a gur-
eral lounge areas for stu-
third floor of the new
gling pond are an aesthetic
dents.
Liberal Arts Building.
improvement!
A technologically up-to-date
After 40 years in the
Some adjustments had to be
seminar room provides in-
Albert Brown Building
made, especially as faculty
structional alternatives and,
(formerly FOB), we
adjusted to fewer linear feet
with the Milne Room in
crossed to the other
of bookshelves – a serious
Drake Library, means we
Downstairs the McCue Auditorium provides a convenient location for our lecture series.
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Timelines
Student Activities The History Forum Secures the Coveted Crystal Beaver! Town Historian, we were
the commitment of
invited to join the group for young historians to carry on the work of a day of lectures, a luncheon, and a re-enactment.
the largely senior citi-
The keynote address was
zen audience.
given by Carol Kammen of
This was particularly
Cornell University, one of
well received because
the country’s leading local
most participants had
historians.
wrongly assumed that
At lunch we were very pop- history was being neglected by the younger ular because we raised The History Forum contingent with Ms. Coburn and a visitor
Monroe County contin-
from the 18th century.
gent’s size enough to secure
generation.
the crystal beaver, a cherOn Saturday, September 26, six members of the History
ished prize in the GAHWNY, for our county!
But the biggest surprise
Forum and Prof. Bruce
occurred after lunch when
Leslie took an early morning
But the biggest surprise oc-
trip to the Southern Tier to
curred after lunch when the
attend the Fall Meeting of
scheduled speaker was side-
the Government Appointed
lined by a medical emergen-
Historians of Western New
cy. The organizers ap-
York at Houghton College.
proached us to step in. Rob
the scheduled speaker was sidelined by a medical emergency...and History Forum Vice-President Rob Bretz spoke in his place.
Bretz, then serving as HistoThrough the good offices of Carol Coburn, Ogden
ry Forum vice president, spoke passionately about
Join the History Forum on Facebook! The History Forum runs a very lively and informative, and often humorous, Facebook page. It is open not only to students and faculty, but also to alumni. If you are interested, email the address below requesting to be added as a Friend: BportHistoryForum@groups.facebook.com
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History Forum Collaborates with Clio of GCC to Represent the Next Generation of Historians Saturday, October 17, was
communities of Orleans
the Western Monroe
quite the day of collabora-
County exploded with pros-
County Historical Society.
tion for two student groups,
perity as eased shipping
Formed 50 years ago, the
the History Forum at The
meant local farmers could
Western Monroe Histori-
College at Brockport and
fetch much better prices
cal Society preserves the
Clio at SUNY Genesee
from their crops at market.
Morgan-Manning House in
Community College, who
The construction of the
Brockport. Volunteers
were represented at the
Cobblestone District #2
who restored this historic
dedication of District #2
Schoolhouse and its coun-
home have since turned it
Schoolhouse in Gaines, NY,
terpart District #5 School-
into a museum. This local
and the Western Monroe
house were signs of this
gem has a rich history,
County Historical Society
newfound prosperity. Nev-
and the Western Monroe
50th Anniversary Dinner.
ertheless, by the mid-1900s,
Historical Society seeks to
most of these buildings had
keep its history alive as well
been abandoned with the
as create a bright future for
centralization of the nearby
the Morgan-Manning House.
With a letter from Governor Andrew Cuomo, the restoration efforts of the Orleans County Historical Association at the 1832 cobblestone schoolhouse were recognized with the dedication of a historic marker. Invited to this dedication was Conner Wolfe, Brockport History Forum President and Interim Director of the Cobblestone Museum in Childs, NY, who
Albion Central School District. It is only efforts like those undertaken by the Orleans County Historical Association—led in this endeavor by Historian of the Town of Gaines Al Capurso—that preserve these buildings of such historic pride of the historic community of Orleans County.
The collective youths in attendance at this celebratory dinner from both clubs
History Forum and Clio
the up and coming histori-
hope will be a long and
ans in our communities to the many delegates of his-
prosperous relationship
torical organizations of
between our two
Monroe and Orleans Counties encountered at the two events. This day was the
Later that evening, History
first step in what we at the
tion to the President of Clio
Forum President Conner
History Forum and Clio
at Genesee Community
Wolfe, Clio Vice President
hope will be a long and
College, Tiffi Westcott.
