UNF Department of History

Congratulations to the new flock of graduates with a Master of Arts in history.

Congratulations to all the Department Award Winners:

Travis Bates Awardees:

Benjamin Smith
Shawn Stermer
Garion Ray

Undergraduate Paper prize:

Madalyn Starrat, “The Impact of Magnet School Programs on Desegregation.”

Graduate Paper Prizes:

Tracy Pretorius, “Active Resistance in Enslaved Women of African Descent, 1800-1865.”

Savanna Courteny-Durrett, “Unburied: Uncovering the Life and Work of Rosa G. Holmes Walker, Funeral Director and Licensed Embalmer of Holmes Funeral Home, 1904-1945.”

Outstanding graduate students:

Matthew Harris
Stephanie Baskin

Outstanding undergraduate students:

Erin Jaxon
Kaia Lacey
Alyssa Sturgeon

Harry Rothschild's Book, The World of Wu Zhao, was awarded the UNF STARS Award for best book. Congratulations, Harry!

Thank you all for your support on Giving Day. We ended up with 20+ contributors!

Thank you for your support of the Department of History over the years. Donations to the History Excellence Fund, the Travis Bates Scholarship, and the Dr. Carolyn Williams Award have helped to fund scholarships, undergraduate and graduate research projects, Phi Alpha Theta Conferences, and the Past to Present Seminar. As we approach another Giving Day, please consider giving to the Department. We have a goal of 29 individual donors (any amount is appreciated). If we exceed that goal, we may also be in line to receive an additional donation from the Dean's Office.

Links to donate:
History Excellence Fund: https://givingday.unf.edu/campaigns/history-excellence-fund

Travis R. Bates Memorial History Scholarship:
https://give.unf.edu/travis-r-bates-memorial-history-scholarship

Dr. Carolyn Williams Research Award:
https://give.unf.edu/givingday
Select Designation Other and type in: 5510511332 (sorry this one is more complicated)

Thank you again for all your support.

Some photos from the Ninth Annual UNF Phi Alpha Theta Conference. Even COVID couldn't stop it. We had thirteen papers presented by students from UNF, FSCJ and Rollins, and a keynote lecture from Dr. Tim Gilmore. Thank you to everyone who has worked to keep this tradition going!

This week's Black History Month post is dedicated to Dr. Carolyn Williams

Dr. Carolyn Williams was born in Jacksonville, Florida’s Durkeeville neighborhood. A historian, professor, author, and community leader, Dr. Williams impacted the lives of many people through her dedication and hard work.

There is a lot of information about Dr. Williams’s life on the internet.

One of the many examples can be found on a page titled African American Faculty And Staff Association of the University of North Florida’s website.

The UNF article highlights the ambitious path Dr. Williams left starting from the East Coast, to multiple stays in California, before she permanently returned to Jacksonville.

Dr. Williams attended Bishop Kenny High School and obtained her first bachelor’s degree from the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles.

Williams earned her second bachelor's degree in history from the University of North Florida.

Dr. Williams then studied at the University of California at San Diego, where she graduated with a master's degree.

She completed her education at the University of California at Los Angeles where she received a doctorate's degree in history.

Dr. Williams then returned to Jacksonville where she taught at the University of North Florida and worked first hand with the nonprofit community for several historical societies and associations like the St. Augustine Historical Society, and the Florida Historic Maker Commission.

In 2006, Dr. Williams founded the museum located at the J. P. Small Memorial Park Stadium. Inside the museum is a collection of information and items from the Negro Baseball League.

Continuing her work as an historian, Williams served as the third president of the Durkeeville Historical Society. She was the driving force in establishing the current location of DHS.

It is hard to count the true number of achievements Dr. Williams accomplished in her life, she is remembered for her courage, wisdom, and the knowledge she helped pass forward for generations to come.

The UNF Past to Present Seminar Presents

The Use and Abuse of Westphalia: Religious and Political Identity for Mennonites at the Close of the Seventeenth Century

JESSICA LOWE, M.A.Lecturer in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Vanderbilt University

In the summer of 1694, Mennonites in the small town of Rheydt were dragged from their homes, dispossessed, imprisoned, extorted, and ultimately banished by agents of the elector Palatine, their territorial ruler. When pressed, the elector claimed his right to refuse toleration to any group not included in the 1648 Peace of Westphalia. Admittedly, the Peace had not named Mennonites as one of three imperially sanctioned “religions.” But, supporters wondered, weren’t they Protestant — and protected — nevertheless?

Friday, February 16, 2024, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.Zoom Presentation —
https://unf.zoom.us/j/3231241946