For news on the many accomplishments of our graduate students, visit our Graduate History blog.
History Student Quincy Wansel Presents at 2023 American Historical Association Meeting
Africana Studies Major Quincy Wansel did the History Department proud by presenting her work on “Family Matters” at the 2023 meeting of the American Historical Association, the largest history conference in the United States.
New Jersey history awards recipients honored | NJ.com
History Awards recipients, Dames, and nominating professors gather on the verandah at Peachfield, May 19. From left, Barb Hencheck, Patriotic Service Chair; Wendy Woloson, Samantha’s nominating professor; Daryl Albury incoming president; Samantha Muller; David Niescior; Katie von Schaumburg; Echo Fling outgoing president; Nick Kapur, David’s nominating professor (COURTESY PHOTO)
History major wins Arts and Sciences Dean’s Research Fund Grant for summer 2016
Undergraduate History major Brian O’Rourke won an Arts and Sciences Dean’s Research Fund Grant for his project The Curious Case of Sydney Gruson. Brian plans to conduct research at the National Archives this summer, continuing work that he began in spring 2016 as part of his final essay for his Perspectives course on Guatemala during the Cold War, taught by Prof. Lorrin Thomas.
In her recommendation for the award, Prof. Thomas gave the following description of Brian’s work:
“Brian’s final paper for the course was a tour de force. The final essay assignment requires that students analyze the changing historiography of events in Guatemala in the early 1950s, then select a specific issue related to the coup that they research and write up as part of the final essay. Most students include about 6 pages of analysis of primary sources, including newspaper articles and declassified CIA and State Department documents; many rely on my list of suggested topics. Brian followed a far more ambitious path. He wanted to know the story behind the only New York Times reporter in Guatemala who dared to write about Guatemala’s democracy in a way that did not emphasize its “communistic” leanings, and to situate the national reforms (initiated after a peaceful democratic revolution in 1944) as a corrective to a long history of repressive oligarchy. Brian found an astonishing number of documents about Gruson in declassified government records available online, including State Department memos strategizing about how to remove Gruson from his reporting station in Guatemala City and reports from high-level CIA officials tracking the trouble his reporting was causing for the clandestine planning of the coup to overthrow the Guatemalan president. Brian’s final essay presented excellent insights and analysis not just of Gruson’s work in Guatemala but of the larger role of the press in the political drama unfolding in Guatemala in the early 1950s.”
Congratulations, Brian!
Eight Rutgers-Camden students inducted into Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society
The History department’s annual induction of new members of the Phi Alpha Theta honor society took place on March 23, 2016. The following History majors were inducted as lifelong members of PAT (???): Ernie Arians, Rachel Bintliff, Vincent Cammarota, Kevin Johnson, Samantha Muller, Rachael Samaroo, Christina Schyner, and Brenna Stone.
Phi Alpha Theta is an honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of History. The society has over 350,000 members who join through 860 local chapters. To qualify for membership, undergraduates must have a 3.1 GPA in at least four history classes and at least a 3.0 general cumulative average, and graduate students must have a 3.5 GPA in at least four graduate courses.
This year’s induction featured a keynote speech by award-winning historian Kathleen Brown, of the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a reception. The family and friends of new inductees were invited to share in the celebration. Congrats to our new PAT members!
Two Rutgers–Camden Students Win Awards from the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Jersey
Two Rutgers–Camden history students recently were awarded scholarship awards from the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Jersey. David Niescior, a History graduate student, received the District Graduate History Award, and Samantha Gaetjens Muller is this year’s recipient of the Undergraduate History Award. This marks the third year that Rutgers–Camden History students have been awarded prizes from the Colonial Dames of America.
Dr. Wendy Woloson, Associate Professor of History, nominated David for the District Graduate History Award based on his paper examining “the way soldiers and civilians in Boston interpreted the meaning of uniforms and armaments in the period before and after the Boston Massacre.” David, a Cherry Hill, New Jersey native who earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Rutgers–Camden in 2013, will be awarded a master’s degree this May. He currently works at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, and is interested in pursuing a career either in public history or academia.
Samantha’s research paper was nominated for the Undergraduate History Award by Dr. Nick Kapur, Assistant Professor of History. Her project examines the “Anti-Suffrage” movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when suffragists were fighting for women to have the right to vote. A wife and mother to five children, Samantha is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in History and Anthropology, and plans to continue her education with a master’s degree in American history. Her career goal is to direct a historic preservation society or to be a lead historian for a cultural resource management firm.
