Professor Chris Kent Retires

After 39 years in our department, Professor Kent taught his final class last week. He is well-known for his work on social, intellectual and gender history in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain, as well as historiography. Suitably, Professor Kent's final class was on "Approaches to History".

If you would like to join the department in celebrating Professor Kent's career at the University of Saskatchewan, please join us at a retirement party on February 4th, 3:30 to 5:30 at the Faculty Club. Former students are very welcome to attend.

Pictured at top: Chris Kent, discussing future fishing trips
Pictured below: Chris Kent and his "Approaches to History" class
Image Credits: Nadine Penner and Valerie Korinek

Waiser on CBC National

On November 21, The National on CBC did a great segment (http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/The_National/ID=1338602146) on Howdy McPhail's aerial photography and (of course!) interviewed Bill about his new book on McPhail. For more information on the book itself, check out the publisher's website.

(If the link to the segment isn't working, just open it in a new window or cut and paste the address.)

Movie Night: Gallipoli

On Nov. 18, HUSA will be presenting Gallipoli as part of its annual film series. Professor John McCannon will introduce the movie.

This excellent movie looks at the ill-fated (not to spoil the ending!) World War I battle. Besides looking at the mistakes of the Australian and New Zealand military commanders, the film focuses on the friendships between the soldiers. A very young Mel Gibson stars.

Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Arts 241

(Image: "Australian Despatch Rider who rode through a hail of bullets", Wellcome Library)

Graduate Poster Session

Well done to the eight graduate History students who participated in the University Graduate Poster Session on October 13.

Last year's winners Heather Stanley and Merle Massie held a workshop on how to do academic posters earlier this autumn, which encouraged Marc MacDonald, Liam Haggarty, Jonathon Clapperton, Laura Larsen, Leslie Baker, Amy Samson and Stephanie Danyluk to try their hands at posters this year -- and very successfully too!

The department came in third for most entries from across the University. Leslie Baker (Ph.D. student) took first prize, while Stephanie Danyluk (M.A. student) came in second in the Arts Division.

Top Picture: Winner Leslie Baker (left) and Laura Larsen (right).
Bottom Picture: Marc MacDonald (left) and Second-place winner Stephanie Danyluk (right).

(Photo Credit: Valerie Korinek)

Remembrance Day Ceremony

On November 11 at 1:00 p.m., the University of Saskatchewan will host a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Memorial Gates. In addition to the University President, the Lutheran Chaplain, and other dignitaries and guests, the ceremony will also feature Scouts from Geoff Cunfer's troop and Cubs from Keith Carlson's pack. Additionally, immediately following the ceremony, the Student Union will host a reception at Browsers where Mike Hayden will provide a short lecture on the significance of both the WWII names on the wall in Browsers and the WWI names in the College Building.

(Image Credit: Wellcome Library, London)

Congratulations to Our Recent Graduates

On October 31, the Department saw six of its graduate students graduate. Congratulations to Dr. Jason Zorbas and Masters Jennifer Hamel, Amanda Harrigan, Alice Glaze, Taiki Kato and Carla Fehr!

In the last couple months, we have also had a number of students defend their theses on a number of fascinating subjects -- from the history of women at the University of Saskatchewan to French missionaries in Tonkin. Congratulations to Kevin Gambell, John Greenshields and Victoria Drover Lamb, as well as our new alumni.


List of Recent Theses

Kevin Gambell (M.A. thesis) "Cemetery Spaces of Sto:lo Shxwowhamel and the Ile-a-la Crosse Metis".

John Greenshields (M.A. thesis) "Republican Universalism and Racial Inferiority: Paul Bonnetain and the French Mission to Civilize in Tonkin".

Victoria Lamb Drover (M.A. thesis) "A Place for Everyone, but Everyone in Their Place: The Inclusivity of Female Students, Staff and Faculty at the University of Saskatchewan (1907-1920)".

Carla Fehr (M.A. thesis) "The Apostle of Capitalism: The Economist from 1843-1863".

Taiko Kato (M.A. thesis) "To Endure and Become Humble: Myth and Reality of the Climate of the Prairies".

