Lambda-Eta Chapter
of
PHI ALPHA THETA
Chapter of the Year Scrapbook
2010-2011
East Carolina University
Chapter Advisor—Professor Wade Dudley
2009-2010 Officers
President—Joseph VanVoltenberg
Vice President—Ryan Goodman
Treasurer—Deanna Abdelkhaleq
Secretary—Mackenzie Sorrels
Historian—Nick Nosbisch
2010-2011 Officers
President—Melissa Jones
Vice President—Christopher Outlaw
Treasurer—Madison Guidici
Secretary—Margaret Huffman
Historian—Clay Smith
SOCIALIZING! (& PLANNING)
Chili Night
at Chez
Dudley
Every semester, Dr. Dudley, his wife
Susan, and Dachshunds Fritz and Max
host Chili and a Movie Night for the
chapter. Good food, historical
commentary, and relaxing with friends
provide needed relief from the stress of
studies.
2010 Holiday Social
As exams pressed upon us, the chapter gathered at Chez Dudley to
celebrate the season, bid goodbye to our graduates, savor tasty
treats, play games, and exchange token gifts.
Chapter Activities and
Accomplishments
DONATIONS
AWARDS
PRESENTATIONS
SCHOLARSHIPS
East Tennessee State
University Conference
-March 2011-
Marshall Lamm, Ryan Goodman, Baylus Brooks, and Melissa Jones
presented papers at the ETSU Regional. Tying for excitement with
Baylus’s award for a top graduate paper was sharing dinner with Phi
Alpha Theta Executive Director Dr. Jack Turnstall and ETSU host Dr.
Emmett Essin. Of course, the scenery was nice on the long drive to
Johnson City (the rain on the return trip, not so nice).
Virginia Dodd, Marshall Lamm,
Chris Outlaw, Melissa Jones, Ryan
Goodman, and Clay Smith
presented papers at Francis
Marion University. Chris Outlaw
won the Graduate Award for Best
Paper, but our hats are off to Dr.
Chris Kennedy and the AlphaTheta-Zeta Chapter at FMU for a
GREAT conference (and their first
hosting of the event, at that)!
Carolinas Regional Conference,
Francis Marion University
-April, 2011-
Rhem / Schwarzmann Prizes for
Undergraduate Research—2010
ECU’s J.Y. Joyner Library offers the prestigious (and lucrative) Rhem/
Schwarzmann Prizes for Undergraduate Research each year. Papers
must be based on primary sources drawn from Joyner Special
Collections, an archive noted for its Military, Naval, Cold War,
Science Fiction, and Eastern North Carolina collections. This is a
competitive event, with a diverse panel of judges selected from
professors across the university. For 2010, Phi Alpha Theta members
swept the competition: William Averett Brown, Jr.: “Pearl Harbor:
First Hand Accounts of December 7, 1941” [First Place]; William
Avery: "The Emergence of the Crop-Lien System in Eastern North
Carolina" [Second Place]; Baylus Brooks: “Dethroning the Kings of
Cape Fear: Consequences of Edward Moseley’s Surveys” [Third
Place].
William Brown Jr.
William Avery
Baylus Brooks
Sparing Dr. D.
We are fortunate to have an
advisor who is also the
Regional Director for the
Carolinas (he keeps us in the
know!). Twice this year, we
spared him for extra-chapter
duties. In November 2010, Dr.
Dudley attended the Southern
Historical Association Annual
Meeting in Charlotte, where he
served as commentator for
one of the Phi Alpha Theta
panels after attending the Phi
Alpha Theta luncheon. He also
greeted Lambda-Eta alumni
Monica Ayhen (doctoral
candidate, UA Tuscaloosa)
and Josh Hostetter (teacher,
Johnston County Schools),
who presented on another Phi
Alpha Theta panel, and
Leonard Lanier (doctoral
candidate, LSU),
presenting on a Civil
War panel.
In March 2011, Dr. Dudley guided the installation of the Alpha-XiLambda Chapter at High Point University in High Point, NC. After
a warm welcome by Dr. Lauren Brown, advisor to the new
chapter, Dr. D shared information from the National Office, spoke
on building and sustaining a winning chapter, and presented the
charter to Dr. Brown and the department chair.
High Point
University Installation
Seminar: Is Graduate School For You?
For the third year in a row, Dr. Carl Swanson, Director of
Graduate Studies for the Department of History, offered his
seminar on graduate school. His balanced presentation, the
negatives and the positives of continued studies, draws a larger
crowd every year – though with graduate enrollment
steadily increasing, attendees may not be
hearing the negatives!
Relay For Life
In the Spring, the Phi Alpha Theta
Relay for Life Team, once again
led by Tatum Weaver (who spent
the semester student teaching),
raised a healthy amount of money
for the American Cancer Society.
She was assisted by Secretary
Margaret Huffman. The effort
gathered donations from
professors, chapter members, and
attendees at the Relay for Life.
Through a most successful bake
sale, the team raised over $500 in
addition to the original
contribution.
Historical Simulations Group
Throughout the year, the ECU Historical Simulations Group (sponsored by Phi
Alpha Theta) meets most Fridays to recreate history on miniature battlefields –
an aspect of scholarship that involves the study of conflicts past, present, and
future. This group has also gained recognition for Phi Alpha Theta and ECU
through simulations offered locally, regionally, and nationally: multiple
scenarios from the ‘Warlands’ of the future at BAYOUWARS in New Orleans,
LA in June 2010; a simulated campaign for Gibraltar (1940) at HISTORICON
in July 2010; a mass naval battle at SOUTHERN FRONT in Raleigh, NC in
Fall 2010, and numerous local offerings across winter and spring 2011.
