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Message from Department Chair Phil Harling
November 2021
Dear Friends of History,
Welcome to a new school year! As we approach the mid-term of another fall semester, we have much to be grateful for. Covid remains a big challenge, and of course it’s too soon to know just what the darker and colder months will bring. But we head into them with a considerably brighter outlook than we did last year at this time. The students are back, and the campus is so very much livelier. Masking up in class is a welcome mandate that helps keep us safe. It’s true that masks can be a little hot and can sometimes make it hard to hear what others are saying. But everyone agrees that it’s far better to see even just the upper half of our students’ faces in person than it was to see their whole faces only in little Zoom boxes on our computer screens. Instructional challenges remain, as students reacquaint themselves with the need to show up to class in person.
But the History Department’s faculty and TAs continue to persevere with good grace and admirable perseverance.
Another thing we have to be thankful for is the arrival of new friends and colleagues! It’s our immense pleasure to welcome Devyn Spence Benson and Hilary Jones to the ranks of our faculty. They are outstanding additions to our department and to the Program in African American and Africana Studies (AAAS), where they both hold joint appointments. Under the leadership of our great friend and colleague Anastasia Curwood, AAAS continues to grow in all sorts of exciting directions, and Hilary and Devyn have come to campus as part of a highly successful recruitment initiative that has greatly benefitted not only our own department, but also many others in the College of Arts & Sciences. You can read more about our new friends and colleagues below.
Fall is traditionally the season of gratitude, and here in Lexington it’s easy to see why this is so. As the air gets crisper, and as our fair city’s many trees turn to brilliant golds and reds, you get an extra kick in your step, and you find yourselves thinking maybe even a little more than usual how lucky you are to be taking it all in. Gratitude is the order of the day, and especially for us. The return of the students. Welcoming new friends and seeing old ones a lot more often than we did last year. And, of course, the abiding support of you, our great friends and alumni. Thanks ever so much for your generous support!
Cheers, Phil
Dr. Phil Harling
Professor of History and Chair
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By Phil Harling
Please join us in extending a warm Kentucky welcome to Devyn Spence Benson and Hilary Jones! (Pictured above, left to right.) Devyn and Hilary are wonderfully accomplished researchers and instructors who joined our faculty this fall as associate professors with tenure, with joint appointments in the Program in African American and Africana Studies. We are so thrilled to be able to call them our friends and colleagues!
Devyn Spence Benson is a 20th century historian who focuses on antiracist movements across the Americas and the Caribbean. Her research and teaching interests sit at the intersection of Africana Studies and Latin American history, and she has worked throughout her career to merge these two interdisciplinary fields by focusing on Afro-Cuban history, politics, and culture. Before her arrival at UK, Devyn has taught at Williams College, Louisiana State University, and Davidson College. Read more.
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By Richard LeComte
If you’ve never heard of the bands the Sunmates, Frigidkitty, Whalerus, Cindy or Please Save My Earth, don’t worry – Rae Bandy has you covered. From inside the studios in WRFL in the University of Kentucky’s Gatton Student Center, Bandy is giving attention to these and other bands as the station’s local music director.
“I actually have a few different shows on WRFL right now,” said Bandy, a senior History major with a minor in Jewish Studies in UK’s College of Arts & Sciences. “The one show that I run as local music director is called ‘WRFL Live,’ and that essentially entails organizing little mini-concerts and interviews for local bands where they can come on the show.”
Bandy’s interest in music dates all the way back to grade school, where she sang mainly classical music in choirs around her hometown of Dacula, Georgia. But when she came to UK, she decided to branch out; her move into popular music shows how much is wildly possible on campus.
“So that was about eight years of doing choir and eight years of being really invested in music,” she said. “But when I got to college, I decided that I kind of wanted to change up in the way that I interacted with music. I saw an event for WRFL, and I immediately fell in love with the station. That immediately became a way that I was able to expand upon my music tastes and learn even more about music in a way that would be beneficial to me even outside of choir.” Read more.
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A Passion for History and German Launched John R. Bell’s Career in International Intelligence and Global Security
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John R. Bell (B.A. History '85) spent exactly half of his undergraduate years--a total of four semesters--studying abroad in various programs while a student at UK, becoming fluent in German and experienced at living abroad.
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By Julie Wrinn
As a high school student in Lexington, John Bell had two thoughts about college: he wanted to go out of state, and he wanted to study architecture. For a variety of reasons, neither wish came true.
“Having grown up in Lexington, I wasn’t enamored with the idea of being at home to go to college, but it was what I could do,” Bell said. “Then once I started at UK, I began to realize that college is what you make of it.”
As a shining example of making a virtue of necessity, Bell enrolled as a history major at UK and nurtured a passion for German language and culture that led to a 26-year career in the CIA.
“I remember watching war movies as a kid, thinking, ‘I really want to understand what the Germans are saying,’” he said.
