2011 NewsletterOctober

UM-Flint History Students take on "Museum Makeover"

October 28th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

A University of Michigan-Flint history class is working with two area museums to get a better understanding of how what happened locally relates to the broader history of the country.

A display at Sloan Museum

Students from Assistant Professor Thomas Henthorn’s History 221, United States Since 1898, are working with the Sloan Museum and Whaley House Museum to complete one of their

writing assignments.  The students will be conducting a “museum makeover” of both locations. The class will pick a topic, develop an argument, and then identify parts of the museum displays as evidence to support their argument. Instead of writing an essay, however, students must write

a series of museum labels (those little captions next to museum displays) to present their argument.

“The point of the assignment,” according to Henthorn, “is to get students to broaden the narrative of local history by understanding how local people and places are connected to larger

developments within American History. Both the Whaley House Museum and Sloan Museum provide excellent examples of recurrent themes in modern American history such as

2011 Newsletterindustrialization, technological change, urbanization, the labor movement, and civil rights. This type of writing also forces students to think critically about their writing. Museum labels have

word limits. Therefore, students will have to choose their words carefully when making an argument.”

Prof. Henthorn points out unique writing challenges of history displays

“The partnership between the University of Michigan-Flint’s History Department and the Whaley House Museum connects the Kearsley Street of past and present, and exposes students to

the history and historical resources of the community,” according to Andrew Clark, director of the Whaley House Museum.  “Of great benefit to us here at the museum is that it provides a

perspective and different form of input that we don’t usually receive from our visitors.”

Tim Schickles, the director of the Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium, has been working with Henthorn for the past year. He said the program will allow students to work with original

documents and on real community projects.

“Students working in this program are not simply working on exercises that will earn them a grade and credits, but more importantly, they are providing a service to the community,” noted

Schickles.

The best student work will be on display at the Whaley Historic House Museum and Sloan Museum.

“This type of assignment demonstrates what types of partnerships are available for faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint. We have numerous resources here in Flint that allow our students

to learn about their world in very meaningful ways,” stressed Henthorn.

SeptemberUM-Flint Students and Faculty Research Grand Blanc's History

September 28th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

2011 Newsletter

If you live in an older house, you may have wondered who lived there before you moved in. UM-Flint students are currently working in the archives of the City of Grand Blanc Heritage

Museum and older city neighborhoods, doing research that will identify who lived in or actually built some of the houses that date back to the 1800s.

The Grand Blanc Historic Resource Survey is a research project jointly conducted by Thomas Henthorn of the Department of History and Greg Rybarcyzk of Earth and Resource

Sciences. In March 2011, the city of Grand Blanc hired Professors Henthorn and Rybarcyzk to conduct an investigation of historic structures in the city. The result of this investigation will be

an inventory of historic properties and maps that detail the location of structures and historic neighborhoods. These types of surveys are used by local governments as a planning tool. By

locating historic properties and places within a municipality, local governments are better prepared to protect historic places.

For the next year, students from UM-Flint will be in Grand Blanc conducting archival research and field work to trace the genealogy of the historic homes and structures.

“This is a great way to get research experience by being able to get out of the classroom and work closely with your classmates,” noted history major Renee Gonzales. “It’s a unique

perspective on history, and definitely a unique class.” History Major Jason Lorenz says he is doing something that matters, and the research will produce results that can be shared with many

other people. “So much of what we learn is from other people’s papers,” according to Lorenz. “When you do your own research, with each step you find something new, and you become more interested in it.” “We are providing experiential learning opportunities for students in a number

of ways,” remarked Henthorn.

2011 NewsletterSome students are being employed as student researchers through the Undergraduate Research

Opportunity Program from the Office of Research. Other students are aiding in the survey through coursework such as the class assignment in Henthorn’s “Introduction to Historic

Preservation.” In both cases, students visit a variety of archival repositories such as the Genesee County Register of Deeds, Grand Blanc Heritage Museum, or Flint Public Library. Students then

conduct fieldwork to photograph properties and record their physical features.

Beginning in January, students from Earth and Resource Sciences will begin creating maps based on the research conducted in the fall. The contract is being funded by a Community Foundation

of Greater Flint Grant.

UM-Flint History Department selects Japan for next Wyatt Exploration

September 14th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

Some University of Michigan-Flint history majors will get a unique opportunity to visit Japan, courtesy of the Department of History. The country has been selected as this year’s Wyatt

Exploration Program destination, which was recently announced at a special event hosted by the department.

The Wyatt Exploration Program was organized by the Department of History with financial support from the Wyatt Endowment. It focuses on the history and culture of a specific place, or

on a particular historical topic. The theme will change on an annual basis, allowing the explorations to span the history of the country and the world. The department’s Wyatt Fellow, a

faculty member who is an expert in the field under exploration, will plan and organize the program. In conjunction with the selected destination, the department will offer affiliated

courses, special extra-curricular events on campus, and a competition to participate in the travel expedition.

Professor Roy Hanashiro, Ph.D., has been selected as this year’s Wyatt Fellow who will travel with the group to Japan in May 2012.  Hanashiro, who has been at UM-Flint since 1989, is active

in the Japan Center for Michigan Universities, and is a frequent visitor to Japan.