Gina Buda, and History Fo-
prosperous relationship be-
rum member Sabastian
tween our two organiza-
Piedmont, along with sever-
tions and the historical
al Brockport Department of
community beyond the col-
History alumni, attended
lege classroom.
brought by the construction of the Erie Canal in the 1820s, the small agricultural
the anniversary dinner of
step in what we at the
were proud to represent
in turn extended an invita-
With the prosperity
This day was the first
organizations….
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Timelines Giant Risk: History Forum Edition! twelve people before. My goal was to alter the classic game that everyone loves and make a version that hasn’t been seen before. My alterations make the game more exciting, include more people, and make for a great historical experience.” In a recent and shocking History Forum plays Giant Risk for their second meeting of the spring 2016
move, the History Forum
semester. (Photo by Robert Bretz)
has declared war on the
Ever wonder what it’s like
to push and pull armies
Department of History fac-
to be a commanding general
around the board.
ulty, challenging them to a
standing in your headquarters, watching your armies shuffled around your command table like chess pieces? Well, Robert Bretz ’17, the current History Forum
History Forum
President, has. It was this very thought that inspired
President Robert Bretz
him to take the classic
has altered the
board game Risk and add some supersized changes of
traditional game of
his own.
“Apart from the physical alterations of the game board, I have also added several distinct gameplay features that you won’t find
game of Giant Risk! Pizza, wings, and soft drinks are being provided by the History Forum, but it will be a battle to the death.
in any Risk rulebook. History Forum Risk sports a gameplay deck which must be drawn from by each player at the beginning of their turn. The deck is a mixture of challenge cards,
Risk to make a new,
“The board itself is close to
rewards, and punishments.
more exciting—and
six times bigger than a tradi-
The size of the board also
tional Risk board and uses
invites teams to coordinate
full-sized plastic army men
on the moves of their ar-
instead of tiny plastic pieces
mies, as opposed to the
to represent players’ ar-
traditional game, which only
mies,” says Bretz. “Due to
allows from two to six play-
the board’s size, painted
ers. Our Giant Risk games
History Forum plays Giant Risk
wooden dowels can be used
have involved as many as
for the first time, September 10,
historical—game.
2015. (Photo by Robert Bretz)
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Brockport at EuroSim By Catherine Taylor ’16 and Belle O’Toole ’18 Over winter break, Brockport’s EuroSim club travelled to Antwerp, Vienna, and Prague. As a club we participate in an international conference simulating the European Union every year. We spend an entire semester researching and preparing for the conference. The topic for the proposal this year was immigration policy, which turned out to be very
Brockport students at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. Belle O’Toole
controversial as the confer-
and Catherine Taylor are second from the right, in the first and second rows
ence got closer.
respectively. In the back row are three more history students: James Snider, second
After arriving in Belgium, we spent four days debat-
from right; David Ehmann, third from right; and Steven Bennett, History MA, on the far left. Steven served as the graduate co-instructor for the course.
ing, compromising, and reforming the proposal that
After the conference, we
while we were in Europe.
we hoped to pass. About
had the opportunity to stay
Like Prague, Vienna is full of
ten European schools and
in the heart of Prague
rich history, and we had a
ten US schools attended the
where Eastern European
chance to tour a few muse-
conference. At the end of
history is still very much
ums there. We learned a
four days, we
the four days, we success-
alive. We ate Czech food,
great deal about the Euro-
successfully passed
fully passed what we believe
drank Czech beer, and im-
pean Union on this trip but
to be a successful directive
mersed ourselves in the
also got a deeper look into
for immigration reform.
culture. Our tour guides in
Europe’s history through
Strangely enough, debating
Prague discussed the fall of
our travels after the confer-
brings students very close
communism with us and
ence. Everyone in EuroSim
together. Brockport stu-
gave a great political history
came away with a deeper
dents now have connections
of their country. Prague is a
understanding and apprecia-
with students from all over
lively city; a truly beautiful
tion for Europe and its his-
Europe.
Eastern European treasure.
tory.