Award to history major Matt Trowbridge from the National Society of the Colonial Dames in America in the State of New Jersey
History is delighted to announce that Matt Trowbridge’s paper, “American Diplomacy and Covert Operation in Guatemala, 1952-1954,” for Perspectives on History in Fall 2013 has been awarded the first of what will become and annual cash prize from The National Society of The Colonial Dames in America in the State of New Jersey. According to Dr. Lorrin Thomas, who supervised Matt’s research in Perspectives, Matt “handled his sources with great sensitivity and sophistication.” His recovery of “detail from the CIA archive on Operation PBFortune (which is discussed only briefly in the four major texts on the coup) was actually extraordinary. He traced a timeline of strategy development and decision-making related to this covert operation that was, in many respects, a rehearsal for the operation two years later that would finally topple Guatemala’s ‘communist-friendly’ government.” Here is Matt’s description of his findings: “American Diplomacy and Covert Operation in Guatemala, 1952-1954” traces the development of diplomatic approaches to managing tensions between the United States and Guatemalan governments between 1944-1954, which culminated in the covert overthrow of the revolutionary government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman by the CIA in Operation PBSuccess. In order to trace the path of diplomacy, the essay analyzes four historical works, all written from different perspectives, regarding the subject of PBSuccess and American covert action in Guatemala. The essay examines in detail through primary source research Operation PBFortune, the failed 1952 attempt to overthrow Arbenz under the Truman administration, revealing a much larger and more important narrative than previous research has alluded to, indicative of the action to come in 1954.
Rutgers-Camden can claim many accomplished graduates. Our students go on to pursue successful careers in all fields. Kelvin Jeremiah, who earned his master’s degree in history from the Graduate School-Camden in 1997, has continued Rutgers-Camden’s tradition of accomplishment. In March 2013, Kelvin was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) after serving as Interim Executive Director and Administrative Receiver since June 2012.
Kelvin’s work in the field of affordable housing began because of his desire to make a real and meaningful difference in people’s lives. His work with the PHA “can be transformative,” he says. “It’s why I got involved.” The PHA provides housing and support services to over 80,000 residents in Philadelphia. It is a service that is desperately needed, considering the large percentage of Philadelphians that live in poverty. Kelvin’s time at the PHA has been dedicated to making sure that housing for those in need is provided in the most ethical way.
Kelvin came to the PHA in August 2011 as the organization’s first Director of Audit and Compliance. In this role, he was tasked with rebuilding the agency and complying with all regulations. During his time in this position, he saved tens of millions of dollars, all of which was earmarked to serve its residents. In April 2013, the agency was returned to local control, an accomplishment of which Kelvin is very proud and a highlight in his career at the PHA.
Besides the PHA, Kelvin also worked for the New York City Housing Authority, where he served as the Inspector General, and at the Springfield Housing Authority in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was Deputy Director.
Kelvin’s interest in social justice was shaped at Rutgers-Camden, where he obtained a master’s degree in history. His love of history stems from his upbringing, when his great-grandmother would share her past experiences. Kelvin was struck by the importance of this oral history, and thirsted to know more. At age twelve, he immigrated with his family to the United States from Grenada, and settled in New York City. While in the United States, he noticed that while written history was abundant, oral history, especially that of African-Americans, was largely absent. He felt a responsibility to those who had come before, and decided to pursue history academically.
He received a bachelor’s degree in history and business administration from Pace University in New York City. After completing his undergraduate degree, Kelvin knew he wanted to pursue a higher level of study, and applied to a number of graduate programs. Rutgers-Camden caught his attention when a professor at Pace recommended he contact Dr. Andrew Lees, Professor II of History, and set up an appointment to see the campus. When he visited, Kelvin was impressed by the graduate history program’s accomplished faculty, and particularly liked the fact that the program’s small size would allow him to receive “hands-on attention.” Dr. Lees in turn introduced Kelvin to Dr. Philip Scranton, Board of Governors Professor of History. Dr. Scranton would become Kelvin’s greatest mentor. Indeed, Kelvin calls the mentoring he received at Rutgers-Camden “worth its price in gold.”
Kelvin calls his time at Rutgers-Camden “the best experience of my academic career,” and that Dr. Scranton is the most influential professor he’s ever had. Indeed, he is full of praise for his former mentor, saying Dr. Scranton encouraged him to think critically, an invaluable skill. “Dr. Scranton realized my potential when I didn’t see it myself. He made me who I am today.”
Though he has already achieved so much with the PHA, Kelvin still has many goals which he plans to meet, including changing the culture of excessive spending and restoring the region’s trust and confidence in the PHA. He wants to collaborate with other institutions, such as universities, leveraging resources and really “push the boundaries of what we do.” Kelvin credits Rutgers-Camden with “shaping and expanding my world view, and how I live my life.” Truly, Kelvin’s life so far is an example of a life well lived. Rutgers-Camden is very proud to count him as one of our loyal alumni.
From The Courier-Post (June 21, 2013):
Rutgers-Camden graduate student Brian Albright has been honored with the 2013 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award
The award is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Historical Preservation Office and the New Jersey Historic Sites Council.