2011 NewsletterParticipants are selected from history majors (including TCP and Honors). Selection is based on several factors, including the student’s academic record and coursework in the field under study.

However, the primary factor to be considered will be active participation in the offered on-campus Wyatt Exploration events.  Students will complete and submit an application form to be

considered for the selection process in the winter semester 2012.

Most student travel expenses will be fully funded by the Department of History.

A central part of the Wyatt Exploration Program is the guest lecture series. During the course of the fall and winter semesters, the program will bring celebrated scholars from around the nation

and world to campus to speak on Japan.

This is the third year the program is being offered. In 2010, students traveled to Poland. Last year, it focused on the history of the American South, and students traveled to Virginia.

For more information on the Wyatt Exploration Project visit: http://www.umflint.edu/history/wyatt.htm.

JulyBehind the Bow Tie

July 6th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

While Flint’s automotive history tends to be overshadowed by Buick, Chevrolet played a major role in the economic life of the city. Just how important can be seen in a new exhibit researched

and created by University of Michigan-Flint students.

The project is entitled Behind the Bowtie: the People and Culture of Chevrolet in Flint, Michigan.

2011 Newsletter“I was approached by a handful of community members in November and asked if our students would be interested in a public history project about Chevrolet in Flint,” said Thomas Henthorn, assistant professor in the UM-Flint history department. “I assembled a handful of students and

we conducted research and oral interviews from January through April.”

According to Henthorn, the exhibit covers the creation of neighborhoods, the culture and community inside and outside the factory, Flint’s connections to GM milestones, as well as a

focus on female employees at Chevrolet.

The exhibit will be featured at the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America Central Meet from July 18-22 at the Holiday Inn Gateway Center, in Mundy Township.

On Wednesday, July 20 from 6 to 7 p.m. students were on hand at the exhibit to answer questions from visitors. At 8 p.m., the two students, Jason Weller and Jeanette Routhier, gave

a detailed presentation on certain parts of the exhibit.

The exhibit will be moved to the Sloan Museum as part of the 100th   anniversary celebration for Chevrolet.

MayUAW Local 599 Fives Records to UM-Flint

May 20th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

UAW Local 599, one of the oldest and, at one time, the largest UAW local has made a gift of its records to the University of Michigan-Flint.  Approximately 200 linear feet of material,

including minutes of its executive board meetings, and membership, grievances, appeals, umpire decisions, newspapers, photographs, and other records, dating from 1937 to 2010, will be

available for research at the Genesee Historical Collections Center, a unit of the university.

2011 NewsletterUM-Flint archivist Paul Gifford, who worked with the union to set up the transfer, helped move

the materials from the union hall. The hall is up for sale and the union is looking for smaller quarters to relocate. It still has about 300 members.

Local 599 voted in April to give the material to UM-Flint. Recording Secretary Mike Keeler said the local decided to give the material to the university because they wanted it to stay local, and that some of the students who will be working on sorting it could be the grandchildren of Local

599 members.

“It is a unique and full record of labor at Buick,” said Gifford.  “It includes records of negotiations between General Motors and the UAW from immediately after the Sit-Down Strike of 1936-1937, documentation on grievance proceedings, UAW politicking over such issues as 30

and Out, cost of living adjustment, and tuition reimbursement.  It is full of photographs of the Buick complex, workers’ activities within the plant, during all periods.”

“The materials in this collection, once organized and indexed, will be a rich resource available not only to UM-Flint faculty and students, but for labor history scholars nationally and

internationally,” said Library Director Bob Houbeck.

A labor professor in Japan who is writing about the UAW in Flint has already expressed an interest in reviewing the material.

The collection requires arrangement, description, and processing before all of it can be made available to the public for research, but segments of it should be available within six months.

April

Winegarden VisitingProfessor Appointed for 2011-12

An American historian at James Madison College of Michigan State University has been appointed as the 2011-12 Myron and Margaret Winegarden Visiting Professor at UM-Flint.

2011 NewsletterKenneth Waltzer, Ph.D., attended SUNY Binghamton’s Harpur College, and was a Graduate Prize Fellow and earned a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University.  He joined MSU in 1971 and helped build the highly reputed James Madison College, where he later served as dean and

associate dean. Waltzer also served as director of General Education in the arts and humanities at MSU. He is currently Director of MSU’s Jewish Studies Program. He received a State of

Michigan Teaching Excellence Award in 1990 and an Alumni Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award in 1998.

Waltzer began his social history research in American urban and immigration history.  His American Identity Explorer:  Immigration and Migration CD-ROM [with Kathleen Geissler]

(McGraw-Hill, 1999, 2001) follows seven migrating groups through four portals to America into immigrant and migrant neighborhoods in six American cities during the Ellis Island era.

More recently, he has become an internationally known historian of the Holocaust, focusing on American and American Jewish responses to the destruction of European Jewry, on rescue in

Europe, and on the experiences of children and youths in the concentration camps.  He is preparing two books, Telling the Story:  The Rescue of Children and Youths at Buchenwald, and Children’s Stories:  Stories About Youths in the Nazi Concentration Camps.  He is also studying changes in global anti-Semitism and the impact of the re-emergence of anti-Semitism on Jewish

life.