The cultural aspect of the
We also took a cultural ex-
trip was just as enriching.
cursion to Vienna, Austria,
“At the end of the
what we believe to be a successful directive for immigration reform.”
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Timelines
The Chance of a Lifetime: Four months. Eight classes. Nine countries. Countless memories. By Catherine O’Connor ’15
“I will never regret the
For the spring semester of
tory. That experience was
experience. I was able to
my junior year, I was
really fantastic and served
meet so many new people
blessed with the oppor-
to whet my appetite for
who I hope to remain in
tunity to travel to
more exposure to Ireland.
contact with for years to
Maynooth, Ireland.
Another reason is that the
come. I lived on campus,
Maynooth is a small town
history department offers
which was a completely
outside of Dublin, with the
an incredible scholarship
different experience from
National University of Ire-
that made my study
living on campus at Brock-
land Maynooth nestled be-
abroad a possibility. Finally,
port. I learned the bus
side the ruins of a castle
I was supported by friends
schedules, train schedules,
decision to leave my
and a shopping mall. One
and family to move away
and everything in-between.
position as a Resident
of the first things a visitor
from what I was used to at
I made the blunder of
to Ireland would realize is
Brockport and experience
boarding a train for Gal-
the odd joining of old and
something new. I will nev-
way instead of Waterford,
new among the green
er regret the decision to
which turned a simple
countryside.
leave my position as a Res-
weekend trip into a much
ident Assistant, leave my
longer endeavor. Either a
friends and residents, leave
summer program or se-
my family and support
mester program is worth
base, or leave my country.
the money, without a
Study abroad will forever
doubt, but I would always
be one of the most incred-
recommend the longer
ible experiences of my life.
program.
know what that means).
As mentioned, I traveled
While at Maynooth, I took
Second, I had traveled to
to Ireland through a sum-
eight classes, completing
Ireland during the summer
mer study abroad pro-
two certificates: Irish Cul-
of 2013 with a study
gram. My summer abroad
tural Studies and Peace &
abroad program put forth
was great, but a semester
Conflict Studies. At Brock-
by the Department of His-
abroad really gives the full
port, this would translate
Assistant, leave my friends and residents, leave my family and support base, or leave my country.”
I chose Maynooth for several reasons. First, my ancestors came from Ireland. As many people told me in Ireland, I not only have a very ‘Irish’ name, but also look Irish (I still don’t
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N u m b er 2 8 , S p r in g 2 0 1 6
as 24 credits. I’m a bit of
view of history, women,
the ruins of Pompeii and
an overachiever, preferring
and Ireland.
found history lurking in
to push myself rather than
Classes were just one facet
every corner of London.
take the path of least re-
of my experience abroad.
The glamour of Paris was
sistance.
On campus, I made a great
invigorating, while each
Taking classes outside of
group of friends who came
new view in Ireland took
The College at Brockport
from anywhere from Colo-
my breath away. I was able
was different, especially
rado to Germany. Every
to see some of the places
when coupled with the
weekend we had some
I’d dreamed of, and re-
Irish education system.
new adventure planned,
turned to some areas I had
We didn’t have daily read-
from hiking in Wicklow to
already been. I met up with
ings, or homework assign-
traveling across the coun-
my cousin and her fiancée,
ments each week. Instead,
try to Galway. There were
who live in Germany, and
our grades were based on
potluck dinners, where
traveled with them for a
two essays or tests per
customary German, Indian,
few days. I ended my study
class. That’s it. My favorite
Chinese, and American
abroad with my parents
class was my Irish language
dishes were compiled.
and sister, who flew over
course, where I learned
Days at the park were
to surprise me. Together,
the ins and outs of Irish. It
planned, along with outings
we completed a circuit of
Mass in Rome, led by
was challenging, and that’s
to the local pubs for good
the country, getting lost on
Pope Francis. I toured
exactly why I enjoyed it so
traditional music and a pint
small back roads and veer-
much. I also took history
of Guinness. We watched
ing away from our planned
courses, many of which
television and movies to-
itinerary.
and found history
revolved around women in
gether, while also ventur-
I met new people, encoun-
lurking in every corner
the Celtic period. I chose
ing out and exploring Dub-
tered different world
of London.”
these classes to augment
lin.
views, and challenged my
my history major and my
In all, I traveled to nine
own beliefs and decisions.
women and gender studies
different countries during
Study abroad is a great
minor. Being able to take
my semester abroad: Ire-
way to learn about differ-
classes for my major and
land, Northern Ireland,
ent cultures, realize how
minor at a different institu-
Scotland, Wales, England,
small you are in the big
tion was very interesting.
