College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program

Doctor of Philosophy In Heritage Studies

Spring, 2006 News

On Tuesday, April 11, 2006, the annual Convocation of Scholars for the College of Humanities & Social Sciences was held at the Convocation Center of ASU. Students honored in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program were:

Dr. Robert Franklin, completion of PhD; Dr. Wendy Richter, completion of PhD; Gary Buxton, Katherine Dillion, Van Hawkins, James Tichgelaar, and Clarence Wright, completion of comprehensive candidacy exams.

L-R Dr. Clyde A. Milner II, Director of Heritage Studies, Gary Buxton, Clarence Wright, Katherine Dillion, Dr. Robert Franklin, Dr. C. Calvin Smith, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Heritage Studies

Widely respected, the Accolade Competition recognizes professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity. Dr. Robert Franklin, recent graduate of Heritage Studies, was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2005 Accolade Competition for his documentary, Reconciliation and the Elaine, Arkansas Race Riots of 1919: Forgive or Forget. Heritage Studies would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to Dr. Franklin on this noteworthy accomplishment. For more information about the Accolade Competition, please visit their website at www.accoladecompetition.org.

Fall 2005

Organization of American Historians Magazine of History focuses on the American West.
Guest editors Anne Butler and Clyde A. Milner II bring us up to date on the prevailing interpretations and questions that characterize today’s study of the American West. A profile of one Western historian, four lesson plans, and some suggestions regarding pertinent National Park Service historic sites explore other ways of appreciating that history, as does the Gilder Lehrman document on emigration into the Mexican territory of Texas. Credit: www.oah.org

For more information, please visit the OAH website at www.oah.org.  

Wendy Richter, candidate for the Ph.D. in Heritage Studies and State Historian for the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock, presented her dissertation project, "Swallowed Up In One Gulp: Lost Communities in the Upper Ouachita River Valley" to an audience in the Dean B. Ellis Library on Friday, November 4, 2005. Richter was appointed to the position of State Historian in May of 2005 and plans to receive her Ph.D. in December.

   L-R Debbie Chappel, Kathy Dillion, Brady Banta, Clyde Milner

L-R Dr. Brady Banta, Francesca Muccini, Dr. Clyde A. Milner II

A poignant story of communities lost to the forces of "progress" to be shared at the Butler Center's next "Legacies and Lunch", the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies' monthly luncheon series, will present "Lost Communities of the Upper Ouachita River Valley," Wednesday, July 5, 2006, at noon at the Main Library in Little Rock.

Wendy Richter, director of the Arkansas History Commission, will present "Lost Communities of the Upper Ouachita River Valley." Her family settled in Montgomery (later Garland) County prior to the Civil War and remained there for the next hundred years, until it and dozens of other families were uprooted from their homes when the waters of Lake Ouachita swallowed up the locations of several small towns. Blakely Mountain Dam created the new lake near Hot Springs in the early 1950s, forcing a complete exodus from the area. Richter's presentation will describe the area prior to the dam's construction, document the population relocation that took place once the project got underway, and examine how the project affected former residents.

Richter is a native of Garland County and a graduate of Jessieville High School. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Ph.D. in Heritage Studies from Arkansas State University. A certified archivist, she has served on the Arkansas Historical Association Board of Trustees, and as president of the Arkansas Women's History Institute and the Garland County Historical Society.

Now in its seventh successful year, the Butler Center's "Legacies and Lunch" series features programs highlighting various aspects of Arkansas' colorful and eclectic history, as well as autobiographical presentations by individuals who have been involved with important and interesting trends, events, or people in Arkansas's recent past.

The "Legacies and Lunch" series is free. Programs are held on the first Wednesday of each month at the Darragh Center in the Main Library, 100 Rock St., in Little Rock. All programs begin at noon and conclude by 1:00 > p.m. The public is invited to bring a sack lunch.
The Butler Center will provide water and soft drinks.

> The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, a department of the Central Arkansas Library System, was created in 1997 through an endowment by the late Richard C. Butler, Sr., of Little Rock, for the purpose of promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of Arkansas history, literature, art, and culture. For more information, please contact Cary Cox at (501) 918-3049. 

Dr. Deborah Chappel and the students enrolled in her Special Topics course "Readings in Southern Literature" recently participated in a field trip to the museum in Tunica, MS.

L-R: Aketa Guillory, Lisa Schmitt, Dr. Deborah Chappel, Jodi Morris and Nicole Smith

The Arkansas Delta region, which includes 15 Arkansas counties, has been selected as one of two rural pilot regions to participate in the Rural Heritage Development Initiative, a new National Trust for Historic Preservation program that will work to implement preservation-based economic development strategies, according to Dr. Ruth A. Hawkins, director of Delta Heritage Initiatives at Arkansas State University.

The new RHD initiative is funded in significant part through a $745,000 three-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Arkansas Delta was selected from 11 regions across the country that demonstrated the capacity to work collaboratively to develop cultural and heritage assets for economic benefit. For additional information about this grant, please click on the following link to visit the ASU Newspage: News from Arkansas State University.

