College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program

Doctor of Philosophy In Heritage Studies

Five students in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program received awards at the annual Humanities & Social Sciences Awards Banquet in April. Students receiving awards are: Sandy Davis-Baltz and Sherry Laymon, completion of dissertation; Francesca Muccini, Robert Franklin, and Wendy Richter, completion of comprehensive candidacy exam.

Each student was honored at the banquet and received a plaque or certification for their award.

L-R  Back Row: Dr. Brady Banta, Associate Director of Heritage Studies; Dr. C. Calvin Smith, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Heritage Studies; Robert Franklin, student.

L-R Front Row: Sandy Davis Baltz, Sherry Laymon, and Francesca Muccini, students.

Faculty and Students in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program participated in this year's Delta Blues Symposium XI: "Imagining the Delta."  Dr. Deborah Chappel chaired the session in the Pine Tree Room of the new ASU Student Union on Friday, April 8, 10:15am-12:15pm. Four Heritage Studies students gave presentations during this panel.  The presentations were:

Kathy Dillion: "Lily Peter" Delta Writer and Cotton Farmer"

Glinda Hall: "The Land of Contradictions: Margaret Jones Bolsterli's Delta"

Jo Ann Steed: "Octave Thanet's Arkansas Delta"

Sarah Waltermire: "Examining Regionalism: A Critique"

(L-R) Glinda Hall, Dr. Deborah Chappel, Katherine Dillion, Jo Ann Steed, Sarah Waltermire

Heritage Studies student Sherry Laymon has successfully completed the scholarly requirements for her Dissertation. Sherry presented her topic, "Pfeiffer Country:  The Tenant Farms and Business Activities of Paul Pfeiffer in Clay County, Arkansas, 1902-1954" on Friday, March 11, 2005. A reception in Sherry's honor was held at The Edge coffeehouse for students, faculty, friends and family following the presentation.  Sherry will receive her Ph.D. Degree in May, 2005. 

  Sherry Laymon, Ph.D. Candidate in Heritage Studies

Heritage Studies student Michael Bowman graces the cover of the March, 2005 issue of "Jonesboro Occasions: Philanthropy, Society, Culture". In the article entitled "Craftsman with a Camera", Michael discusses his fascination with documentary films and his featured film "When I Was Younger: A Weekend with the Beatles", which is on tour with the Natural State Film Tour Ozark Film Festival.  For more information about the Jonesboro Occasions, contact Audrey Watkins at audrey@jonesborooccasions.com.

Article & Photo via The Jonesboro Sun

Heritage Studies doctoral student and graduate assistant Katherine Dillion presented her research on the effects of American pop-culture on the women of Egypt at the Middle East Studies Night sponsored by the Middle East Studies Committee on Monday, February 21, 2005.  Guests were able to sample a variety of Middle-Eastern food and the recipients of this year's research grants spoke about their projects.  The ASU Middle East Studies Committee begain in 1993 when the university received an endowment from Saudi Arabian King Fahd to promote research of his country's culture.

  Katherine Dillion, Heritage Studies Graduate Assistant

Congratulations to Heritage Studies student Nicole Smith on the birth of her baby daughter, Kierra.

awwwwwwwww!  Baby Kierra  Photo by Terry Thomas Johnson

On Friday, February 4, 2005, Heritage Studies student Sandy Baltz presented her dissertation proposal, "The Making of a Monument: Social Implications of Arkansas Case Studies" to a crowd of 26 ASU student, faculty and staff members.  Sandy discussed in detail her dissertation, which is based on Arkansas monuments, and presented artifacts from the Vietnam War, the "Century Wall" in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and the "Christ of the Ozarks" monument in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. After the presentation, Sandy had her official defense meeting with her advisory committee, including Jeanette Fausz, Registrar of the Saint Louis Art Museum, who served as the non-ASU affiliated member of her committee.  When her defense was complete, Sandy was the guest of honor and joined by friends, family, colleagues and distinguished guests for a reception at The Edge Coffeehouse on Aggie Road. The reception was sponsored by Heritage Studies.  Sandy is the first student in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program to complete and present her Dissertation.  She anticipates graduation from the program in May, 2005.