France, Spain, Germany,
scheme of things while also
The professors were all
and Italy. I couldn’t have
realizing how much the
very different from previ-
had a more incredible se-
world has to offer you, and
ous professors I’ve had,
mester abroad. I went to
engage in new experiences
and all had different inputs.
Easter Mass in Rome, led
and travels.
They helped broaden my
by Pope Francis. I toured
“I went to Easter
the ruins of Pompeii
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Timelines
Alumni Activity Judith M Littlejohn ’10/’13 is Elba Town Historian and oversees the Historical Society of Elba Museum. Fittingly, her MA thesis focused on the development of Rural Free Delivery, in which Elba played a special role. The United States Postal Service’s 1896 adoption of Rural Free Delivery modernized rural America: it promised efficiency in communication, undermined traditional practices, and diminished rural isolation by providing farm families with reliable access to daily newspapers, political newsletters, The Kutolowskis’ sleigh
commercial catalogs, and homogeneous consumer goods. Beyond the farm, the establishment of offi-
cial RFD routes affected village shopkeepers, spurred the Good Roads Movement, initiated changes in daily life and social patterns, changed the structure of Post Office employment, influenced shifts in the parcel delivery industry, and created increased distribution of mass media through the post.
Judith Littlejohn’s MA
Littlejohn’s thesis examined the significance of RFD through the sleigh used to deliver mail
thesis examined the
on the first RFD route in New York State, in Elba. Drawing on material culture, contempo-
USPS’s 1896 Rural Free Delivery program, which used
rary newspaper articles, advertisements, government records, and written accounts of postal delivery in the US, she traced the resistance to and advocacy for the implementation of Rural Free Delivery. She analyzed the political, socioeconomic, and cultural impact of the shift from farmers traveling into town to retrieve their mail, to a US postal worker delivering the mail regularly to the farms. The sleigh represents a conscious effort to provide rural
sleighs to deliver mail
Americans with equal access to information, even in our northern winters, via the postal
in rural New York.
service, initiating a broader transformation of rural culture through consistent, timely access to mass media regardless of geographic location, class, race, or gender. There is a further Brockport history department connection here. Professor Emerita Kathy Kutolowski grew up in Elba and donated the sleigh, possibly the one used for RFD, to the museum.
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Eunice Chesnut MA ’76 One of Brockport’s first
In her three and a MAs and a Brockport insti- half decades in that tution has retired. Eunice position, she became to Brockport in 1950 came the expert on with her husband John, a Brockport history, very popular English pro-
writing a number of
fessor. After completing
books including the
the history MA, she began
Brockport Encyclopeworking with the Western dia, and helping othMonroe Historical Society ers in their reat the Morgan-Manning
search. In her re-
House, becoming the his-
tirement she moved
torian in 1980.
to Long Island to be
Eunice Chesnut at work in the Morgan-Manning House
with her children.
Paul Constantine MA ’12 “My career with North American Breweries began as an intern while I was working on my MA in History at The College at Brockport. I heard about this opportunity from Dr. Morag Martin and, as an avid homebrewer at the time, it sounded like too much fun to pass up. “The plan was to start up a facility that would provide fans of the brewery something that would immerse them not only in the rich history of the Genesee brewery, but in Rochester’s brewing history as well. My role was to do the research and acquire artifacts that helped tell those stories. In that capacity, I touched on such topics as 19th-century European immigration to the city and region and how the Industrial Revolution affected brewing, as it did most industries. We worked with Eric Mower and Associates, an exhibit design firm. They took what I was able to find and really brought the story to life. Once we opened, I stayed on as the Genesee Brew House’s retail manager, and I still oversee our museum section as well. “I am very proud of the Brew House and feel I found a home here. I couldn’t be happier that I seized upon this opportunity that I found as a student at Brockport.”
