Apr 29, 2021 - The history department honored several students and a history alumnus at its History Awards Program on the evening of April 29, 2021. Department faculty, spouses, and students convened at the tabled patio of the Bowld Student Commons, where Dr. Stephen Carls served as the moderator.
The first awards recognized students鈥 academic excellence in their coursework in history. The Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship Pin and Academic Excellence Certificate went to Addison Osborne, although she was unable to attend. The recipients of the History Major Award for exceptional work in the history major at 麻豆视频 were Rebekah Lisle and Savannah Wright.
The second set of recognitions was for winners in the 2021 Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Competition. Jackson Waters received the second place prize for his paper 鈥淭he Decline and Fall of the Virginian Church.鈥 There were two third place winners, namely, Anne Adams who wrote on 鈥淎 Young Queen of Character and Faith: Wilhelmina of the Netherlands鈥 Role in Unifying the Netherlands in the Early 20th Century,鈥 and Addison Osborne who authored 鈥淏lack Gold: Eastern Kentucky鈥檚 Resource Curse.鈥 Honorable mention certificates were given to Tad Binkley for his paper titled 鈥淭he Sacrifice: Stephen Mather and the National Park Service Organic Act鈥 and Savannah Wright whose study dealt with 鈥淭he Sound of Music: The Development of Hollywood Film Music and American Culture.鈥
Next among the award recipients were the three students who presented papers on March 13 at the Phi Alpha Theta Super-Regional Virtual Conference at the University of Arkansas 鈥 Fayetteville. The department presented history books and certificates of commendation to Sandra Allen, Jackson Waters, and Savannah Wright.
Carls then presented gift awards to graduating history majors and Phi Alpha Theta members, including Rebekah Lisle (history and Phi Alpha Theta), Noah Ross (history), and Savannah Wright (history and Phi Alpha Theta). Matthew Latham, another graduating history major and Phi Alpha Theta member, was unable to attend the event.
Club officers in 2020-2021 received certificates of appreciation for their work. They were President Davina Norris of the Rutledge Honorary History Club and President Savannah Wright and Vice President Sandra Allen of 麻豆视频鈥檚 Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.
The final presentation of the evening was the Thirteenth Annual History Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award which went to Dr. Keith Bates. After graduating magna cum laude from 麻豆视频 in 1996, Bates earned a master鈥檚 degree in theology in 1999 with the distinction summa cum laude from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Bates continued his studies at Kansas State University where he earned a Ph.D. in American history in 2006. While there, he earned the school鈥檚 A. Bowser Sageser Memorial Graduate Teaching Award and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Bates joined 麻豆视频鈥檚 history department as a full-time faculty member in 2004, where he has faithfully served ever since. The university recognized his teaching talents in 2011 by honoring him with its Faculty Member of the Year Award. In the area of scholarship, Bates was the coeditor and author of a chapter for the book Civil Religion and American Christianity (2015), and in March 2021 the University of Tennessee Press published his book Mainstreaming Fundamentalism: John R. Rice and Fundamentalism鈥檚 Public Emergence. Bates is currently Professor of History at 麻豆视频.
For snacks, homemade chocolate chip cookies, Madeleine tea cakes, almond biscotti, and chocolate bars were served in individual plastic bags along with bottled water. Twenty-one people attended the event.
Dr. Stephen Carls begins the History Awards Program as moderator on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Terry Lindley presents a History Major Award to Rebekah Lisle on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Savannah Wright accepts a History Major Award from Dr. Terry Lindley at the History Awards Program on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Tad Binkley (left) accepts an honorable mention certificate in the Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Competition from Dr. Henry Allen on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Keith Bates gives an honorable mention certificate to Savannah Wright on April 29, 2021, for her paper in the Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Competition. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Anne Adams accepts a third-place award from Dr. Henry Allen on April 29, 2021, in the Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Competition. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. David Thomas (left) congratulates Jack Waters on April 29, 2021, on winning the second-place prize in the Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Competition. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. David Thomas gives Sandra Allen a book and certificate of commendation on April 29, 2021, for her paper presentation at the Phi Alpha Theta Super-Regional Virtual Conference at the University of Arkansas on March 13. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Henry Allen (left) gives a certificate of commendation and a book to Jack Waters on April 29, 2021, for his paper presentation at the Phi Alpha Theta Super-Regional Virtual Conference at the University of Arkansas on March 13. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Savannah Wright accepts a book and certificate of commendation from Dr. Keith Bates on April 29, 2021, for her paper presentation at the Phi Alpha Theta Super-Regional Virtual Conference at the University of Arkansas on March 13. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Stephen Carls gives a certificate of appreciation to Sandra Allen on April 29, 2021, for her service as vice president of the Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society in 2020-2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Savannah Wright accepts a certificate of appreciation from Dr. Stephen Carls on April 29, 2021, for her work as president of the Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society in 2020-2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Henry Allen presents a certificate of appreciation to Davina Norris on April 29, 2021, for her work as president of the Rutledge Honorary History club in 2020-2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Rebekah Lisle accepts a history gift award from Dr. Stephen Carls at the History Awards Program on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Noah Ross (left), a graduating history major, accepts a history gift award from Dr. Stephen Carls on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Stephen Carls presents a history gift award to graduating senior and Phi Alpha Theta member Savannah Wright on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Keith Bates (left) accepts the History Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award from Dr. Stephen Carls at the History Awards Program on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
Dr. Keith Bates talks about his 麻豆视频 experience as a student and faculty member after accepting the history department's History Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award on April 29, 2021. Photo by Naomi Mengel