Albright, a Collingswood resident, archaeological field director and GIS analyst, earned the award for his contribution to an archaeological excavation performed recently at the Reeders Creek West site in Ewing Township.
From October 2010 to February 2011, Albright and his team of archaeologists, under the direction of principal investigator Frank G. Mikolic, tediously performed the excavation on a patch of land between two highway ramps at the base of the Scudders Falls Bridge.
The team recovered nearly 16,000 Native American artifacts and collections dating back to 3150 B.C. and A.D. 1430.
“We received the award for our contributions to the understanding of Native American settlement and subsistence patterns in the Middle Delaware Valley.”
Roxanne Huertas, the heart and soul of 429 Cooper, at graduation for her Master of Liberal Studies degree on May 24, 2013
Student Seminar Awards for Spring 2013
Dan Masters, “The Development of Shipping Technologies and Navigational Philosophies in the late 15th and 16th centuries” for Dr. Brooks’s senior seminar
My paper focuses on the development of shipping technologies and navigational philosophies in the late 15th and 16th centuries. To frame the paper, I pay particular attention to Columbus by using his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to describe shipping technologies and navigational philosophies of the time-period. The question I explore in my paper is which factor-shipping technology or navigational philosophy- was more important in contributing to Columbus making a successful voyage. My argument, in a nutshell, is that while there is no way to ignore the literal importance of evolving shipping technologies that went into creating and using Atlantic Vessels, such as the ones used by Columbus, those technologies are not the most important factor in transatlantic travel. I argue that religion was the most important factor in contributing to the completion of Columbus’ voyage because without religion Columbus would not have had the sponsorship of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, which, from a monetary and material standpoint, was absolutely necessary. In a sense, religion was the ultimate technology that made Columbus able to voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and discover the “new world.” In my conclusion, I say “religiosity was the mast, the rigging, and hull-shape that made it possible for Columbus to receive the necessary sponsorship to make his voyage to the new world.”
Clara Green, “Intermarriage in the Hudson Bay Area in the Nineteenth Century” for Dr. Brooks’s senior seminar
Clara Green’s description of her project: “The scholarly discussion of miscegenation in the Hudson Bay Area in the nineteenth century is the subtext to a variety of historical narratives. Depending on the perspective one chooses, intermarriage can be studied in a diverse array of contexts. The subject itself is rarely discussed head on and is the dominant theme of only one book of note. Colonial miscegenation is not necessarily under-studied or inadequately documented. Rather, the issue is frequently cited as a way of examining other themes, such as the role of native women in trade negotiations, the effect of Christianity in Eastern Canada, or the marriage customs of the Ojibwa tribe. The primary sources and biographical accounts of traders demonstrate that it was common practice to take on a “country wife.” The marriages themselves simply have not become the main focus of study. This is unfortunate. These marriages were not merely tolerated, but often encouraged. Societal embrace of such unions was all but unheard of in colonial North America. In South America, we see the union of Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors and native populations, with little attendant social stigma. These groups simply melded into one people, over time. In the American colonies, however, such assimilation with native peoples was unthinkable. The unique circumstances present in Hudson Bay certainly bear closer inspection. How and why did intermarriage with Native Americans flourish there? What aspects of the fur trade cultivated, even necessitated, such close relationships with natives? And more importantly, why did these marriages fail to develop widespread assimilation, as occurred throughout South America during this period?”
Encore Performance: Student Commencement Speaker Earns Bachelor’s Degree after Returning to College
May 14, 2013
In 2006, Robin Parry was invited by a friend to attend a jazz fest in New Orleans. As she soaked in the city’s rich music and cultural heritage, she was struck by the level of destruction and decay wrought by Hurricane Katrina, particularly in the city’s Ninth Ward. But rather than stand idly by, Parry grabbed a hammer and pitched in to do her part.
Upon arriving home in Philadelphia, Parry was still taken by all that she had seen and was determined to do more. Shortly thereafter, she founded Philly to New Orleans, a nonprofit organization which held local benefit concerts to send Philadelphia artists and musicians to New Orleans to volunteer with local community-service organizations. Touching down in The Big Easy, the musicians worked to rebuild homes for displaced musicians, restore music venues and work on much-needed post-Katrina projects throughout the city. “If I say I’m going to do it, then I do it,” says Parry, a resident of Maple Shade. “I don’t say, ‘I want to do it,’ I say, ‘This is what I am going to do.’ Then I move mountains to get it done.”
Such was the case in 2010, when Parry decided to return to college after a 26-year hiatus. Too late? Not a chance, she says. Impossible? She doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Three years later, Parry will celebrate another personal triumph, as she graduates on May 23 with a bachelor’s degree in history from Rutgers–Camden. Highlighting her grit and determination, she will serve as a keynote speaker during the commencement ceremony for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “It is such a great way to end the whole experience,” she says, making a gesture as if she’s wrapping a present in a bow.