Portraits of An Era

Bill Waiser's latest book, Potraits of an Era: The Aerial Photography of Howdy McPhail, has just been published. This book not only tells a good story, but it is filled with beautiful reproductions of McPhail's aerial pictures. After perusing Portraits during a recent department meeting, I can heartily recommend the book if you are thinking about presents for family members, aviation buffs, or photography fans.

Susan Blake

It is with tremendous sadness that we inform the What’s Up community of the death of Susan Blake, beloved wife and partner of Professor Gordon DesBrisay. Susan died peacefully in the Palliative Care Ward of St. Paul’s Hospital on October 28, 2009 from pancreatic cancer. Susan and Gordon faced Susan’s diagnosis (in May 2009) bravely and they sought to maximize her time here, continuing their passions for friends and family, community, gardening, dog-walking, literature and movies. As many of you will know, Susan commuted between Easton, PA where she was a Professor of English at Lafayette College to Saskatoon from 1993 (when Gordon was appointed in the History Department) until 2006 when she took early retirement. Susan was an accomplished scholar and teacher, an expert in African-American literature and travel literature, and a former Department Head at Lafayette. She will be remembered for her wit, her passion for life and learning, her intellect and her desire to forge community wherever she went. The History community will miss Susan dearly and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to Gordon at this time. Those who wish to do so are welcome to attend the Celebration of Susan’s life, which will take place on Saturday, November 7 at 2p.m. at the Acadia-McKague’s Funeral Centre, 915 Acadia Drive, Saskatoon. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Canadian Harambee Education Society or the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation.

History Events on Campus This Week

The final event to celebrate wrestling at the University of Saskatchewan will be held on October 29. Nathan Hatton will speak on "Thrashing Seasons: Roughness, Respectability and Professional Wrestling on the Canadian Prairies before 1930" (sponsored by the College of Kinesiology and the Department of History). The talk starts at 7:30 in Room 246 at the Physical Activity Complex (PAC).

If you haven't yet had a chance to see the exhibition on "Ring-a-Ding-Dong-Dandy: Glimpses of Wrestling History", it's not too late. The exhibition is on until November 5 at the Murray Library's Link Gallery.

Also on October 29, Sharon Wright from the Department of History at St Thomas More College will be giving a lecture to the CMRS Colloquia Series on "Women, Conflict & Community After the Great Mortality". Refreshments are at 4:00 and the talk begins at 4:30 (Room 344B St Thomas More College).

Remembering Jackie Bates Report

On October 17, the community of Glidden gathered to remember young Jackie Bates, who was murdered by his own parents in 1933. Bill Waiser was invited to give a talk (and to sign books) about the Bates tragedy. Forty people attended the placement of the gravemarker and sixty came to the talk. The community raised $1000 for a new recreation centre.

Picture Above: Bill Waiser and the two event organizers by the grave marker for Jackie Bates.

Human Experimentation Workshop

Historians Larry Stewart and Erika Dyck will be hosting a workshop on the history of human experimentation on Friday, October 23 from 8:30 to 4:00 in the Diefenbaker Centre (Theatre Room 129).

Topics include: electric shock and pornography in the eighteenth century (Paula Yates); galvanic experiments (Joan Steigerwald); medical research during the American Civil War (Shauna Devine); the 'other' Tuskagee study (Paul Lombardo); Nazi experimentation (Paul Weindling); and Albertan eugenics (Erika Dyck).

For more information and to register, contact Marc MacDonald (jmm328@mail.usask.ca).

Remembering Jackie Bates

In 1933, eight year old Jackie Bates was killed by his parents. This Saturday (Oct. 17), two special events will commemorate his short life: a marker placement ceremony and a reading and book signing by Bill Waiser.

The marker placement ceremony will be held at Madison Cemetery at 1:30. Participants should meet at the Glidden Community Hall at 1:15, before proceeding as a group to place a nameplate on Jackie's unmarked grave.

At 2:30 (Glidden Community Hall), Bill Waiser will talk about the significance of the Bates tragedy and read from his book Who Killed Jackie Bates?. There will also be music provided by Jack Humeney and a charity auction for the Glidden Recreation Board Riding Arena.

