Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and the students in his fall 2023 Seminar in Public History class, a capstone course that focuses on collaborative research for students who are earning a Master of Arts in public history, have received the Lucille Westbrook Award from the Arkansas Historical Association.

鈥淚 started teaching this class three years ago, and it has won an award from the Arkansas Historical Association every year since,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淭his is the third award, and second time the class has won the Westbrook Award. It鈥檚 quite an achievement for the students.鈥�

The authors received their award, which includes a $1,000 prize and a framed certificate, at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Historical Association April 26 at the Red Apple Inn in Heber Springs. Along with Kirk, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student authors include Armando Arellano, Mikaela Bailey, Charles Bonet, Scott Bradshaw, Mary Alice Chambers, Jackelyn Cordova-Romano, Jerry Griffin, Jayla Henderson, Jacob Hicks, Caitlin Robertson, Koria Robinson, Margaret Stone, and Isaac Wolter.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited that we won!鈥� said Caitlin Robertson, a public history student from Little Rock. 鈥淚 think we covered a part of Arkansas Civil Rights history that isn鈥檛 as well-known as some of the stuff that came later in the 50s and 60s but is no less important, and I鈥檓 glad that our work in that period is being recognized.鈥�

The class received the Westbrook Award for the paper, 鈥淩acial Discrimination in Jury Selection: The Arkansas Cases of the Bone Brothers, 1938-1940.鈥�

鈥淭he Bone Brothers were working on a plantation in North Little Rock and had an altercation with the owners,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淎 shot went off, and the plantation owner鈥檚 wife, Mrs. Deaver, was killed. There was a dispute over who fired the shot. Rome Bone was given the death sentence while his brother Moses Bone was given 21 years. Mr. Deaver was never charged.鈥�

The Bone brothers鈥� case would twice be heard by the Arkansas Supreme Court. The first time, the court reversed the brothers鈥� convictions and remanded a new trial. On retrial, both brothers were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 21 years. On the second appeal, the Arkansas Supreme Court reduced their convictions to seven-year sentences.

鈥淚t鈥檚 quite dramatic for the Arkansas Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the lower courts in two different appeals regarding the same case,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淭he overarching significance of the case is that it led to the first Black jurors serving in Pulaski County in over 40 years. Gradually, more Black jurors were appointed to jury panels all over the state.鈥�

Bone v. State was an especially important victory for Scipio Jones, the prominent civil rights attorney, who after many previous attempts, finally successfully argued that excluding Black citizens from serving on juries in local and state court cases violated the constitutional right of defendants.

鈥淚t is a really cool experience to have a project I worked on be recognized by the wider historical community,鈥� said Chuck Bonet, a public history student from Derry, Northern Ireland. 鈥淟earning about the legal processes of 1930s Little Rock was extremely interesting, and eye-opening in many ways. It was a unique class, and I had a great time. I really appreciated Dr. Kirk’s knowledge and guidance.鈥�

Through meticulous research, dedicated scholarship, and a passion for storytelling, these students and their professor have played a pivotal role in safeguarding the cultural heritage of their community, earning well-deserved recognition for their invaluable contributions.

鈥淒uring this research, I experienced many moving parts of getting the research done,鈥� said Koria Robinson, a public history student from North Little Rock. 鈥淭here are many leads to follow that may come up blank in the end. There are also the leads that are a treasure, but the contacts may not follow through with the needed information. This sometimes slows down the process. Dr. Kirk encouraged us not to allow stagnant leads to impede the goals.鈥�

In addition to the Lucille Westbrook Award, Kirk also won the J. G. Ragsdale Book Award in Arkansas History for his 2022 biography, 鈥淲inthrop Rockefeller: From New Yorker to Arkansawyer, 1912-1956.鈥� The award is presented for the best book-length historical study of any aspect of Arkansas history. Kirk received a certificate and a $1,000 prize for the award.