Waltzer has been in the news as the Holocaust researcher who discovered that a survivor memoir titled Angel at the Fence – soon to be a movie – was a Holocaust memoir fraud.  He is also currently consultant to Big Foot Productions in New York, which is making a film about

kinderblock 66 at Buchenwald and the rescue of children and youths inside a concentration camp.

Most of Waltzer’s activities will occur in winter 2012; however, he will be on campus a few times in the fall. A Welcome Reception is planned for November 1.

Return to Poland

by Theodosia RobertsonAssociate Professor Department of History

2011 NewsletterTravel As A Teacher

It’s a truism that travel is a form of education. In past eras, the sons (and less frequently, the daughters) of wealthy elites traveled as part of their education—or perhaps in place of college or

university instruction. For decades “study abroad” programs have been a feature of American higher education, but usually accessible to a lucky few. The Wyatt Exploration program in the

Department of History is changing that image at UM-Flint.

I first traveled abroad one summer between my junior and senior years in high school. “Back in the day,” relatives and neighbors were aghast at a sixteen-year-old setting off to explore Europe. The exhilaration of travel never left me; backpack, walking shoes and a big scarf—I am ready to go. This year—after decades as a solo traveler—came my first opportunity to bring students with

me on the very first Department of History Wyatt Exploration trip.

A Global Gift

How did this happen? A generous bequest from founding UM-Flint Professor of History Dorothea E. Wyatt has established an endowment for the Department of History. Through the

Wyatt Exploration program, one History faculty member serves as Wyatt Fellow and organizes a lecture series and companion events that coordinate with course offerings. At the end of the

academic year, the Wyatt Fellow leads a fully-funded travel experience for a group of UM-Flint History majors.

The theme for 2009-2010 was “Poland between East and West.” Our destination? Poland’s former capital, Kraków. Site of royal coronations, home of Jagiellonian University (the second oldest university east of the Rhine), and cultural center from medieval times to the present—

Kraków preserves Poland’s history as in no other Polish city.

Best Laid Plans

Our students had substantial preparation. In addition to their coursework, students attended the Wyatt Lecture Series in which distinguished visiting scholars brought Poland’s varied and dramatic history into focus. Keely Stauter-Halstead (Michigan State University) traced the

heritage of Jewish civilization in her lecture, “Poles and Jews: A Thousand Year Conversation.” In his lecture, “Europe’s Other Heart of Darkness: Imperialism before Empire,” John J.

Bukowczyk (Wayne State University) examined the partitions of Poland as a consequence of European imperialism before its export to other world regions. Brian Porter-Szűcs (UM-Ann

Arbor) probed religion in Poland in his lecture “Catholicism and the Ideology of Homogeneity in Polish History." Award-winning writer, poet, playwright, and essayist Henryk Grynberg compared his own experience to that of other Holocaust writers in “Reality Surpassing

Imagination: Why I Write Documentary Prose.”

In pre-travel orientation sessions students learned Polish phrases, discussed cross-cultural

2011 Newslettercommunication and what to expect in Poland, and exchanged tips on packing and currency.

Travel information was stored on Blackboard, and a Facebook page kept the travelers in constant contact as the departure date neared.

Dramatic events occurred a month before we left Flint. On April 10, a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia killed 96 people including the Polish President; Poland went into national

mourning. On April 14, volcanic eruptions in Iceland caused giant magma plumes that closed airports across Europe. Closer to home, hurricanes in the Carolinas unexpectedly cancelled our flight out of Flint and necessitated re-routing—we traveled in two groups from Amsterdam to

Prague and then on to Kraków.

Witam (welcome)

Our first day in Kraków, a walking tour of the Old Town and the Wawel (the castle mound with its palace and cathedral) oriented students to the city with its medieval cobbled streets, enormous Market Square (largest in Europe), and monuments virtually untouched by wartime destruction.

By the second day, students felt at home in the Old Town and managed on their own.

Our next stop was Jagiellonian University’s Centre for European Studies for the first of three academic sessions, beginning with a lecture by Prof. Edyta Gawron about the history of Jews of Kraków. Then, with Prof. Gawron as our guide, we walked to Kazimierz (Kraków’s old Jewish quarter), and visited synagogues, Szeroka Street, the mikvah, slaughterhouse, and the ghetto in Podgórze. Through Prof. Gawron, students learned about the significance of Jews and Jewish culture in pre-war Poland. When two days later we traveled to Auschwitz-Birkenau, students

could better grasp the immense human dimension of suffering in the Holocaust and the particular tragedy for Poland as a multi-cultural state.

Two more lectures at the Centre for European Studies provided students background on Polish issues: a lecture by Prof. Magdalena Góra on Poland’s successful integration into the European

Union and my own lecture on Holocaust writer Henryk Grynberg.

At the nearby Wieliczka salt mines, one of the Europe’s great mineral deposits mined since the 13th century, students learned about salt as part of medieval Poland’s resource wealth and about

pre-modern mining technology.