For more information about the events or to make a donation, please contact Carla Motz of Glidden (463-3576).

The Long Trek to Northern Saskatchewan

This morning, grad student Merle Massie interviewed live on CBC Radio's Blue Sky with Garth Materie. To hear her on the subject of overland freighting in northern Saskatchewan and how people braved the elements, you can access the audio file at: http://www.cbc.ca/bluesky/2009/10/the_long_trek_to_northern_sask.html . An appropriate topic given our current weather!

HUSA Meet the Profs Night

The History Undergraduate Students' Association is hosting the annual Meet the Profs Night. Anyone -- not just HUSA members -- who has an interest in history is encouraged to attend.

Date: Tuesday, October 13
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: The Hose and Hydrant Brew Pub
Address: 612 11th Street

The HUSA executive hopes to see you there!

Janice McKinnon, Huron Alumni Award of Distinction

Congratulations to department member Janice MacKinnon who was awarded the Huron Alumni Award of Distinction at the University of Western Ontario's Homecoming. The award recognizes her outstanding professional achievements and community service of Western alumni. Janice MacKinnon (FRSC) is a former Minister of Finance for the Province of Saskatchewan and has written three books on Canadian history: The Liberty We Seek published by Harvard University Press (1983), While the Women Only Wept (1994) and Minding the Public Purse (2003). Born in Kitchener, Ontario, she received an honours B.A. from Huron University College in 1969 before going on to take an M.A. and Ph.D. at Queen's University.

Happy 100th Birthday!

This week, the Department of History celebrates its 100th Anniversary. We have special events -- including a President's Reception on Friday night and an afternoon symposium on Saturday -- scheduled this weekend. To see more on the department's celebrations and how to participate, please see the department website. The good news is that you don't need to be alumni to attend and it's not too late to sign up!

To start things off this week, Bill Waiser was interviewed by CBC Radio's This Morning Edition on September 29th. The podcast is available at: http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?36#ref36 .

Lessons from the Squared Circle:
Wrestling at the U of S

The History Department has joined a group of other departments and university units in a month-long exploration and celebration of the history of wrestling on the Canadian prairies.

The centrepiece of the project is Ring-A-Ding-Dong-Dandy: Glimpses of Wrestling History, a large exhibition in the Murray Library's Link Gallery (September 25 to November 5), using works from a proposed gift to the University of Saskatchewan Archives.

In addition to the exhibition, there will be a display on U of S Huskie amateur wrestling at the PAC, a reception and book launch on October 28 for Wrestling in the Canadian West by pro wrestler Vance Nevada and a Greystone Theatre production of Trafford Tanzi by Claire Luckham (a play about a young woman who liberates herself by becoming a wrestler).

The project winds up on October 29 when the History Department and the College of Kinesiology cosponsor a presentation by sports historian Nathan Hatton entitled Thrashing Seasons: Roughness, Respectability and Professional Wrestling on the Canadian Prairies before 1930.

For more information and details of events, see the project poster and programme.

Recording the History of Sto:lo First Nation

History student Stephanie Danyluk spent four weeks this summer with the Sto:lo First Nation (Fraser River, B.C.), while taking Keith Carlson's ethno-history field school.

In an interview with The StarPhoenix, Stephanie speaks of the significance of her experiences:

"'The elders told us that now that we've heard these stories, it's our responsibility to share them,' said Danyluk.

'We weren't just witnesses who were sitting and observing. We were a part of it.'"

What a great way to spend part of the summer!

First HUSA event of the year

HUSA is launching its first social event of the semester on Tuesday, September 29, from 4:30 to 6:30. This will be a pizza break in (and spreading out of) our much-beloved tutorial room, Arts 249.

Two dollars buys a slice of pizza and a soda. A veritable bargain -- and a chance to meet other lovers of history!

Students, tutorial leaders and faculty are all welcome.

Happy Alumna News

Tracy Deline, who completed her MA under Michael Swan's supervision in 2001, successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis at UBC on September 3. Her thesis, "Women in Criminal Trials in the Julio-Claudian Era", sounds fascinating. Congratulations, Tracy -- and all the best in your future endeavours!