Initially Parry enrolled at Rutgers–Camden intending to study physics and earn her teaching certification. However, the more that she delved into history, she was inspired to learn more about the world around her, and how past events help to shape the current landscape. “History has made me more prepared to grapple with the issues that we face in society today,” says Parry. “It’s been like peeling an onion. As I learned one thing, I fell through the rabbit hole and wanted to learn more and more.”
Parry adds that she has been personally inspired as well. Her eyes light up as she shares her current research, focusing on St. Teresa of Avila and 16th-century mystics. Perhaps the comparisons aren’t obvious at first, but for Parry, St. Teresa is someone to whom she can really relate. “There is so much in her that reminds me of myself,” says Parry, the founding vice president of the Rutgers–Camden History Club. “She didn’t really come around until her 50s, and started making major reform movements. I see a lot in her that is inspiring.”
Indeed, Parry, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday, has made some major reforms of her own since she attended college at Temple University in the early 1980s. In 1984, Parry left school to help support her husband, Steve, who was in a Philadelphia-based glam band called Heaven’s Edge. She recalls that she did what she could to make ends meet, which included tending bar and planning events at 23rd Street Café in Philadelphia. The band finally released its first album in 1990, the year the couple’s first child, Sarah, was born.
Parry and her husband then welcomed two more children, Emma and Michael, into the family, and Parry focused on raising the kids. After the couple separated in 1998, Parry stayed connected to the music industry in the Philly area. She began booking bands, as well as managed Doc Watson’s in Philadelphia, which inspired her to set out on her own. In 2001, she opened her own nightclub, Club Nostradamus, at 17th and Green Streets.
As Parry recalls, some people thought that she was crazy to risk the venture. However, she adds, defying convention has been the hallmark of her most rewarding achievements. “I step out and do the things that you don’t expect,” says Parry, who occasionally took college courses, such as entrepreneurship and business law, to help with her enterprises. “The things that people have told me you aren’t supposed to do have been the greatest accomplishments of my entire life.”
Despite the club’s small size, Parry succeeded in booking some major acts. Among them were Regina Spektor, Lotus, Peek-A-Boo Revue, Birdie Busch, and Amos Lee, whom Parry says got his start there. The big secret to her success? “I just asked,” she says. “I would send the musicians an e-mail saying, ‘I have this little place, it’s unassuming, but you can do whatever you want,’ and they were interested. I think that they just appreciated me being genuine and up front with them.”
With three small children at home, the club eventually became too demanding to manage and Parry closed its doors. She subsequently began booking shows and tending bar at World Café Live, on the University of Pennsylvania campus, in 2005. A year later, she used her connections in the local music and radio industries and launched Philly to New Orleans. Over the next four years, the organization would touch the lives of countless musicians and residents in New Orleans. It was also responsible for introducing the Philly area to New Orleans artists such as Trombone Shorty and The Rebirth Brass Band.
In addition, Parry was the music coordinator for the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2008, the year that they featured New Orleans, booking daily shows on the Bourbon Street stage. Among the acts to appear were New Orleans band Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Philly band The Wild Bohemians, and Camden’s own UCC Royal Brass Band.
For all of Parry’s successes, her bachelor’s degree was still the one goal that had always eluded her. She still remembers the words of her father, who told her that education makes someone a better person. Above all, Parry was intent on proving that she could do it – both to herself and to her children. “It was hanging over my head, and I knew how important it was for my kids,” she says. “It was hard for me to tell them that they had to do it when I hadn’t done it myself. It was a race to get done before them and it worked.” Incidentally, two of Parry’s children are now following in her footsteps at Rutgers. Her daughter, Emma, is a sophomore at Rutgers–Camden, while her son, Michael, was recently accepted to Rutgers–New Brunswick.
These days, Parry is enjoying what she calls the “Robin Parry Part II” phase of her life. She continues to tend bar and book acts at World Café Live to help pay her way through school. She also still does work to support New Orleans musicians, and books shows for them at the club. Wanting for years to be a singer, Parry also sang lead for a band called Robin and the Hot Flashes. While the band is currently on hiatus, she can be found on the weekends sitting in with local bands such as Outloud and Big Bang. “I am reinventing myself with age,” she says with a laugh.
With a bachelor’s degree in the books, Parry acknowledges that she feels more emboldened than ever to do anything she puts her mind to. “When I was a single, poor, middle-aged woman who decided to open a nightclub, and booked some of the biggest acts to play in Philadelphia, everyone thought I was out of my mind,” she says. “Now that I have that degree, I really don’t have any doubt that, whatever catches my passion next, I’ll be able to do it.”