Students rode to Nowa Huta, “New Foundry,” a socialist workers’ city near Kraków. Built in the 1950s as a counter balance to bourgeois Kraków, Nowa Huta’s geometric design and massive apartment buildings typified Soviet central planning, the goal of which was to shape the new

socialist man.

2011 NewsletterIn Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains, students experienced a mountain ski resort and summer vacation spot that was also an artists’ colony up through the end of the 19th and early 20th

century, famous for its distinctive wooden architecture. Students also saw traditional wooden architecture in Wygiełzów, a skansen (outdoor museum) south of Kraków, that houses 18th to

20th century Polish peasant buildings, a church, and a Polish gentry manor house. At Ojców and Pieskowa Skała students walked in a small, very bio-diverse national park with a distinctive form

of limestone rock. Castles there formed part of a medieval defense system called the “Trail of Eagles’ Nests” erected in the time of King Kazimierz the Great (14th century).

Our last excursion was a raft ride on the Dunajec River, a tributary of the Vistula River that runs beneath limestone cliffs in the mountains of the Pieniny National Park bordering Slovakia and an

ancient trade route to Hungary. Cool weather and heavy rains made the trip quick this year (an hour and a half) on the swift river. We ended with hot “mountaineers’ tea” (tea with a shot of

cherry liqueur) in Szczawnice.

Forever Changed

By the day of our return to Flint, students had bonded as a group and despite the 3:30 am departure time, they were upbeat. The final segment of our flight from Atlanta was delayed.

Twelve weary students slept on their backpacks, played cards, or roamed the airport with their food vouchers. Their aplomb in the face of travel challenges contrasted with our anxious

departure two weeks earlier. Students’ development in knowledge, skills, and attitudes was already observable. They had been taking notes, keeping journals, and taking countless photos;

all of them were more knowledgeable about travel basics and essential interpersonal communication. They had had an experience in which knowledge of a foreign language (in this

case, Polish) was invaluable, despite the prevalence of English.

Throughout the two weeks, students engaged in conversations with other History Department faculty able to meet us in Kraków—professors John Ellis, Ami Pflugrad-Jakisch, and Roy

Hanashiro. During meals, on buses, and while walking, students talked in small groups or one-on-one about their experiences on the trip. Since our return, family and friends have shared the

Wyatt Kraków experience through students’ blogs and family reunions over the summer. Students’ photos are still being uploaded to Facebook.

The Wyatt Exploration expanded my own life. I first set foot in Poland, in deep snow at a Warsaw train station on a cold January day. Under communism, Poland was none too safe a

place for lone Americans to wander. The ensuing years allowed me to observe at close range the last decade of communism, the rise of Solidarity, the election of Karol Wojtyła as pope, and finally in the 1990s the emergence of “Europe’s other lung” as an integral part of the entire

continent. My Poland years resulted in graduate study, and today teaching at UM-Flint. Never did I imagine that my own journey might come full circle to lead a group of students to the place

that was once my second home, Kraków. The Wyatt program allowed me to share my knowledge with UM-Flint students, and it has been a joy and satisfaction.

2011 NewsletterRestoring Spirit, Revealing Character:

The History/Theatre Project Glen-wood: Restoration of Spirit

By Bob Mabbitt

We often describe localities, particularly cities, with language originally intended to describe the personality or character of living, breathing human beings. Friendly. Hard-working. Cool. Why do we do this? What do whole cities have in common with individual people? Is this fair? Is it helpful? Could it be harmful? Do we do it for every city? Can it be done for Flint? Can it be

undone? Or redone? What roles do geography, history, politics, and more play in the development of such personifications? These are just a few of the complex questions explored by

UM-Flint’s cross-disciplinary project between the departments of theatre and history entitled Glen-wood: Restoration of Spirit.

Seeds of Possibility

Assistant professor of theatre and project director Janet Haley said the seed of the Glen-wood idea arose out of a 2008 conversation with fellow Flint native and president of the Genesee County Historical Society, Mike Freeman. “He shared an idea for a Glenwood Cemetery

fundraiser. UM-Flint theatre students could perform short biographical speeches on the site for a fall costume dress-up tour.”

Haley was intrigued, but busy with other obligations at the time. She was also leery that such an idea could be construed as just another “haunted Halloween” exhibit, undermining the real

historical and cultural merit of the place and the people interred there. Those fears quickly ebbed and new possibilities flooded in when Haley was introduced to UM-Flint assistant professor of history Ami Pflugrad-Jackisch. “She provided the information that shook my head and heart,”

said Haley.

Pflugrad-Jackisch, an expert in pre-civil war American history, said, “The creation of Glenwood Cemetery, established in 1855, was connected to both the rural cemetery movement and the rapid

growth of Genesee County and the city of Flint in the mid-nineteenth century.”

She explained how the rural cemetery movement “developed in response to the nation’s rapid industrial urbanization and population growth,” and how, “Antebellum urban planners and

landscape architects designed rural cemeteries to be peaceful and picturesque outdoor spaces where people could go to escape the noise, filth, and pollution of urban life.” The rural cemetery

movement is credited with laying the physical and philosophical foundation for the American park system that gained steam after the civil war.

