Department Attends SHA Convention, Holds Reception Honoring George Rable.

 

The Department of History hosted a reception honoring Dr. George C. Rable at the 2017 Southern Historical Association Convention in Dallas, Texas. Rable, the longtime Summersell Chair of Southern History in the department, retired last year. Colleagues, former graduate students, and friends gathered to congratulate Rable on his well-deserved retirement.

At the reception, Megan Bever and Laura Mammina announced that a collection of essays honoring Rable is in the works with LSU Press. The collection, edited by Bever, Mammina, and current Summersell Chair of Southern History Lesley J. Gordon, features original research and reflection pieces by twenty of Rable’s former students and colleagues in the field.

Faculty members Josh Rothman, Kari Frederickson, Lisa Dorr, Steve Bunker, John Giggie, Larry KohlHilary Green, and Lesley Gordon attended the event.

Graduate Student Aaron Phillips writes that the “2017 Southern Historical Association Conference was an unforgettable experience. As a graduate student focusing on Southern History, the gathering was a phenomenal opportunity to meet so many people who share similar interests, but also to meet many exceptional scholars and fellow students who are paving the way for new avenues of professional and academic focus in the field. Being able to converse with some of the leading scholars in your area of focus and attending panels that shed new light on topics surrounding your research revealed the unequivocal value of the SHA on an individual level. However, the conference also provided a unique opportunity for our department (students and faculty together) to grow closer and forge new friendships that will surely prove just as valuable as any academic resource.”

The following graduate students and alumni attended the convention as well: Kevin McPartland; Adam Petty; Lindsay Smith; Sarah Craddock; Spencer York; Dawn Wiley; Louann Sabatini; Daniel Burge; Charles Thomason; Tori Jessen; Ashley Tickle; Dan Holtsberry; John Young; Malcolm Cammeron; Chase McCarter; Lewis Whilden; Laura Mammima; Megan Bever; and Katie Deale.