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Timelines Alumni News Rev. Gregory VanDussen ’69 has retired from full-time ministering but keeps his finger in the profession as an adjunct professor at Northeastern Seminary of Roberts Wesleyan College. Christa Koschel Lutz ’70 has retired from Royalton Hartland Central School after 32 years. She reports that her history degree “has come full circle in my retirement as I am now the Village Historian for the Village of Middleport. I found my studies at Brockport never left me, even on vacation while climbing the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, I could hear Dr. Francis Manno’s voice as he taught us the wonders of Mexico. I will always be most grateful for the wonderful lessons I learned at Brockport.” Jeannette Ford ’73 teaches Chinese History at BethuneCookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Thus she has been able to visit her mentor Prof. John Killigrew when he winters in Florida. Christopher Michael Green ’95 owns the Chiropractic Care and Rehab Center in Estero, Florida. He is married to Michelle Giroux Green and they have two boys, Townson Michael, age 6, and Ryder Davis, age 4. He sends special greetings to his mentor, Prof. O. Steve Ireland. John Ragan ’74 reports that after graduating from Brockport,
he did graduate work in history before beginning a career as assessor for the City and County of Denver, Colorado. He then began online college teaching, eventually becoming the chair of cultural sciences for Colorado Community Colleges Online, a position he enjoys tremendously. Steve Bragg ’92/’01 continues to work for New York State in his 15th year as a veterans representative. He returned to England to see family last year and visited both the RAF and Duxford museums, following up on his MA thesis on the relationship of American airmen and East Anglians in WWII. Major Daniel Fletcher ’97 is currently posted to duty in Afghanistan. His emails keep his friends apprized of the challenges and successes of working there. Jane Oakes MA ’03 owns and runs Jane's Pantry at 84 Main St. in Mount Morris. She has been part of the remarkable revival of the village. She did her MA thesis on Western New York opera houses and has continued to work to save the remaining ones, including the Bittersweet building in Brockport. She has won awards for her preservation work in Avon. Chris Schultheis ’04 has recently accepted a position as Western New York brand manager for Ithaca Beer Co., focusing on the Buffalo-Rochester-
Syracuse corridor with some time also spent in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier. Daniel D. Cody ’07/’10 and Eric Wheeler MA ’07 appeared together for a panel discussion on “The Aftermath of WWII” at Rochester Institute of Technology. Dan also organized an exhibit of posters and photographs titled “Mobilizing America: Fighting World War I on the Homefront and Battlefront.” Eric Wheeler MA ’07 is the coordinator of the Academy for Veterans Success at Monroe Community College and received the Golden Apple Award for his tireless efforts on behalf of veterans. He also volunteers for Honor Flight, a program that takes WWII veterans to Washington to see the WWII memorial. Jill Neidlinger Keys ’09/’14 is teaching in the Windham School in Lockport. Josh Keaton ’11 is a sales representative for Bosch Security Systems in Fairport. Patrick Stenshorn MA ’11 has been interviewed on WXXI about the Women's Rights Movement in Seneca Falls, where he works for the National Historic Park as a ranger.
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N u m b er 2 8 , S p r in g 2 0 1 6
Paige Doerner ’12/’13 is a marketing assistant at the Adirondack Museum on beautiful Blue Mountain Lake. She encourages visitors to stop in and see her.
Garrett Roe ’13 continues to serve The College at Brockport, traveling around New York State working as an admissions assistant while completing his MA in History.
Aislinn Ladd ’12 finished her MA in Medieval History from Birkbeck College, University of London, and continues to live and work in London.
Kevin Urbaitis ’13 has received his Paralegal Certificate from Finger Lakes Community College. He works as a paralegal for the Seneca County Attorney's Office and lives in Geneva, NY.