鈥淭his is one of the top book awards in Arkansas History,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the second time I鈥檝e won the award. The last time was 21 years ago for my first Arkansas history monograph, 鈥楻edefining the Color Line: Black Activism in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1940-1970.鈥� Ten books later, and with my second Arkansas history monograph, it is nice to revisit and win the J. G. Ragsdale Book Award again.鈥�

Kirk鈥檚 biography represents the culmination of 12 years of research. It investigates why Rockefeller, scion of one of the most powerful families in American history, left New York to move to an Arkansas mountaintop in the 1950s. The book covers Rockefeller鈥檚 childhood and education, his rise in the oil industry, his military service during World War II, his marriage to and divorce from Barbara 鈥淏obo鈥� Sears, and the birth of his only child, future Arkansas lieutenant governor Win Paul Rockefeller. Kirk tied Rockefeller鈥檚 New York life to his later work in his adopted state, where his legacy continues to be felt more than half a century after his governorship.

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鈥淲e were so inspired to have 46 CHASSE students and several faculty members attend and/or present at the conference,鈥� said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education. 鈥淲e were glad to partner with Career Services to be at a conference promoting engagement among humanities organizations and graduates to strengthen careers in the humanities in Central Arkansas.鈥�

HumanitiesAR, formerly known as the Arkansas Humanities Council, hosted the inaugural Next Gen(eration) Humanities Conference, focused on 鈥渂ridging the gap from education to career (a first-of-its-kind conference for young professionals),鈥� according to the .

The conference was co-chaired by Jamie Middleton, who is earning a master’s degree in public history and serves as the program officer for grants and public programs at HumanitiesAR.

鈥淲ith the conference being framed with the desire for candid conversations about pursuing degrees and careers in the humanities and the need for more events like the NGH conference, students, young professionals, and experienced professionals came together for a week of open dialogues about how we can better listen to one another and help the next generation of humanists take their next steps,鈥� Middleton said.

As part of the diamond-level sponsorship, CHASSE and Career Services engaged in several conference events, including:

• 鈥淐areers in Cultural Industries and Schools,鈥� a conversation regarding three graduate programs in the college with Dr. Barclay Key, chair of the Department of History, and Dr. Rachel Eells, interim director of the School of Education
• 鈥淩esume Writing and Review鈥� with Brittany Straw, director of Career Services at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock
• 鈥淧ublishing in the Humanities,鈥� a conversation moderated by Dr. Jeff Condran (English Program) with Dr. Heidi Skurat Harris (Rhetoric and Writing), Dr. Angela Hunter (English Program), and Dr. John Kirk (History).
• Judging and announcing Student Awards at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown

鈥淐areer Services proudly sponsored and presented at the inaugural Next Gen(eration) Humanities Conference, emphasizing the essentiality of adapting career strategies within the humanities field,鈥� said Brittany Straw, director of Career Services at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淯nlike the linear paths found in pre-professional majors, students in humanities benefit from a nuanced and flexible approach to resume-building and job search strategies.鈥�

For additional information on Career Services at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, visit the or email careers@ualr.edu. For information on programs in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, visit the or email chasse@ualr.edu.

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Graduating this semester, Dr. Revis Edmonds Jr. states that the new knowledge he鈥檚 gained in public history will be an advantage in his career in the , where he serves as department research historian, federal and state programs historian for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, and project historian for the Governor鈥檚 Cabinet Project.

Edmonds has a long career with history, first earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history in 1987 and working as a history instructor for decades in high schools, colleges, and the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 School before joining the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism.

Edmonds said his love of history grew from the political relationships that shaped his hometown of Hope, Arkansas, which is the hometown of former President Bill Clinton and former Gov. Mike Huckabee.

鈥淭his always comes back to Arkansas鈥檚 political history and heritage taking its roots in the town where I was raised, which at one time was the most famous small town on Earth,鈥� he said. 鈥淎rkansas politics, as far as its culture was concerned, was life in my small town writ large.鈥�

While at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Edmonds was a part of a group of historians who won the Gingles Award from the Arkansas Historical Association for their exploration of the criminal case of two African American Arkansans who were executed for the alleged rape of a white woman in the 1930s. The award is presented to the authors of the best manuscript article on any Arkansas history topic.

The article, 鈥淔rom Lynching to Legal Lynching, Mob Justice to Courtroom Justice: The Arkansas 鈥楽cottsboro鈥� Cases of James X. Caruthers and Clear 鈥楤ubbles鈥� Clayton, 1935-1939,鈥� will be published in the Arkansas Historical Quarterly. The paper examines the criminal cases of James X. Caruthers and Clear 鈥淏ubbles鈥� Clayton, two African American farm laborers who were convicted of the rape of a white woman, Virgie Terry, and executed in 1939.