2011 NewsletterToday, creation of public spaces for quiet respite, communal recreation, and reconnecting with

nature and neighbors is once again at the forefront of public policy and urban planning discussions. The Ginsberg Center at U-M Ann Arbor has recognized the undying role of such

places in promoting the health, vibrancy, and quality of life of all communities, and awarded the Glen-wood project a 2010 Arts of Citizen fellowship to increase awareness and action around the

issue in the Flint area.

Research & Development

So how does one begin to weave together broad themes like rural cemeteries, local history, and individual and community identity? How do you make them relevant to Flint’s present and

future? And as difficult as each of those notions is to tackle separately, how does one do justice to each as distinct ideas, as well as blend them seamlessly into a new whole—within the format

of an outdoor theatrical performance?

First, professor Pflugrad-Jackisch had history students in last winter semester’s “Sin, Salvation, and Celebrity in Early America” class dive into the lives of the men and women buried at

Glenwood cemetery. “As part of the class, students did a series of short papers that were kind of like encyclopedia entries,” said Pflugrad-Jackisch. “They went to the university archives and did

firsthand research to put together biographies of the people who were buried there, but also of the history of Flint. The idea was to give the theatre students detailed profiles of local

individuals, as well as historical context of what was happening in Flint throughout various periods.”

Pflugrad-Jackisch said the fact that their research would be used to craft an original theatrical production fostered a deeper examination of the very essence of the study of history. “It made them think seriously about the discipline of the history. As they put together these documents about the people who are buried at Glenwood cemetery, one of the questions they kept asking was, 'What are the theatre students going to do with this?' How creative were they going to be? Because for historians, there is a limit. There are facts. There are firsthand accounts. There is some interpretation, but the aim is to reduce the amount of grey area. So how are these very

creative people going to take this evidence and turn it into a theatre production and still stay true to the facts?”

Haley said, “When the theatre students who were part of the writing team received the research papers from the history students, we had conversations about how to use their work. We took a

step back and acknowledged that these students had already had discussions and made decisions about what was important to include and emphasize. We wanted to respect and reflect their

work.”

For Haley’s writing team, the research supplied by their classmates in the history department was a wealth of useful detail and inspiration for creativity. Yet with so much material and so many

2011 Newsletterpotential directions—not to mention the special considerations for the outdoor environment—the

synthesizing of it all would be a challenge. Haley said, “One of the biggest challenges with a project like this is defining parameters. Some basic considerations, like it can only be 90 minutes

because it gets dark, help create those limits. But also, with so much history, so many great stories, it cannot be about everything. We can’t include every detail of every individual’s story.

So you have to start thinking about other connections, other vehicles and devices to help achieve the same effect and convey the same ideas.”

Haley added, “This project is made collaboratively. It’s not one person sitting at home on the computer writing scenes and dialogue. This project is inspired by the place. We come here and we experience, observe, and absorb the physical aspects of the space, along with the historical

research. We discuss the ideas, connections, and feelings conjured up by that coming together of the physical with the more cerebral—and more soulful.”

The writing team explored symbolism, particularly the symbols used in rural cemeteries of the era, and creative character development as ways to link themes together. The team eventually

landed on the idea of having real and fictional characters represent the ethos and other dynamics by which Flint had been shaped throughout the years.

E.H. Thompson became the inspiration for a character named “Nostalgia.” Thompson, whose leadership was instrumental in the construction of the first plank road between Flint and Saginaw

and the establishment of the Michigan School for the Deaf, was also Michigan’s preeminent Shakespeare enthusiast of the time. He donated his private Shakespeare collection to the

founding of U-M Ann Arbor’s Shakespeare library.

Other characters, or “Spirits of the Age,” were developed as composites of broader ideas, rather than as representations based on real people. Theatre student Josh Clark played the role of

“Chance,” described in the playbill as, “a laborer who married above his station; one who falls as society rises.” Clark said the Glen-wood project was “more challenging than some of the other

productions I’ve been involved with. There are more considerations in need of more brainstorming. Like how are you going to get the audience here? How are they going to move

through the space? And how will our scenes move in and around them?”

As part of the solution to such logistical concerns, as well as part of the solution for how they could bring Flint’s present and future into the narrative, the writers and actors again drew

inspiration from place, symbolism, and creative character conception. Haley said, “The gift of this project is actually in the unexpected. Peter Lemelin, the sexton here, and his family call this place home. His daughters play here. This is their backyard. When Charlotte zooms through on her pink bike, and we’re rehearing a scene, there’s this moment when the 19th century and the

21st century intersect. We’re keeping things like that in the show.”

2011 NewsletterOne of the most poignant examples of how such junctions were brought into the performance

could be seen in the character “Chloe,” played by theatre student Jessica Flemming. Chloe was described in the playbill as “an isolated poet and private history buff.” She lived in the here and

now, and gave voice to the idea that the ideals represented by the characters of yesteryear did not die with them. She saw them as very much alive in individuals, and the entire Flint community,

to this day.

