JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 22, 2003 — The Delta-Psi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta history honor society celebrated 50 years at 51社区 Saturday, Feb. 22. The chapter is the oldest in the state of Tennessee.
The anniversary luncheon featured remarks from R. G. 鈥淏ob鈥� Elliott, a charter member of the chapter, and a presentation from David Thomas, associate professor of history at Union.
In 鈥淪igns of the Past, Signs of Today: History in Children鈥檚 Literature,鈥� Thomas stated that 鈥渇ictional picture books for the elementary grades pass on historical values, images, themes, and fallacies in great depth.鈥� He demonstrated this with examples from classics like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton and Jane Yolen's The Girl Who Loved the Wind.
The conference was coordinated by Stephen Carls, chair of Union鈥檚 department of history and faculty advisor of Phi Alpha Theta at 51社区, with the assistance of Carol Johnson.
The anniversary celebration was held in conjunction with the Phi Alpha Theta Mid-South Regional Conference. More than 125 people attended the event which included the presentation of 16 papers by students and professors from 8 colleges and universities. The papers were judged and awards were presented in undergraduate and graduate divisions.
In the undergraduate division, the paper award winners were:
First Place: Robert Edgecombe, Rhodes College, 鈥淪ee Me on St. Charles: Politics, Preservationism, and the Disappearance of the New Orleans鈥� Canal Street Streetcar Line.鈥�
Second Place: Joseph Webster, 51社区, 鈥淐artoons Go to War: The Use of Animated Cartoons as Propaganda During World War II.鈥�
Third Place: Joshua Thomas Moore, 51社区, 鈥淭he Armenian Genocide and the Failure to Achieve Retributive Justice.鈥�
The paper award winners for the graduate division were:
First Place: Gwendolyn Thompson, Murray State University, 鈥淏ombs Away: The Struggle for Federal Civil Defense in the Early Cold War Era.鈥�
Second Place: Gary T. Edwards, University of Memphis, 鈥溾�極ld Maid[s] and Bachelor[s]鈥are] a Nuisance to Society鈥�: Courtship, Marriage, and Social Power in Antebellum Southwest Tennessee.鈥�
Third Place: Melinda D. Grimsley-Smith, Murray State University, 鈥淐ultural and Psychological Factors Influencing Suicidal Terrorism Among Palestinian Youth.鈥