PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY ·   October 2002

Dear Friends of History Members:

As the new President of Friends of History, I would like personally to thank each of our members for their sustained interest and support of not only our organization, but also Portland State's History Department and its students and faculty.  Your generosity and time have enabled FOH to provide many opportunities for the Portland State community to continue to pursue its interest and deepen its understanding of historical issues. It must be said that without your support this organization would cease to function. On behalf of the entire FOH board, I give my heartfelt thanks to all of our members. 

As we kick off a new school year, I am excited to relay that we have several exciting and thought provoking events both planned and in the works.  Last year, we began a series of Civil War Round Table discussions that have been gaining momentum and attendance. Our Book Discussion Group has also been a continued success and we hope to see even more FOH members bring their unique perspectives to this monthly gathering. In keeping with tradition, FOH will also be sponsoring a panel discussion on U.S. foreign policy during the post-Cold War policy during the post-Cold War era at this year's PSU Weekend in late October.

This subject will be discussed by many experts and should be fascinating. I hope to see many of you there!

While we continue our planning of this year's events, I urge all members to contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns. I look forward to getting to know many of you at our upcoming events!

Take care,
Tiffany Shumaker

Greetings!

As the fall term is finally underway, the History Department’s enrollment is up 14% over last fall. This is a tribute to the hard work and willingness to accommodate extra students on the part of the faculty. Unfortunately, the burgeoning enrollment is coupled with a reduction in resources, an all too familiar combination. But we take heart from the vigorous discussion at the last FOH board meeting about finding ways to update and revitalize the organization to help the Department remain strong and vital in these financially challenging times. 

On the bright side, Karen Carr’s long-awaited book, Vandals to Visigoths: Rural Settlement Patterns in Medieval Spain, will be out this fall from  the University of Michigan Press. John Ott is working with local colleagues to prepare for hosting the annual meeting of the Medieval Association of the Pacific here at PSU next spring. 

Another bright note is the new face in the office. Jeff Brown took over from Diane Gould when she left to begin law school at Willamette University in August, and he has done a remarkable job in helping us all to make this transition. We’re delighted to have him working with us. 

I hope many of you will have a chance to join us for the Oct. 24 FOH Panel in conjunction with PSU Weekend. It promises to be a stimulating and timely discussion from a variety of perspectives – and there will be food and drink as well!

Linda Walton
Department of History Chair

Bernard Burke and David Horowitz, of PSU’s Department of History, and Vietnam expert Diane Fox will reflect on author David Halberstam’s contention that Post-Cold War politics have determined the U.S. role as a world power.  Moderated by Mel Gurtov, of the Hatfield School of Government, the panel will examine the impact of domestic politics and the haunting legacy of the Vietnam War on U.S. foreign policy. What are the changes wrought after 9-11?

Refreshments will be served.  To RSVP call 503-725-3917 Free and Open to the Public

CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE:

The Friends of History Civil War Round Table is a new group of Portlanders interested in the Civil War. It meets at Portland State University, on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, usually at 7:30 PM. Members present papers, hear lectures, and watch videos and movies. General discussion follows all the programs. All programs are free and open to the public.  For more information contact Tom Edwards, tomed@spiretech.com.

Meeting Schedule:

• Tuesday, 12 November 2002, 7:30 P.M. in 327 Smith Center Mark Rothert, “Jackson’s Flank Attack and Mortal Wounding at Chancellorsville.”
• No Civil War Roundtable meeting during December.
• Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 7:30 P.M. in 327 Smith Center Mary Mims, “The Zeraldas: Jesse James’ Women” [The Civil War in Missouri and Kansas].  This is a special one-woman show presented by roundtable member Mary Mims.

Applications are now available for the 2003 Castles Heritage Award through the Center for Columbia River History.  Nominations are open to any individual or non-profit organization in the Columbia River Basin and caries a $1000 honorarium.  The James B. Castles Heritage Award honors individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to foster a deeper understanding of the history of the Columbia River Basin, and is the only Columbia River Basin-wide public history award in the Pacific Northwest.  For more information, please contact the Center for Columbia River History at (360)258-3289, send an e-mail to areidell@ccrh.org, or check the web at http://www.cchr.org/center/03awardform.pdf

November 28, 2002- Spring 2003: The Oregon Historical Society Research Library will be closed, due to the construction of a new entrance and lobby at OHS.  Until November 27, the library hours will be 1-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1-8 p.m. on Thursday. Questions? Contact kend@ohs.org or phone 503/306-5221.

