Footnotes (2000)
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Footnotes History 7-2000 Footnotes (2000) Department of History Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk-footnotes Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Department of History, "Footnotes (2000)" (2000). Footnotes. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk-footnotes/8 This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by the History at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Footnotes by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. History University of Tennessee History Department Newsletter July 2000 Dr. Charles Johnson dies exhibit on the social history of World War II and he has frequently served as a consultant or public Dr Charles W Chuck Johnson, war historian historian for community groups He and Jonathan and beloved teacher and colleague, died April 3, Utley developed an extremely popular course on the 2000, at the age of 65 For 18 months Chuck had social, political, military and fought courageously against diplomatic history of the United cancer Chuck was a terrific States in World War II friend and colleague and the One of the highlights of Dr kind of faculty member that we Johnsons career was the Alumni all aspire to be, said John R Association Outstanding Teaching Finger A memorial service at Award in 1985 He loved teach- Oak Ridge was attended by ing He was consistently one of many colleagues, students, and our best and most popular teach- friends ers at the introductory survey, Chuck retired in 1998 after upper-division, and graduate 32 years with the Department levels Chuck was one of the A native of Michigans Upper founding cadre of the Normandy Peninsula, Chuck came to UT Scholars Program, which takes a in 1965 as LeRoy Grafs first class of twenty select students hire, finishing his PhD from through an integrated program of the University of Michigan in history, French, and humanities for 1968 One of the things a semester here, followed by three Chuck valued most was the weeks in Normandy in June warm cordiality of all the good Chucks main scholarly legacy will be the Center friends and colleagues in the department, though for the Study of War and Society In 1984 he began increasing research, administrative, and graduate his World War II Veterans Project, which both teaching obligations over the years have pulled collects materials (diaries, letters, etc) and tapes people away from the commons Chuck set a interviews with veterans The collection now strong example in promoting scholarly community, contains several hundred thousand items, pertaining welcoming new members, being a warm colleague, to about 1000 service people, most but not all faithfully attending special lectures and meetings, and Tennesseans The Veterans Project grew so quickly perpetually chairing the all-important Graduate that Johnson founded the Center in 1988, which Committee now seeks to stimulate interest in military history, Chucks scholarly field was the interaction of war sponsor the annual McKinney lecture, and provide and society in 20th century United States His travel funds and research materials for a number of dissertation on the US Army and the Civilian MA and PhD theses Dr Kurt Piehler succeeded Conservation Corps, under Professor Sidney Fine, Chuck as director of the Center spawned several articles In 1981 the UT Press Chuck is survived by his wife Joan, his sister published City Behind a Fence, a book on wartime Marjorie, and a large extended family Oak Ridge he co-authored with Charles Jackson In 1992 he co-authored A People at War for an permanent designee Several of our colleagues are The Year 2000: candidates for that position A Time of Transition As I leave the department after thirty-one years, John R Finger, Department Head I take great pride in the accomplishments of my colleagues Among the honors of the past year are During the past year the history department has three faculty development grants (professors continued to undergo dramatic change, especially in Fleming, Liulevicius, and Piehler), Stephen Ashs terms of personnel Susan Becker retired to emerita recognition as UT National Alumni Outstanding status, Larry Ratner to emeritus, and I have an- Teacher of the Year, and Yen-ping Haos winning of nounced my own retirement at the end of this the Jefferson Award, a research stipend of $6,000 academic year In the meantime, three new scholars for each of the next three years Some of our have joined our ranks: Janis Appier, in recent US accomplishments are a reflection of your generous and womens history, Kathleen Brosnan in environ- contributions to the departments enrichment fund mental history, and J P Dessel in Jewish archaeol- This year we were once again able to send all our ogy/history Articles about these new colleagues colleagues to every archive and professional confer- appear elsewhere in the newsletter ence necessary to their ongoing scholarship We We have had seven retirements during my three also used the fund for across-the-board increases in years as department head (I deny any cause and graduate stipends as well as to create a second effect relationship), including professors Becker, Charles W Johnson Teaching Assistantship for Bing, Chmielewski, especially promising newcomers to our program Haas, Johnson, Moreover, several endowments designed specifically Ratner and, now, for students enabled us to award $11,000 to out- myself In addition, standing undergraduate majors, plus thousands more professors Buhite, for graduate research Nevertheless, faculty salaries Cobb, and Haiken and graduate stipends will remain far below those of have taken aca- our so-called peer institutions until Tennessee demic jobs else- provides more funding UT is a far better institution where Besides the than the state deserves for its penuriousness three newcomers of One advantage of being here so long is that it has this year, we have given me the opportunity to know a lot of you on a added professors personal level (indeed, Ive taught some of your Norrell, Piehler, and children and even a few of your grandchildren) With Fleming (who many of you Ive had the distinct pleasure of writing returned to us from periodic notes of thanks for your faithful generosity UTs College of Institutional longevity has also given me the benefit of Education) This August we will also welcome Jeff perspective While our department produces more Sahadeo as our new specialist in Russian history, and more first-rate scholarship, Ive seen a continu- and next year we will conduct national searches for ing commitment to our traditional excellence in a new head (specialty open) and a scholar in late teaching, advising, and public service And, amaz- antiquity (200-800 CE) These changes reflect ingly, despite all our different personalities, interests, national trends: more and more baby boomers (and and foibles, we retain a collegiality that is probably pre-boomers) leaving academe; an infusion of new unrivaled by any other department on campus and vigorous scholarship; and a sharp decline in Regardless of who becomes our new head, I am metamucil consumption Meanwhile we have the confident such qualities will endure They have good fortune of one old timer, Bruce Wheeler, certainly made my years here meaningful and agreeing to serve as acting head until we find a enjoyable 2 In Memoriam and heated debates would often follow and helped to make those years together quite memorable In Richard Curry Marius addition, Marius was active in the American Asso- by John Muldowny ciation of University Professors and served as president of the local and state chapters Sadly, I must report the death of my former col- Marius had a most distinguished career His league and close friend Richard Marius Richard writings include three published novels, The died of cancer at his home in Belmont, Massachu- Coming of Rain, Bound for the Promised Land, setts on November 5, 1999, at age 66 A native of and After the War A fourth novel will be published Lenoir City, Tennessee, Richard graduated from the by Knopf next spring He wrote two major schol- University of Tennessee in 1954 with a degree in arly biographies of Martin Luther, one published in journalism; he also earned a Bachelor of Divinity 1974 and a more complete one in 1999 entitled degree from Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Martin Luther:The Christian between God and Kentucky in 1958 He then went on to Yale for Death Other writings include his editing or co- graduate work in Renaissance and Reformation editing six volumes of the Yale edition of The history, receiving an MA in Complete Works of Sir Thomas More; co-editing 1959 and a PhD in 1962 with Harvey Wiener the McGraw-Hill College After two years at Handbook, which has gone through four editions; Gettysburg College, editing for the Columbia University Press an Marius returned to the anthology, the Columbia Book of Civil War University of Tennessee Poetry; and producing two widely used hand- and joined the history books, A Writers Companion, which has gone department faculty From through four editions and has been used in over 1962 until 1978 when he 400 colleges and universities, and A Short Guide left Tennessee to go to to Writing about History, which has gone through Harvard to head their three editions Expository Writing Pro- But one would be remiss if one did not also gram, Richard and I were remember