Gerhard Mayrwieser, a German teacher at Bell’s high school, was a native of Munich and sparked Bell’s curiosity further. Bell’s affinity for German derived from both nature and nurture. He was adopted at a young age, and not until recently did he learn he has German ancestry.
“After spending so much time in Germany, it turned out that for all intents and purposes, on both the good and bad side of the ledger, I’m German at heart. By temperament, by the type of person I am,” he said. “I’m very German — to generalize a bit.” Read more.
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Jonathan Coleman Announced As New Director of Lexington's Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation
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Originally from Pike County, KY, Jonathan Coleman (Ph.D. '14, M.A. '10) has spearheaded many local history initiatives, including the founding of the Faulkner Morgan archives chronicling Lexington's LGBTQ history.
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By Beth Musgrave courtesy of the Lexington Herald-Leader
One of Lexington’s longest-running historic preservation groups has tapped as its new executive director a longtime historian and co-founder of an effort to preserve the city’s LGBTQ history. Jonathan Coleman, who has served as an assistant director and curator at the Mary Todd Lincoln House for the past six years, will begin as the executive director of the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation on Nov. 1. The Blue Grass Trust, which has led many preservation efforts for more than 60 years, has been without an executive director since March 2020 when longtime director Sheila Ferrell stepped down.
Coleman, who received his doctorate in history from the University of Kentucky in 2014, has spearheaded many local history initiatives including co-founding the Faulkner Morgan archives, which chronicles Lexington’s LGBTQ history. Coleman is originally from Pike County.
Faulkner Morgan has achieved statewide and national recognition, most recently from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for its success in “the creation of a more inclusive and polyvocal American story.” During his tenure at the Mary Todd Lincoln House, Coleman also led other initiatives, including “A House Divided,” a Kentucky Humanities Council funded project that used the Lexington Cemetery to explore the area’s Civil War history.
“For over sixty years, the Trust’s mission to educate, advocate, and serve has been vital to preservation in Central Kentucky, and with the help of our donors, community partners, and Trust leadership, I look forward to building on this incredible legacy,” Coleman said.
Janie Fergus, president of the board of the Blue Grass Trust, said Coleman’s selection as executive director comes at a crucial point in the organization’s history. The nonprofit was originally founded in 1955 to save the John Wesley Hunt home in Gratz Park from demolition. “Along with many initiatives underway, Jon is eager to move the Trust forward to an even stronger position as the historic preservation leader in Central Kentucky.”
Published with permission of the Lexington Herald-Leader, where this story originally appeared on October 13, 2021. Read more.
Congratulations to 3 History Alumni Inducted into the Class of 2020 Hall of Distinguished Alumni
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James Duff, Steve Beshear, and Alan Lowe (left to right) held a panel discussion with students about careers for history majors, moderated by history professor Melanie Beals Goan (far left). Beshear, Duff, and Lowe were recently inducted into UK's Hall of Distinguished Alumni. Photo credit: Hilary Jones
Congratulations to three History alumni who were inducted in the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni on October 1, 2021:
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The Honorable Steve L. Beshear, B.A. ’66, JD '68
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James C. Duff, B.A. ’75
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Alan C. Lowe, B.A. ’86, M.A. ’89
The Hall of Distinguished Alumni was established in 1963 in tandem with the construction of the Helen G. King Alumni House. The Hall pays tribute to those UK alumni who have distinguished themselves and their alma mater through their contribution to the welfare of the Commonwealth, and they exemplify the excellence that we see in so many of our students here at UK. A new class is inducted every five years, and this Class of 2020 was postponed 18 months due to the pandemic.
After a luncheon with Interim Dean Christian Brady and select faculty, Beshear, Duff, and Lowe participated in a panel for students in which they discussed their varied careers in public service, law, administration, and library science. Students were excited to spend this time with our alumni and very much enjoyed the lively Q & A that followed.
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Each Friday, Department Chair Phil Harling emails a "Brag Blast" with that week's faculty and student accomplishments, everything from the birth of a child, to earning a new grant, to appearing on French TV or in the Washington Post. Read more for a round-up of highlights since June 2021.
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Please Support the History Department With a Gift Today
Your donation to the Department of History is an investment in the future of the department and the next generation of scholars. You can make your gift to honor or memorialize a friend, relative, or faculty member. To donate online to the following funds, please visit: https://bit.ly/3b6JRnq
• History Development Fund: Provides critical resources to respond to student needs, attract world-class faculty, and provide innovative opportunities to enable our students to compete in the global marketplace.
• Robert M. Ireland Undergraduate Research Endowment Fund in History: Offers scholarships for travel and summer support to undergraduate History majors conducting historical research.
• Daniel B. Rowland Community Fellowship: Provides assistance to students who want to pursue summer internships, particularly in community service, historical education, or historic preservation.
By mail, please send to:
UK Philanthropy
Gift Receiving
P.O. Box 23552
Lexington, KY 40523
For assistance, please contact philanthropy officer Debra Gold at 859-257-8124 or debra.gold@uky.edu. We are grateful for your support!
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