Seniors invited to present at History honor society conference

Seniors were invited by McDaniel History faculty members to present shortened versions of their senior history colloquium papers at the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference held March 30 at Bowie State University. The original papers were completed in Fall 2018 as part of McDaniel’s History Department requirement for graduation. 

Approximately 50 papers were presented at the conference from over a dozen colleges and universities, including five from McDaniel College. Other schools in attendance included George Washington University, Georgetown University, Shepherd University, the United States Naval Academy, Morgan State University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and others located in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Jack Del Nunzio of Sykesville, Md., won first prize for his paper in the American History category. According to History professor Bryn Upton, “Over the past decade, students from McDaniel have taken the top prize at this conference, beating out students from some of the top schools in the country.”

Del Nunzio said, "It was an incredible opportunity to get to meet fellow students and professors from across the Mid-Atlantic region who share the same passion for history. In particular, since I will be going on to obtain a master’s degree in history, it was a rewarding chance to experience a setting in which historians can network, collaborate, and share ideas as to foster growth in our field."

The mission of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor society is “to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, teaching, publication, and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians.” 

To be eligible for the honor society, students at McDaniel must be nominated and selected by faculty of the History department, as well as complete a minimum of four courses in history, achieve a minimum overall GPA of 3.0, achieve a minimum GPA of 3.1 in history courses taken at McDaniel, and must be in the top 35 percent of their class. Stephen Feeley, associate professor and chair of the history department at McDaniel, is the advisor. 

Visit http://phialphatheta.org for more information about the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society. 

The students and their papers were: 

• Eleanor Anderson of South Grafton, Mass., who presented "Planting an Ideal Culture: Bronson Alcott, New England, and Journeys Westward."
• Jack Del Nunzio of Sykesville, Md., who presented "'See How Dear Old Maryland Shines:’ Confronting Maryland’s Lynching Legacy."
• Matthew Hopson of Middletown, Md., who presented “Revolutionary Legacies: Identity and Improvement in Boston’s Fourth it July Orations, 1826-1866."
• Andrew Richards of Westminster, Md, who presented "Escalation: American Perceptions of the Japanese in the Early Nineteenth Century."
• Colin Lyon of Frederick, Md.