Ben Young ’12/’13 is studying Asian history in the PhD program at The George Washington University, with special funding from Modern Languages to continue studying Korean. His research was cited and he was quoted in an article on North Korea in the British newspaper The Guardian. In Seoul, he prepared Korean students for American colleges. Amy Pepe ’13 has been appointed historical researcher in the Office of the City Historian/ Rochester Public Library. There she is working as part of the team of City Historian Christine Ridarsky MA ’03. One of her main responsibilities is overseeing the publication of Rochester History. David Pomplas MA ’13 is working for Woods, Oviatt & Gilman while studying for a second master’s in public administration at Empire State College.
Gabrielle Brannigan ’14 received a scholarship to enter the MA program in social studies and special education at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester and is working as a teacher’s aide in the Webster School District. Andrew Capuano ’14 went to China on a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship sponsored by the US Department of State. Richard Deverell MA ’14 works at the Genesee Country Museum and Village where he dresses in period costume and interprets the history of the buildings and region to visitors. He says, “I’ve drawn from background knowledge I developed at Brockport as well as research while working at the museum. For example, I’ve learned about 19th-century foodways from working in the LivingstonBackus house, where I work in the front and a cook prepares food in the kitchen. I’ve also
learned about 19th-century education from two of the other buildings I work in, the seminary and our 19th-century schoolhouse. I'm able to use the information of each to explain the differences to visitors. All in all, it offers opportunities for me to study in a more traditional way, but also to experience the topics.” Rob Bermudes MA ’15 is the new editor of Historical New Hampshire, the journal of the New Hampshire Historical Society. Alex Gunther ’15 is attending the adolescent education program for social studies at St. Bonaventure University. Emily Henrich ’15 interned in the Village of Depew’s Historian’s Office, assisting in producing a history of the Village which has been published by Arcadia Press. Shane Swann ’15 is working for Gorkana in Brooklyn. He has found that the skills he acquired studying history and minoring in museum studies and public history prepared him well for his research-based job.
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Timelines
Faculty Activities Engineering War and Peace in Modern Japan, 1868-1964 (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) By Takashi Nishiyama
men to be engineers. How
Prof. Nishiyama aims to
did Japan develop curricula
counterbalance prevalent
adequate to the task (and
Eurocentric/Americentric
from whom did the country
views in the history of tech-
borrow)? Under what condi-
nology. Engineering War and
tions? What did the engi-
Peace in Modern Japan, 1868
neers think of the planes
–1964 sets the historical
Dr. Nishiyama’s book,
they built to support Kami-
experience of one country’s
published 2015
kaze suicide missions?
technological transformation
Naval, aeronautic, and me-
But his study ultimately con-
chanical engineers played a
cerns the remarkable transi-
powerful part in the military
tion these trained engineers
first to study the
buildup of Japan in the early
made after total defeat in
paradoxical and
and mid-twentieth century.
1945. How could the engi-
They belonged to a militaris-
neers of war machines so
tic regime and embraced the
quickly turn to peaceful con-
importance of their role in
struction projects such as
it. Prof. Nishiyama examines
designing the equipment
the impact of war and peace
necessary to manufacture
Dr. Nishiyama is the
transformative power of Japan’s defeat in World War II through
the lens of engineering. on technological transfor-
consumer products? Most
mation during the twentieth
important, they developed
century. He is the first to
new high-speed rail services,
study the paradoxical and
including the Shinkansen
transformative power of
Bullet Train. What does this
Japan’s defeat in World War
change tell us not only about
II through the lens of engi-
Japan at war and then in
neering.
peacetime but also about
He asks how the authorities selected and prepared young
the malleability of engineering cultures?
in a larger international framework by studying sources in six different languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The result is a fascinating read for those interested in technology, East Asia, and international studies that offers lessons to policymakers interested in how a country can recover successfully after defeat.
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N u m b er 2 8 , S p r in g 2 0 1 6
Department Events 2015-2016 Maynooth Lecture
Making Sense of Hitler’s New Order: European Neutrals, 1940-1944 The history department’s 2015-2016 Maynooth Lecture was presented on October 28 in the new McCue Auditorium of the Liberal Arts Building by Dr. Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses. A graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, Professor de Meneses has taught at Maynooth since 1997 and has published widely in contemporary Portuguese and Spanish history. He is working on research projects designed to mark the centenary of the First World War, but on this evening he turned to WWII. He also proved to be an adroit pool player at the post-lecture reception at Prof. Leslie’s house.