You may also contact Dr. Ruth Hawkins, Director of Delta Heritage Initiatives at ASU or visit the trust website at www.nationaltrust.org.

Heritage Studies program committee members and faculty enjoyed their annual retreat in August at the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center in Jonesboro. Along with the annual committee meeting on important events, attendees were given a personal tour of the nature center by director Jodi Morris, who is also enrolled in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program. Dr. George Grant, Dean of the Library and Dr. Andrew Sustich, Dean of the Graduate School, joined the faculty and committee members for lunch and the tour.

L-R: Dr. Gregory Hansen, Dr. Clyde Milner, Dr. Brady Banta, and Dr. George Grant at the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center

Summer 2005

Graduate Assistant and Student Katherine Dillion spent the summer in Cairo, Egypt, completing her practicum for the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program. She had this to say about her experience:

"On May 19th, I flew to Cairo, Egypt to complete my practicum for Heritage Studies while also doing some pre-dissertation research and making contacts for internships or practicum experiences for Heritage Studies students interested in studying in Egypt. Unfortunately terrorist bombs framed my trip both before and immediately after my travel time, but my two month stay there was safe."

"My practicum was with the Egyptian Geographical Society in their Ethnological Museum. The museum is housed ina historical building in a high security area of Cairo just down the street from the Egyptian Parliament building. While there, my main goal was to create an English guide for visitors, since none had been written since 1924. After completing the guide, I gave it to my translator to be translated into Arabic."

"In my off hours from the museum I conducted field research that I plan to use for my dissertation. The research was in the form of a discussion group of Egyptian women talking about cultural issues and social and political challenges in Egypt."

"In addition, I visited some sites and met with directors of programs to establish connections whereby ASU Heritage Studies students can find future placements for internships or for their practicum. The most notable of these sites is Cultnat, a high tech "smart village" funded by IBM for the preservation of cultural heritage in Egypt."

"Egypt is one of the best places to study heritage since their recorded history is so old and so fascinating. Rather than being deterred by the terrorist activities there, I think that Heritage Studies students should see the opportunity to help dispel some of the misunderstandings that each culture has of each other by engaging in an educational exchange. I was welcomed by the Egyptian people and was treated well during my stay. It was a tremendous learning experience for me, and I have been invited to come back to the museum to do further work. I am glad for the academic support that the ASU Heritage Studies program provides for students who want to engage in international heritage studies and would encourage other HS students to consider cultural study and work in the Middle East."

Katherine Dillion visiting the Pyramids and at the Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage in Cairo, Egypt.

Heritage Studies student Guy Lancaster was recently appointed as the new full-time Assistant Editor with the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture Project with the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Guy was admitted to the Heritage Studies program in April of 2003. Guy will be graduating in September with his degree in theology from St. Gregory's University and is also currently writing his first novel, Queen of Purgatory. Heritage Studies extends our sincerest congratulations to Guy. To learn more about the project, please visit the encyclopedia's website at www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net.

Guy Lancaster

Arkansas State University in Jonesboro has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The NEA is a federal agency to support state arts and non-profit arts organizations.
The grant, from the Folk and Traditional Arts Program of the NEA, will be used to hire a folk arts coordinator to collaborate with the Arkansas Arts Council and plan a statewide folklife program. The grant was written by Dr. Gregory Hansen. For more information, please visit the ASU Newspage at http://asunews.astate.edu/NEAgrant505.htm.

Arkansas State University President Dr. Les Wyatt awarded the honorary doctor of humane letters degree to Dr. C. Calvin Smith of Jonesboro in recognition of his outstanding achievements and exemplary contributions to education and the preservation of history. The presentation was made Friday, May 6, during the spring commencement ceremony.  Dr. Smith has served as the 1st Presidential Distinguished Professor of Heritage Studies since January 2003. Dr. Smith, the first African-American instructor at ASU in 1970, is also emeritus professor of history at ASU, retired from the history department in 2002. Smith earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, his master's at ASU and his doctorate at the University of Arkansas. He is a member of the Strong-Turner chapter of the ASU Alumni Association and was named Distinguished Alumnus of ASU in 2004. Smith is the 12th person to receive an honorary doctorate from ASU. Nominations for recognition are reviewed and recommended by the university's Honorary Doctorate Committee, the vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and the President. Nominations are approved by the Board of Trustees.

Heritage Studies student Wendy Richter has been appointed to the position of State Historian for the Arkansas History Commission.  Wendy, who currently serves as Archivist for Ouachita Baptist University, will begin her new position on May 15, 2005.  Wendy comments, "I hope I'm worthy of the confidence that the history commission has placed in me." in today's edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.  To view the  article, go to http://www.epaper.ardemgaz.com. We extend our congratulations to Wendy on this well-deserved appointment.

Wendy Richter, Heritage Studies student and new state historian for Arkansas History Commission