In Edmonds鈥� thesis, 鈥淭he Arkansas Governor’s Cabinet Project: A Study of the Evolution of the Executive Branch,鈥� he examines the development of the executive branch in Arkansas and the cultural and political limits that led to its transition into a modern governing system. He also explores how former Arkansas Govs. Ben Laney, Dale Bumpers, and Asa Hutchinson streamlined the executive government through the Revenue Stabilization Act, Act 38 of 1971, and the Transformation and Efficiencies Act of 2019.

Edmonds鈥� thesis grew from a work project where Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism Secretary Stacy Hurst asked him to create biographies of the 15 original cabinet secretaries under the Transformation and Efficiencies Act of 2019. The project has grown into a comprehensive study of executive branch reorganization in Arkansas going all the way back to Reconstruction.

鈥淚鈥檓 happy that I was able to use a work project like this to expand the body of knowledge in this area,鈥� Edmonds said. 鈥淭here has been a lot of work done by political scientists concerning the legislatures of the governor鈥檚 office, but nothing on how the organization of the executive branch has evolved over more than 150 years in Arkansas.鈥�

This degree is actually Edmonds鈥� third master鈥檚 degree, and he鈥檚 not yet finished with his education. He has plans to start a fourth master鈥檚 degree in public administration next year, citing the knowledge will help him as his career continues to expand further into historic preservation across the state.

His advice for new history students is to find something you鈥檙e interested in and run with it.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e not focused on what you love, then you are just going through the motions,鈥� Edmonds said. 鈥淵ou are not adding to scholarly material either, which also should be a part of the mission of any history student.鈥�

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鈥淚 am very excited about this award,鈥� Housdan said. 鈥淚t was a huge honor even to be considered. I think the Arkansas Museums Association is a great organization, and I am happy to be nominated by the Public History Program at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.鈥�

The award is granted to a graduate student in the area of museum, public history, archival management, or a related field who has shown academic excellence with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and has a minimum of 12 hours completed in the program. The successful nominee demonstrates initiative and leadership skills, has shown a willingness to collaborate with faculty, staff, and other graduate students, and is committed to working in the museum, public history, archival management, or related field.

A native of Greers Ferry, Housdan graduated this May with a master鈥檚 degree in public history from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and now works as a programming and administrative assistant at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. Her hometown is also the subject of her thesis, where she studied the social, economic, and geographic effects of the creation of the Greers Ferry Dam and Lake, which was dedicated in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy.

鈥淪ome of the positive effects are that it stimulated the economy and attracted a lot of people to the area. It brought recreation and, of course, electricity from the dam,鈥� Housdan said. 鈥淪ome of the richest farming land was where the lake now stands, so it took away agricultural resources. There was limited space to find land and homes nearby, so many businesses and families were forced to relocate.鈥�

As a graduate assistant with the Center for Arkansas History and Culture (CAHC), Housdan created metadata for CAHC collections as well as partner institutions of CAHC for the National Endowment for the Humanities grant-funded digital project, 鈥淢apping Urban Fracture (MURF): Charting the Context and Consequences of the Little Rock Central High Crisis.鈥� She was also tasked with creating, designing, and managing the MURF project website, which includes curated content by local scholars and a blog with posts written by project contributors.

In addition to the CAHC, Housdan has also worked as a processing archivist for Gary L. Smith, a former Justice of the Peace in North Little Rock, a digital services lab intern for the Arkansas State Archives, an archival processing intern for Southeast Arkansas Regional Archives, an intern for the Hot Spring County Museum, and an archive volunteer for Ouachita Baptist University Archives.

Dr. Jess Porter, CAHC executive director, nominated Housdan for the award after seeing what a promising archivist she is.

鈥淪he is passionate about preserving archival/historical materials and promoting public access to these materials,鈥� Porter said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 talked with me directly about ways to encourage public engagement with public history institutions to strengthen both communities and education. She鈥檚 everything a professor, director, and colleague could hope for in a graduate student.鈥�

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