Each April, the Department of History salutes the achievements of its students, recognizing their commitment to excellence and high academic and personal standards.  The faculty of the Department of History extends our heartfelt congratulations to the families and friends of the students honored today.  On this Honors Day, please know that we share your pride in the hard work demonstrated by your honoree and look forward to the many further contributions he or she will certainly make, both to our university and to the larger world.

Charles Grayson Summersell Memorial Scholarship Award

The 2017 recipients of this award:

Molly Buffington
Ola Gerald
Terrance Lewis
Leif Midgorden

The Charles Grayson Summersell Memorial Scholarship
for Most Distinguished Undergraduate History Student

The 2017 recipient of this award

Hilary Jones

Undergraduate History Honor Students

The 2017 recipients of this award:

Lewis DeHope
“Why No Bill of Rights: The Arguments Surrounding Individual Liberties in the Early Republic.”
Adviser: Dr. Harold Selesky

Jian Gao
“Mexico para los mexicanos: Reinterpreting Mexican Sinophobia through the Lens of Mexican Nationalism, 1899-1934.”
Adviser: Dr. Steven Bunker

Hilary Jones
“Unwelcome in God’s House: White Evangelical Churches and the Limits of Racial Intergration in Jackson, Mississippi.”
Adviser: Dr. John Giggie

Lee David Black and Florence Weinberg Black Memorial Scholarship Award

Established in 1981, this fund provides several awards each year to undergraduate history majors. Academic merit is the primary criterion. This prize carries a monetary award. Students must be nominated by faculty.

The 2017 recipients of this award:

Jordan Green
Wenkang Li
Charlotte Watters

Peer Mentors

Established in 2013, the Peer Mentor Program recruits twelve advanced undergraduates to enroll in a one-credit hour leadership course focusing on learning strategies. The mentors use these skills throughout the year to tutor their fellow students.

The 2017 Peer Mentor recipients of this award:

Liam Adkison
David Bermudez
Kayla Branum
Ian Burt
Ellie Cochran
Evan Costello
Matthew Culver
Bridgette Davis
Gracie Engle
Sarah Forland
Alex Fries
Beth Galaid
Rhiannon Hein
Vann Hicks
Hilary Jones
Savannah Martin
Leif Midgorgen
Morgan Nolan
Alexa Pappanastos
Danny Pelavin
Oliver Reed
Jeremy Schwartz
Caroline Slay
Alex Voss
Camryn Walker
Charlotte Watters
Heather Whilhite (Smith)
Kendell Wilson

The Gary Bernard Mills Endowed Dissertation Support Fund

The Gary Bernard Mills Endowed Dissertation Support Fund was established in 2002 in memory of Gary, who was a long-time professor in the Department of History. Begun with a donation from the Mills family, the fund supports dissertation research for graduate students working in areas to which Gary’s own research contributed: the pre-20th-century South with an emphasis on African American, Native American, and Creole history, and family life. The recipient of this award must be nominated by History Department faculty. This award carries a monetary prize.

The 2017 recipient of this award: Spencer York

The Christopher G. Swindle Graduate Teaching Award

This award was established in 2011 by the Swindle and Owsley families in memory of Christopher, who was a doctoral student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of History. The recipient is that Graduate Teaching Assistant who best exemplifies the attributes Christopher possessed, including intellectual curiosity, respect for students, and a love of teaching. The award carries a monetary prize.

The 2017 recipient of this award: Virginia Cain

The Master Student Teaching Award

Established in 2016, this award recognizes outstanding teaching by a Master’s student.

The 2017 recipient of this award: Dan Holtsberry

Frank Lawrence Owsley Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1960 by friends, colleagues, and students of the late Professor Owsley, this monetary award is given each year to graduate students of superior competence in American History. The recipients must be in residence at the time the award is used. Students are nominated by the History Department faculty.

The 2017 recipient of this award: Mark Folse

The Albert Burton Moore Memorial Award

Established in 1969 by friends and students of the late Dean Moore, this award is given each year to an outstanding graduate student in European, Latin American, or Asian History. The recipient must be in residence at the time the award is used.

The 2017 recipient of this award: Daniel Bishop

The Ruth Marshall Kibbey Award

Established in 1995, this award is given annually to an individual who has performed dedicated and outstanding service to the History Department. The recipient may be anyone in the History Department (undergraduate, graduate, faculty, staff), the University, the State, or community.

The 2017 recipient of this award: Dr. Kari Frederickson