Wartburg College History Department

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Congratulations to history education alum Brendan Schott on his new job!

Please join us in welcoming Mr. Brendan Schott to his new role as Elementary School Principal!

Congratulations to Acacia Beihl, who graduated yesterday with a degree in history and concentration in public history. In the fall she starts the M.A. program in museum studies at Western Illinois University. Thanks for sharing the photo, Acacia! Best wishes for your future studies!

Congratulations to Grace Coffman on graduating from the MA program in museum studies at Western Illinois University! She’s on the right side of the photo.

Congratulations, Chris! We’re proud to call you one of our graduates!

Today we are honoring our next Gold Star Award Recipient, Christopher Tims. Mr. Tims is a History Teacher at Waterloo East High School.
What being a Gold Star Teacher means to you:
"Being a Gold Star means excellence, it means perseverance, pushing and defying limitations. It means that the impact that I am making is making a difference in people's lives. That is the true reward. To know that each day I am making a positive impact in someone's life."

Gold Star Award Ceremony is May 14th at 7pm at Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

Grace is one our history graduates. She took advantage of the 4+1 program we have with WIU. Congratulations, Grace!

Standing on the right in this photo is Julia Evans Morin, one our graduates, who is president of the Rock Island Arsenal Historical Society. Great work, Julia!

Ribbon cutting ceremony officially opens Mark VIII Liberty Tank display Officials from Rock Island Arsenal cut the ribbon on the Mark VIII Liberty Tank display on the installation today. “It is entirely an industrial marvel...

Tony is one of our graduates. Congratulations, Tony!

Grinnell has many unique teachers and educators that make our community a better place to be. A great example of someone making our kids' education and athletics experience the best it can be is Tony Stenberg.

Tony grew up in Benton County and attended Benton Community High School. From there he went to Wartburg College where he played 1 year of football and 4 years of baseball. He taught two years at Vinton-Shellsburg alternative school followed by two years at Benton Community Middle School and High School. He has been employed in his current position as K-4 Attendance Liaison and Behavior Interventionist for 7 years. While at school, he works amongst the three elementary buildings in helping kids build up their social/emotional skills in order to succeed in life and at school.

His coaching career began back in 2011. Currently, Tony is the 8th grade boys basketball coach, assistant varsity football coach and the varsity baseball coach. He has been named Conference Coach of the Year twice and 3A Central District Coach of the year 1 time in baseball.

Tony also serves as the president of the Tiger Baseball and Softball Club. "We have a great board of 21 members full of educators, business owners, and people that are set out to ensure that all kids have a positive youth baseball and softball program to be a part of. We have taken the framework of what was formerly Grinnell Little League and rebranded to become TBSC. We have streamlined both of our baseball and softball programs to align vertically with our high school programs so that kids from preschool on up to 12th grade are all moving in a common direction that is led by the high school baseball and softball coaching staff."

When we asked Tony what kept him here in Grinnell, his answer was simple. "I’ve stayed and had my family move to Grinnell with me because of all of the wonderful people. I love my job, my coworkers are great, we’ve made some great friends, and I’ve been blessed with coaching and working with some great kids in our district. Karly and I couldn’t think of a better place to have our kids grow up."

Thank you Tony, for being such a great asset to Grinnell!

Here are some photos from RICE Day poster presentations, culled from photos Wartburg posted.

Congratulations to Christopher Tims, one of our history education graduates, for being named a 2024 Gold Star Outstanding Teachers!

2024 Gold Star Outstanding Teacher award winners announced WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL) -- KWWL and R.J. McElroy Trust are announcing the ten winners for the 2024 Gold Star Outstanding Teacher award in Black Hawk County.

2024 RICE Day: HI461 Historiography Research Project Infographics. Well done Eli K, Alex M, Reid W, Carter M, Julia R, Emily H, Gregor K, and Carter C.

Congratulations to Acacia Biehl, the Outstanding Senior in History for 2024! She was honored at the Young Alumni Award Banquet last night.

Irish American History and Heritage | Smithsonian Institution Explore collection items related to Ireland and Irish American history and heritage.... Learn more

For those interested in space history, here is the deck log reporting the recovery of Apollo 11.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!! Did you know one of the most famous names in chocolate, Russell and Clara Stover, has an Iowa connection? Clara Lewis-Russell was born in Oxford, Iowa, in 1882, and Russell, although not born in Iowa, spent his childhood at his grandfather’s Iowa farm. They both met as students in Iowa City and married in 1911. In 1918, he and his family moved to Des Moines to work for Irwin Candy Co. During this time, he developed a partnership with Christian Nelson to develop a chocolate covered ice cream bar, which became known as the Eskimo Pie. In 1923, the couple began to make candy in their Denver home. Their company eventually grew into Russell Stover Candies. When Russell passed away in 1954, the candy company was producing 11 million pounds of candy a year.

Image: Lacy Valentine, Trust To Me. Donated by William H. Jackson, Dec. 27, 1996.

February is Black History Month in the United States. This image shows the pride of the African American Twenty-fifth Infantry, its regimental band, presented front and center on the parade grounds at Fort Randall. The infantry band included several accomplished musicians who entertained crowds at local community gatherings and events throughout the Great Plains. The image is taken from a stereoview, copyright 1882, by Baily, Dix & Mead. South Dakota Digital Archives (2010-04-09-015). https://sddigitalarchives.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/photos/id/54658/rec/1

Today you can follow interpretive signs around Fort Randall, visit Missouri National Recreational River to learn more!

Join us at noon on Thursday, Jan. 25, for a special Iowa History 101 program highlighting the work of our National History Day in Iowa program and our state's middle and high school historians. Hear from students and our NHD coordinator, and learn how you can get involved. You'll also see a short student-produced documentary about the life and legacy of Christine Grant, the University of Iowa's first women's athletic director. Register in advance at bit.ly/3tNrLE8 to participate and to receive a link to the recorded program.
UIowa History Corps National History Day in Iowa National History Day

For Danielle Banse (Peterson) '22, Wartburg's value lies in its community spirit, supportive professors and fellow students, and the welcoming town of Waverly. Her love for both history and Spanish led to a dual major in history and American history education, with an endorsement in Spanish.

"I chose Wartburg because from the very first moment I stepped on campus during a Junior Visit Day, it felt like home. I honestly do not know how else to describe it, but I felt so welcomed and serene on campus. I also knew that Wartburg offered students the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities on campus, and I was ready to dive right in!" Danielle said.

Read more about Danielle and her Wartburg experience at https://www.wartburg.edu/danielle-wartburg-helps-transform-students/

For many, the coming of the New Year symbolizes a fresh start. This sentiment was never truer than it was for African Americans as 1862 became 1863.

in 1862, the first Services were celebrated in African American churches across the nation while waiting for word that those enslaved in Confederate states were freed by the .

Learn more from our colleagues at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture - https://ow.ly/x5Un50QmA7V

On Dec. 28, 1846, Iowa officially became the 29th state. Learn about the Act of Congress that brought Iowa into the Union. bit.ly/47XAbri.