The inspiration for Chloe was a blend of historical biography, symbolism, place, and the desire to find a way to crystalize everything the Glen-wood project was about. Haley remembers being struck by the beauty and power of the monument marking the Morrison family’s resting place at the rear of the cemetery on one of her first visits to Glenwood. Chloe Morrison was a poet whose writings often focused on the future, possibility, and hope. The monument itself portrays a young woman with her head lifted towards the horizon, one hand on her heart, and her other hand (now broken) grasping an anchor at her side. Through their research, Haley and her team learned that the anchor was a commonly used symbol of the time, representing hope. She said, “One of the main themes of this project is hope, and that hope is active. There’s the anchor, and the rope

casts out while the ship is at sea, but it’s still anchored. That action and that tension of the rope is still there, and still positive, still engaging, and still nurturing.”

Reward

Beth Brooks, a recently retired teacher from Grand Blanc and current graduate student in the MLS Community and Theatre program, was the leader of the writing team and deeply involved with research as well. Brooks and fellow community and theatre grad student Philip Barnhart played the roles of “sacred and profane” tour guides for the performance. Barnhart’s character was “Reverend Memory; clergyman who stands for decorum and truth.” Brooks’ character was the “Pioneer Spirit of Polly Todd; a tavern keeper who adores the anecdotal.” As an educator

herself, Brooks found the project to be an ideal model of experiential learning.

Brooks also believes the deeper messages put forth about how individuals interact with their community and their community’s past, present, and future have great educational value in their

own right. “I’m hoping I can entice a number of my former students to come to the performance,” she said. “They tend to separate themselves from the city. Yet there is such a rich heritage here. There are so many ties here—not just to the auto industry, but to government and politics and culture. There are so many examples of people of all kinds who stepped up and took leadership roles throughout the early years of this area’s history. I think they should learn about that. It might help motivate them to become more civically engaged in their community today. It

certainly has done that for me.”

The Historical Society of Michigan

2011 History Skills Workshop Series

2011 Newsletter

 Educational opportunities for small to medium sized historical organizations and interested

history advocates.

The Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) has always provided training and educational workshops as we fulfill one of our main mission areas to support local historical organizations. With the move to our new office in Lansing we now also have on-site space for educational and training events in our new Education Room.  These will compliment the ongoing workshops we

do around the state and those in conjunction with our conferences.  Please join us for one or more of these training opportunities – to obtain skills you can take back and apply in your local

museum, historical organization or maintaining your own collections.

If you are a personal member of HSM or represent an organization that itself is a member of the Society the cost for attending any workshop listed below is $35.  Non-members may also attend for $70 (*includes a one-year membership).  All workshops are held 9 am to noon at the HSM

main office at 5815 Executive Dr., Lansing, Michigan.  To register for a workshop visit http://www.hsmichigan.org/workshops.php or call toll-free (800) 692-1828.

 Friday May 20, 2011

Basic Archival Skills

Kristen Lynn Chinery, Walter Reuther Library, Wayne State University

 This workshop is designed for small museums and other historical organizations that struggle with how to collect, organize, maintain and make available archival materials in their

collections.  The presenter will discuss best practices in a variety of areas including donor documentation, arrangement and description issues, how to handle photographs, public access

issues and much more. 

Friday June 3, 2011

Basic Curatorial Skills for Small Museums and Historical Societies

Robert Myers, Berrien County Historical Association

 Many small museums and historical societies struggle with basic curatorial issues related to their artifact, textile, archival and other collections. Collections management on a limited budget poses many challenges.  This workshop will address a wide variety of storage, preservation,

cataloging and legal issues, and is led by a professional curator.     

2011 Newsletter 

Friday, July 15, 2011

Marketing and Branding for Small Historical Organizations

Patricia Majher, Michigan History magazine

History museums face increasing competition not only from other museums, but from other forms of entertainment such as casinos, shopping excursions, winery tours, and more. These

competitors—with their big marketing budgets—can negatively impact small museums the most. But with the thoughtful application of basic marketing rules and tools, a small museum with

limited means can not only survive, but thrive in this environment.

 Friday, July 29, 2011

How to Successfully Publish your History Book

Thomas Vranich, Bookability

All of the necessary steps in planning your book project, including creating financial and production goals, what material to include, how to illustrate, defining your market, developing a

work-plan, and marketing the volume to the public. 

 Friday, September 30, 2011

 Historic Books: How to Identify, Mend, Collect and Care for Valuable Volumes

Jay Platt, Westside Bookshop

Do you work with or collect old or collectable books?  This workshop will discuss how to identify valuable volumes, issues related to book collecting, storage considerations, basic

mending techniques that is archivally safe, building a library, how to care for books, cataloging, and many other issues that are a special concern for historical societies, and book collectors.

 Friday, September 9, 2011

Fading Photos: How to Identify, Scan, Restore & Archive Historic Photographs

Robert Meyers, Berrien County Historical Association

 The Fading Photos workshop will assist small museums, historical societies, and interested collectors to both identify and preserve their historic photographs. The presenter will review basic conservation techniques for damaged images, type identification for early photographs,

2011 Newsletterhow to avoid deterioration of your images, storage recommendations, digital scanning for access,

and how to approach cataloging issues.  There will also be plenty of time for workshop participants to ask questions and have hands-on experiences.