  Sandy Baltz, Heritage Studies student   

  artifacts from "Century Wall" monument

artifacts from Vietnam War and Christ of the Ozarks monument in Eureka Springs, AR

All Photos by Terry Thomas Johnson, Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program

On Friday, January 28, 2005, Minnijean Brown Trickey had a personal conversation with several faculty, staff and student members at the ASU Library.  Her topic of conversation focused on “Where We’ve Come From, Where We’re Going: A Retrospective on Brown".  The setting for this event was very casual and students were able to interact on a personal level with Minnijean and speak to her directly about how the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock affected her life.

If you need additional information, please contact the Heritage Studies office, or click on this link to visit their website : Little Rock Nine

students wait for autographs & photos         Minnijean                    Dr. Smith & Minnijean

Minnijean with Dr. Milner, Dr. Smith & Jeff Bailey               Minnijean with ASU Student

Photos by Terry Thomas Johnson

Dr. C. Calvin Smith, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Heritage Studies;  Dr. George Grant, Dean of the ASU Library, and Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Visiting Writer in Heritage Studies and recipient of the Mary Gay Shipley Writing Fellowship, participated in a panel presentation sponsored by Heritage Studies which focused on "The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement" on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at the Convocation Center. 

Topics included "Uncovering More History"; "Publishing More History"; and "Remembering the Significance of the Civil Rights Movement"

Call the Heritage Studies office if you need more information about this panel presentation.

Dr. & Mrs. C. Calvin Smith                            Dr. George Grant

Minnijean Brown Trickey

Photos by Terry Thomas Johnson

Fall Semester 2004

Judy Peiser, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis, provided a historical overview of the Center, from early films, radio documentaries and exhibits to today's encompassing programs and projects ranging from archives to cultural tourism in her public lecture entitled "Cobblers, Greens, Blues, The River & More: Letting the Rhythms of the Memphis Delta Region Provide a Framework for Learning About the South of Yesterday and Tomorrow."  Peiser presented her lecture to an audience of students, faculty, and staff at the ASU Museum on November 1, 2004.  For more information about the center, follow this link: 

The Center for Southern Folklore

L-R Dr. Carol O'Connor, Judy Peiser, Dr. Clyde Milner and Dr. William Allen

On November 8, 2004, Heritage Studies sponsored a public lecture by Dr. Alan Govenar, Founder of the Documentary Arts in Dallas, Texas.  His lecture, "Country Blues In Europe: A Historical Overview and Interpretation", explored the performance of "Country Blues" in Europe by African Americans and provided a historical overview of its interpretation to an audience of students, faculty and staff at the ASU Museum.  Documentary arts was founded in 1985 by Dr. Govenar to serve as a non-profit organization to broaden public knowledge and appreciation of the arts of different cultures in all media.  For information, please visit their website at Documentary Arts .

Dr. Rick McDaniel speaks to HS students       Mrs. Govenar, Dr. Clyde Milner, Dr. Alan Govenar

Minnijean Brown Trickey, 1st visiting writer for Heritage Studies and recipient of the Mary Gay Shipley Writing Fellowship, visited with ASU students and faculty on October 19, 2004. A luncheon was held in her honor at The Edge Coffeehouse, with members of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program attending and Minnijean also gave a presentation to an undergraduate class for Dr. Cherisse Jones of the history department.

Minnijean with ASU students and faculty 

Heritage Studies Secretary and office manager Terry Thomas Johnson recently attended the Delta Regional Authority Annual Conference in New Orleans.  The DRA was created by Congress in 2000 to stimulate economic development in the Delta and foster partnerships designed to remedy the chronic poverty in the region.  This conference is designed to train and motivate people to join the DRA in achieving its goal and in sharing an interest in improving life for the hard-working people who live in this important part of our country.  Tracks for this conference included Higher Education and Economic Development (attended by Terry Johnson), Economic Development and Tourism, and Health as an Economic Engine.  Keynote speakers included Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and Alabama Congressman Artur Davis. 