Professor Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses
What would Hitler’s
Professor de Meneses’ Lecture
New World Order From the fall of France until
Their attempts were made
and highly revealing about
the Battle of Stalingrad, and
more difficult by the lack of
the nature of political, eco-
mean for neutral
perhaps for some time after
clear direction emanating
nomic and social power, as
powers like Ireland
that, it seemed to most Eu-
from Berlin. Militarily weak,
well as human nature.
ropeans that Germany was
geographically scattered, and
bound to win World War II,
politically divided, Europe’s
or at least not be defeated.
neutrals were not in a posi-
During this time, as the horror of Nazi rule and occupa-
and Portugal?
tion to mount a principled defense of their rights.
tion played itself out, the
Looking more closely at the
leaders and people of Eu-
cases of Ireland and Portu-
rope’s few remaining neu-
gal, this paper makes a case
trals tried to understand
for a comparative investiga-
what the “New Order” had
tion of the period, about
in store for them, and how
which little was said in the
they might ensure their sur-
years that followed, but
vival in the future.
which was both fascinating Professor de Meneses meets with history students
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Timelines
2015 Synnestvedt Lecture
Bad Little Black Girls: African American Women, Mass Incarceration, & the Remaking of White Supremacy On October 8, 2015, the history department welcomed back Dr. Leigh-Anne Francis MA ’03, now an assistant professor at the College of New Jersey, as our 2015 Synnestvedt Lecturer. Dr. Francis presented material from her current research project on the historical intersection of race, crime, gender, and punishment in New York State.
Dr. Leigh-Anne Francis MA ’03
Department Awards Department of History Student Awards for 2015 Undergraduate Awards Jack Crandall Award: William Jenny Kempes Schnell Award: Michael Schojan Kleehammer Departmental Scholar Prize: Michael Zagari Students talk with Dr. Francis after the lecture
Robert Griswold History Award: Matthew Rockefeller Arthur Lee History Award: Matty Kuhar
The #BlackLivesMatter movement has raised awareness about the role race and gender play in crime and punishment, and Dr. Francis’s very timely talk drew a large and appreciative crowd.
Melinda Kleehamer Senior Seminar Prize: 1st Place – Martin Norment 2nd Place – Caleb Follmer Terry Gore Prize: Steven Marchese George S. Queen Award: Undergraduate – Julia Bibko
Graduate – Andrew Russo
Master of Arts Awards W. Wayne Dedman Graduate Award in History: Shellie Clark Flieger Family Graduate Fellowship: Erin Shea (FA 14) and Taylor Daughton (SP 15) Graduate Assistantships: Andrew Russo (AY 14-15) Shellie Clark (FA 14) It was standing room only in the McCue Auditorium for Dr. Francis’s talk.
Erin Shea (SP 15)
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The New Masters of History Professor Morag Martin, Director of the Master of Arts in History program, announces the graduation of 14 MAs in History in 2015. Julia Acosta
Shellie Clark
Andrew Russo
Dean Barney
Nathaniel Faulkner
Erin Shea
Robert Bermudes
Alexander Kulp
Natalie Walton
Katherine Christopher
Stephen O’Riley
Matthew Wood
Michael Chuchla
Karin Peña
PHI ALPHA THETA The College at Brockport’s Alpha Gamma Lambda chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, inducted 10 new members at our annual honors and awards ceremony at the Morgan-Manning House on April 17, 2015. Taylor Daughton
Andrew Russo
Benjamin Falter
Tara Sandle
Nicholas Greene
Michael Schojan
Justin Olney
Shannon Shields
Kevin Payne
Conner Wolfe
350 New Campus Drive Brockport, NY 14420-2956 Department of History
Attention, history alumni! We want to hear from you! Email your news to Teri Rombaut at trombaut@brockport.edu. Or you can clip and mail this form to the address on the back. Check us out on the Web on Facebook and at www.brockport.edu/history. Many thanks! Name: __________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________________ Date of Graduation: ___________ Degree: ____________ Current Position: __________________________________________________________________________ News that you’d like to share (career, hobbies, thoughts on history, travel, family, etc.) _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________