To register for a workshop visit http://www.hsmichigan.org/workshops.php or call toll-free (800) 692-1828.

 The Historical Society of Michigan, established in 1828, is the state’s oldest cultural

organization. It helps to connect Michigan’s past to students, educators, historical organizations and the public through education programs, conferences, publications, awards, workshops,

referral services, networking opportunities, and support for local history organizations.

The Historical Society of Michigan

5815 Executive Dr.

Lansing, MI 48911

Phone: (517) 324-1828

FAX: (517) 324-4370

Email: hsm@hsmichigan.org

Website: www.hsmichigan.org

March

8th Annual History Quiz Night

With an attendance of over 150 people, the 8th Annual History Quiz Night was a great evening of competition and camaraderie held on March 25, 2011 at the Firkin and Fox Bar and Grill in

Flint, Michigan.

A special thanks to those who contributed door prizes for this year's event:

School of Management

Alumni Relations and Development

The Lunch Studio

Brown Sugar Cafe

2011 NewsletterThe University of Michigan-Flint Bookstore

Aida's

Jilly's Pizza

The Sloan Museum

Flint City T-Shirts

For more information, please see the History Quiz Night website at the following link: http://www.umflint.edu/history/quiznight.htm

Guest Lecturer, Dr. Barry Machado lectures on "The Genius of the Marshall Plan"

February

George Washington Entrepreneur Internship Summer Program:

The Department of Historic Trades at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate is currently accepting applications for its George Washington: Entrepreneur Internship program.

Internships are offered at two living history sites:  George Washington: Pioneer Farmer site or George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill.  These residential internships will run from June 6 through August 12, 2011.   These programs have been generously funded through the support of

foundations honoring Ezra Taft Benson and Russell G. Mawby, and by the Caterpillar Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The George Washington:Pioneer Farmer exhibition area is a four-acre working farm site that interprets Washington’s innovation in the promotion of sustainable agriculture.  George

Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill site, which is located three miles from the main Estate, highlights the industrial aspects of Mount Vernon.  The reconstructed gristmill is fully

functional, utilizing water power to operate millstones grinding corn and wheat. The gristmill is equipped with an Oliver Evans automated milling system for processing flour.  The site also is

home to a reconstruction of Washington’s whiskey distillery.  The distillery is also fully functional and demonstrations are conducted throughout the season.

2011 NewsletterOpen to college students, ages 18-22, these internships are highly competitive. Mount Vernon will select up to six students to participate during the summer 2011.  These internships offer students the unique opportunity to join the staff in Historic Trades and become immersed in

18th-century history while actually living on the grounds of George Washington’s estate.  Interns working at these sites will be required to wear period clothing in all types of weather. All interns will receive extensive training in interpretive methodology and historical content. Key topics will include 18th-century economics and agricultural methods, distilling and milling, and the lives of

the Mount Vernon slaves.

All students accepted into the program will receive round-trip transportation to Mount Vernon, housing on the estate, and a weekly stipend of $200.  Every student will work a five-day, forty-hour per week schedule, which will include every other weekend.  Participating interns also will

be required to complete a research project.  As representatives of Mount Vernon, interns are required to adhere to Mount Vernon’s code of conduct and personnel policies.  Mount Vernon will be happy to work with colleges and universities to ensure that, if applicable, course credit

requirements are met.

Located 16 miles south of Washington, DC, Mount Vernon is the most visited historic estate in America - welcoming over one million visitors annually.  The Mount Vernon Ladies’

Association, which has maintained the home of Washington since 1858, currently owns 500 of Washington’s original 8,000 acres – 50 of which are open to the public.  To learn more about theses internships and to download an application, students can visit www. mountvernon.org., click on Learn, click on Students and Teachers and then choose Be an Intern from the menu on

the right side of the page.

We are looking for highly motivated students who will enjoy the challenges and benefits of participating in this program.  We will be happy to discuss the internship in more detail with you

and any students who are interested in applying.  Completed applications must be returned to Mount Vernon by February 15, 2011 for consideration.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Intern Coordinator (703)799-8611 PFGMInterns@ mountvernon.org or me

(703)799-6805.

http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/teachers_students/index.cfm/ss/111/

January

UM-Flint Students Help Preserve Buick’s History

January 10th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

2011 Newsletter

Sloan Museum’s Buick Gallery and Research Center houses the history of the once Flint-based Buick Motor Division. Each semester, the staff of the center welcome history students from the

University of Michigan-Flint for a unique learning experience as Collections Management Interns. Interns receive supervised, hands-on experience working directly with the faculty and staff, curating the museum’s collection of records that chronicle the history of the carmaker.  

Staff members provide the most direct supervision working with the interns on defined projects as part of the learning strategy developed by the interns’ faculty supervisor. Over the course of one semester, students complete 100 hours of supervised work, learning methods in museum

practices and records management.