Terry Johnson                                         Christine Perry, Terry Johnson & Dr. Ruth Hawkins

Dr. C. Calvin Smith, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Heritage Studies, was recently selected as one of ASU's Distinguished Alumni and will be recognized during the ASU Homecoming game against Troy on Saturday, October 16, 2004. 

Rose Morana, an ASU public history student, working with Dr. Ruth Hawkins at the Lakeport Plantation, gave birth to baby girl Ruth (named for the biblical Ruth) at a Lake Village hospital after participating in a heritage workshop on Friday.  Rose Morana is a native of Kenya and is working with Dr. Ruth Hawkins and two other students enrolled in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program to restore and preserve the 140-plus year-old plantation near Lake Village, AR.  After participating in a cotton-picking event and oral history interviews as part of the workshop, Rose Morana went into labor and delivered a 6lb. 13 oz. girl at the Lake Village Hospital later on that day.

To add to the excitement, and much to their surprise, Rose discovered that a nurse in the delivery room (Alice Johnson) actually had ancestors who were slaves on the plantation. Dr. Hawkins, along with Heritage Studies doctoral students Aketa Guillory and Nicole Smith, explained to her that they were looking for descendants of the enslaved people of Lakeport and made arrangements to interview members of her family. 

article credit:  The Jonesboro Sun, Sherry Pruitt, Education Editor

Photographs credit: Nicole Smith and Aketa Guillory

For additional information, please see the article by SUN education editor, Sherry Pruitt at the following link: 

Day at Plantation ends with surprise delivery

Heritage Studies Graduate Assistant Sherry Laymon has created an exhibit on the Judd Hill Plantation near Trumann, Arkansas.   The exhibit is currently on display in the Archives and Special Collections division of the Dean B. Ellis Library at ASU, and includes correspondence, artifacts, accounting forms, other memorabilia and a timeline of events for what was once a 5800-acre plantation. The timeline covers the events which took place from 1925-1995. 

or more information, please contact Sherry at 972-3077.

 Sherry Laymon, Heritage Studies GA                     Display of Judd Hill artifacts

The dedication ceremony for the grand opening of the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center on Lawson Road was held today. Local and state public figures were on hand for the event.  The Nature Center will offer unique educational opportunities for people of all ages and will demonstrate the commission's commitment to conservation and wildlife.  For more information, visit the center's website at www.crowleysridge.org .

   Congressman Marion Berry

   Governor Mike Huckabee

Local school children participate in dedication ceremony by releasing butterflies into the nature center lawn area.

Crowley's Ridge Nature Center

  Jodi Morris, Director, with Dr. Clyde Milner

Photos by Terry Thomas Johnson 8/25/04

 Summer Semesters 2004

Heritage Studies doctoral student Cameron Klein spent a portion of his summer term at the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis, Missouri, as an Education Intern-Curriculum Developer for the Missouri Historical Society at the Missouri History Museum.  Cameron primarily researched the history of artifacts and developed guided tours and lessons to accompany them.  Using a thematic approach, Cameron developed cross-curricular activities that address a variety of educational needs.

For more information, please visit their website at: 

Missouri Historical Society

Heritage Studies Doctoral Student featured in former President Bill Clinton's Book

Heritage Studies doctoral student Clarence E. Wright, Jr. appears in a photograph with former President Bill Clinton in his new book "My Life", published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.  At the time the photograph was taken, Clarence Wright was the director of the Save the Children Federation Arkansas Delta Project.  Mr. Wright served as director of that program from 1979 until 1990.

L-R:  Then Arkansas Governor, Bill Clinton; Calvin King, former Land Retention Farm Development officer in Fargo, Arkansas; Betty Ligon, Former Human Resources Development Project officer for the Arkansas Delta Project; Clarence E. Wright, Jr., then director of the Save the Children Federation Arkansas Delta Project; and former Mayor Willerd Whitaker of Madison, Arkansas.  (Photograph Credit:  Clinton Presidential Materials Project, Little Rock, AR)