Coming up next:

• 28 October 2002:  Ross King, Brunelleschi’s Dome:  How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture (Penguin, 2001).  Paperback, 194 pages. The story of Filippo Brunelleschi, whose design of the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy remains one of the marvels of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the 140+ foot span makes it the largest dome ever built using bricks and mortar, exceeding St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome.  
• 25 November 2002:  Blaine Harden, A River Lost:  The Life and Death of the Columbia (W.W. Norton, 1997). Paperback, 271 pages.  ISBN: 0393316904  [the hardcover might still be on sale at Powell’s ]   Journalist and Northwest native Blaine Harden examines the transformation of the Columbia from a wild and, in places, nearly unnavigable river to its role today as a source of cheap hydroelectric power and irrigation water.  Harden also examines the negative aspects of human impact on the river which is apparent in the depletion of salmon and the destruction of Native American cultures dependent on the salmon. 
• December 2002:  No Meeting.
• 27 January 2003:  John Kobler, The Reluctant Surgeon:  A biography of John Hunter (Akadine Press, 1999). Can be ordered directly from the publisher at http://www.commonreader.com.  Paperback, 360 pages.   Called "the Shakespeare of medicine," and "the most important naturalist between Aristotle and Darwin,” Kobler provides a portrait of 18th century medical pioneer John Hunter, whose unorthodox methods and discoveries influenced anatomy and surgery, pathology, physiology, biology, and a dozen other fields.
• 24 February 2002:  Joseph E. Ellis, Founding Brothers:  The Revolutionary Generation (Vintage, 2002).  Paperback, 304 pages.  Ellis focuses on six crucial event that highlight the founders characters, convictions and actions during the formative days of the new Republic.

Historical Events & Notices Around Town:

October 22, 2004 (Tuesday): 7:30 p.m. PSU Campus Ministries Koinonia House, 633 SW Montgomery. “Up The Nile In Style: Travel in Egypt During the Early 20th Century.”   A slide lecture juxtaposing modern photographs with those taken in 1906 by L. Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz author), during a Cook’s Egyptian Tour to Aswan.  Prof. David Moyer intersperses the lecture with humorous remarks from letters written by Maud Baum during the trip.  Sponsored by Ancient Egypt Studies Assoc. and Middle East Studies Center of PSU.  Suggested donation is $7, $5 for PSU students.

October 24, 2002 (Thursday): 5:30-7 p.m. FOH Fall Panel Discussion in Smith 328-329.  Bernard Burke, David Horowitz, and Diane Fox reflect on how post-Cold War politics have determined the US role as a world power.  Moderated by Mel Gurtov of the Hatfield School of Government.  Refreshments.  Free and open to the public.

1 November 2002 (Friday): 7:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Center: Karen Rubinson of Barnard College will lecture on "What Texts Don't Tell Us: Middle Bronze Age Trade in the Caucasus." Sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America & the PSU History Department. Free and open to the public.

November 3, 2002 (Sunday): 4 p.m. in the PSU Campus Ministries Koinonia House.  Join the Ancient Egypt Studies Assoc., as Dr. Nigel Strudwick of the British Museum’s Department of Egyptian Antiquities presents “The Legacy of Lord Carnarvon.“  Co-sponsored by the Middle East Studies Center of PSU.  Suggested donation is $7, $5 for PSU students.

November 7, 2002 (Thursday): 6-8 p.m. in Smith Ballroom 355.  “Is Reform Possible in Japan?”  A lecture by Dr. Jiro Yamaguchi, foremost expert on contemporary Japanese politics. Reception and lecture sponsored by PSU Center for Japanese Studies.  Free and open to the public.
 
November 15, 2002:  Deadline for papers for the 56th Annual Pacific Northwest History Conference.  Send proposals to Kevin Leonard, Dept. of History, MS9061, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9061 or via e-mail to Kevin.Leonard@wwu.edu.  The April 24-26, 2003 conference title is “Historians’ Tales and the Pacific Northwest.”  

January 21, 2003 (Tuesday): 6-8 p.m. in the Vanport Room (338 Smith Center).  The Center for Japanese Studies presents “Machiavelli’s Children: Leaders and Their Legacies in Italy and Japan by Dr. Richard Samuels.  Free and open to the public.

PRESIDENT
Tiffany Shumaker

VICE-PRESIDENT
Cecille Beyl

TREASURER
Tiffany Shumaker (interim)

SECRETARY & NEWSLETTER
Julie Lay

HISTORY DEPT. CHAIR
Linda Walton

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE
John Ott

SCHEDUELING & MAILING
Beryl Dahl

PERMANENT RECORDS
Erica Goodwin

PHI ALPHA THETA
Trudy Flores

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
Gordon Dodds

CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE
Thomas Edwards

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Andy Fisher
Diane Martinez Mandaville
Barbara Traver
Richard Winningstad

Friends of History
Portland State University
Department of History
PO Box 751, 492A Cramer Hall
Portland, OR  97207
503/725-5473

Newsletter & calendar submissions: julielay@teleport.com