“The more history I’ve learned as I earn my degree, the more I’ve become convinced that I want to pursue a career working in a museum.” recalled Angela Passarelli, UM-Flint’s fall 2010

collections intern. She was especially excited about the skills she learned throughout the course of her internship. “I’m not sure if [automotive] history will be my focus, but the internship has

provided me with the kind of experience that I can use no matter what type of history or museum I work in.”

Angela’s learning experience is precisely what members of the Buicktown Chapter of the Buick Club of America were thinking of when they partnered with the University of Michigan-Flint’s History Department.  It is through the generosity of the Buick Club that students are able to earn

a stipend for their internships.

“This type of compensation is especially critical for students these days,” according to Faculty Supervisor and History Professor Thomas Henthorn. “In addition to their studies, a large number of our students are also working. Without this type of compensation, many of our students would

not be able to take advantage of the significant experience an internship such as the Buick Collections Intern.”

2011 Newsletter

Jane McIntosh, curator of collections at the Sloan Museum’s Buick Gallery can attest to the value of the internship.

“It is really a fabulous partnership,” says McIntosh. “I know the students get some needed career experience, and the museum has been able to organize and make its collections more accessible

to researchers and collectors who have a real interest in these records.”

Roberta Vasilow, president of the Buicktown chapter pointed out the benefits and reasons the Buick Club became involved with the internship program.

“We saw a real need for this kind of thing,” recalled Vasilow. “We saw from our volunteers how committed the museum staff was to preserving the heritage of Buick.”

She also noted that as committed as the museum was, they needed more help than their volunteers could offer. It was the need for more assistance with organizing and managing the

Buick records that led members of the Buicktown chapter to approach the University of Michigan-Flint, and create an internship with the museum with the explicit mission of managing and making accessible the collections of the Buick Motor Company. Since 2009, the local Buick

Club has funded three internships and is working with museum staff and university faculty to assess the progress of the program. So far, the membership is pleased with the both the quality of

interns and the work that is being done at the Buick Gallery.

“It has been a pleasure working with the interns from the University of Michigan-Flint’s History Department,” commented Suzanne Sherman, the Buicktown chapter’s liaison between the interns

and Buick Club. Like many museums and archives, the Buick Gallery received much of its material about the history of Buick Motor Company as large donations of unorganized materials and artifacts. Since the inception of the internship, history students have been able to catalog and organize a great deal of material and make it available for the museum and the general public. It

is this aspect of the internship that members have found particular compelling, remarked Sherman. “This material is invaluable to people who are working on old Buicks. As members of Buicktown Chapter and the Buick Club of America, we also hope to create interest in our hobby

of restoration to a new generation of history students, because that is what we are doing–preserving little pieces of history.”

“This internship really demonstrates what’s possible when communities find ways to work together towards a common goal,” remarked Professor Henthorn. “We have scores of

enthusiastic students ready to take advantage of these kinds of experiences, and the museum staff has the expertise to help them learn, but it is really the generosity of the Buick Club that makes

2011 Newsletterthis work.”

Henthorn hopes to use the Buick collections internship as a model for other community partnerships that will help the university expand its internship program and meet the learning

needs of the student as well as the needs of the community.

New UM-Flint Course Looks at Downtown’s History

January 18th, 2011 By: Mel Serow

A great way to learn the history of a place is to visit it. American Urban History is a newly offered course at the University of Michigan-Flint that requires students to do just that, but they won’t be traveling far. They will research the history of downtown Flint businesses, and also be

required to work with a social service institution to better learn about the past.

As the name implies, American Urban History examines the development of cities in the United States. More than just examining the physical growth of cities, this course carefully follows the

evolution of American urban society.

“We explore how the environment shaped human behavior, and the ways in which Americans responded to the constantly changing physical, economic, and social structures of cities,” said UM-Flint Assistant History Professor Thomas Henthorn. “There will be a special emphasis on

issues of race, gender, and class as key factors in the evolution of American urban history.”

Henthorn, who teaches the course, said topics include westward expansion, the industrial city, changes in urban social and spatial structure, migration and immigration, suburbanization, social

movements, urban economic decline, and central city revitalization.

2011 NewsletterOne of the aspects that make this course unique is the way the local urban environment will be

used to explore the history of cities. The course begins with a service learning experience designed to immerse students in a local urban social service institution. Students reflect on the service experience, and are encouraged to find connections between their experience and past urban institutions designed to address human need. They continue to engage the local urban

environment in the second half of the course through a research project that will explore businesses along Saginaw Street in downtown Flint. Several local businesses have agreed to

participate in research projects in which students will trace the history of their space. In addition to producing a research paper, the students will be producing a poster that tells the history of that space, linking its past use with its present use. The poster will be displayed in the local business.

“This course would be appealing to history majors interested in exploring a unique aspect of local history or urban history,” according to Henthorn. “In addition, students who have general

interest in urban studies, social history, including the intersections of race, class, and gender with the culture and politics of urban life would also find this class engaging and interesting.”

Fourth Intern is set to begin working at the Sloan Museum

The History Department is proud to announce that Jessica Woodruff has been selected as the fourth Intern at the Sloan Museum.