Though members do not plan to attend the national gaming sessions over the
summer due to costs and research needs, HSG members will remain active
locally and can be reached on numerous message boards such as those of
Aberrant Games and Wizards of the Coast.
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As the generation that gave so much to its country
during WW II fades away, the Lamda-Eta Chapter is busy
interviewing survivors of the USS Reynolds, a
destroyer escort that saw action in the Pacific. Aside from
teaching us the joys (and pitfalls) of oral history, the
recordings, transcripts, and artifacts gathered from our project
will be housed in Joyner Library’s Special Collections for the use
of future scholars. The project is slated for completion and
dedication in September 2011.
Honors
As befits an Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta members are involved with
the Department of History’s honors program and will be involved with
the newly organized University Honors School. In the Department of
History, candidates must complete a two semester course of study,
including a defense of both a prospectus and a completed Senior
Honors Thesis. In April, Maria Hammack shared her prospectus on the
Central American drug trade while Clay Smith defended his thesis on
the Greensboro Massacre in front of the professors of the Honors
Committee. Also that month, Dr. Dudley and Tatum Weaver hosted a
table and answered questions about Phi Alpha Theta at an Honors Fair
for the benefit of tutors, ECU Scholars, and the Honors School.
The Annual Book Sale
An active chapter needs funding. Though SGA refunds, membership
fees, and donations help, a primary source of funds for the LambdaEta Chapter is our annual book sale. Throughout the year, our
chapter collects books. In January, Ryan Goodman and Chris Outlaw
organized our sale at Greenville Mall (and we thank Cindy Beach of
Greenville Mall for working with us over recent years). Not only did
some $700 enter the coffers of Lambda-Eta, but our members
talked history and Phi Alpha Theta with numerous customers.
Everyone benefitted from the event!
2011 Phi Alpha Theta Induction Ceremony
Throughout the year, our chapter worked hard to recruit a
quality group of new members. Our leadership team
understands that membership growth is essential to
success. The 21 members initiated in the ceremony are
very accomplished and successful, and bring excitement
and enthusiasm to the chapter. The Four Courts (our own
Ryan Goodman and Jimmy Wils) were on hand to enhance
the enjoyment even more through musical entertainment.
GRADUATION! -May 6, 2011
Students dream of this day throughout their academic careers, and
the Lamda-Eta chapter of Phi Alpha Theta is happy to stand behind
our 21 graduates. Disciplines extend beyond history into education,
anthropology, business, and others. Officers were presented with the
Richard C. Todd scholarship for their leadership service. Aside from
the graduates, Phi Alpha Theta members volunteered at the event,
serving as ushers and photographers. Graduation is most certainly a
day that none of us will soon forget!
Further Chapter Accomplishments
Membership currently stands at 65 students and faculty from several
disciplines, including History, Education, Business, and Anthropology.
Inductees 2010/2011: 21; Graduates 2010/2011: 21
Members of the Lambda-Eta Chapter delivered over thirty scholarly
papers at regional and national conferences across the United States,
frequently to great acclaim. Members presented at conferences in
Maritime History, North Carolina History, Medieval History, and at other
locales throughout the year.
Several members published papers during the year:
 Jennifer E. Jones and Peter Campbell, “Vindicating John L. Porter:
Analyzing the Effectiveness of the Confederacy’s Chief Naval
Constructor,” in ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings
2010 (January 2011), 76-82. Peter completed his MA in Maritime
History in Spring 2010. Jennifer is a candidate in the MA in Maritime History.

Joyce Steinmetz, “An Archaeological and Historical Investigation
of the Commercial Fishing Vessel Miss Betty J, Pungo River,
North Carolina,” Nautical Research Journal 55(3) (Fall 2010):
161-176. Joyce completed her MA in Maritime History in Fall 2010
and is a Ph.D. candidate in the Coastal Resource Management
program.

Samantha Marie Mazzuca, "The Legacy of Johnson's War on
Poverty," by Libertarian Papers
(http://libertarianpapers.org/2010/22-mazzuca-johnsons-war-onpoverty/). Samantha is a senior in the BS in History
Education program.
Further Chapter Accomplishments
In March, 9 members presented undergraduate or graduate papers or
posters during the Research and Creativity Week competitions at East
Carolina University. They competed against over 100 presenters from the
university.
The chapter actively supported the Japanese Relief Effort with funds
collected at our Induction ceremony, as well as assisting several local
charities and organizations with service, goods, or funds.
In late summer 2010, Jimmy and Stephanie Wills (Jimmy was chapter vice
president, 2008-2009) gave us twin “cadet members” Kenly and Regan. On
3 March 2011, Katie Shackleford Heacox (vice-president 2005-2006) and
Jonathan Heacox (president 2005-2006) birthed our newest “cadet,” Lillie
Addison Heacox. Ahhh, the romance of serving as an officer in the Lambda
-Eta Chapter! Best of luck to the wee historians-to-be!
Respectfully submitted by Clay Smith, Historian (2011) for
the Lambda-Eta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta at East Carolina
University, Greenville, North Carolina, on May 23, 2011.