NEWS AND COMMENTS
Randall H. Balmer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at
Columbia University, has been awarded the 1986 New York State Historical
Association Manuscript Award for his monograph, "Dutch Religion in an
English World: Political Upheaval and Ethnic Conflict in the Middle Colonies." The award, a $1500 prize and assistance in publication, is presented each
year to the best unpublished study of some aspect of the history of New York.
Dr. Balmer examines the Dutch Reform Church for what it reveals about
society in the Middle Colonies, with a focus on New York. He identifies two
divisions in Dutch colonial society-an "Anglicizing" community centered in
New York City and an "Americanizing" group which migrated to New
Jersey.
Richard W. Pointer, Assistant Professor of History at Trinity College in
Deerfield, Illinois, has been awarded the 1986 Kerr History Prize by the New
York State Historical Association for his article, "Religious Life in New York
During the Revolutionary War." The $1000 prize is awarded annually to the
best article appearing in the Association's quarterly journal, New York History.
Pointer's article challenges the position that the Revolutionary War had a
depressing affect on religious life. It shows that a number of congregations
increased in membership and in religious zeal. Pointer concludes that while
individual churches suffered devastation, the war actually quickened religious
sensibilities, and there was, in New York at least, notable spiritual progress.
Applications are being received for the T. Wistar Brown Fellowship at
Haverford College for the academic year 1987-88. Fellows spend one or two
semesters at Haverford College doing research in the Quaker Collection of the
library and in nearby scholarly collections. The Fellowship is usually awarded
to mature scholars and the stipend is $10,000. Letters of inquiry may be directed
to the Office of the Provost, Haverford College, Haverford PA 19041.
The Francis C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine of the College of
Physicians of Philadelphia announces its Rockefeller Foundation Humanities
Residency Program. Two grants of $25,000 each will be awarded to scholars
who will spend the 1987-88 academic year in residence conducting research in
the College library and participating in the Wood Institute seminar program.
Grants will not be made for doctoral research. Deadline for applications is
January 15, 1987. For more information, contact Roselind Valentin, Wood
Institute, 19 South Twenty-second Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.
A call for papers is requested for the Nineteenth Annual Dakota History
Conference to be held at Madison, South Dakota, on the campus of Dakota State
College on April 10, and 11, 1987. The Karl Mundt Distinguished Historical
Writing Awards will be presented for the best papers. There are two categories:
Professional (writer attached to an institution of higher education in the field of
Social Science, English, or History, and professional writers), and Amateur
(anyone else). There will be three prizes for the best papers presented in each
320
NEWS AND COMMENTS
321
category: first prize - $250; second prize - $150; and third prize - $100.
Papers should relate to some aspect of South Dakota, Dakota Territory, or the
history of the Upper Great Plains Region. In addition, there will be two awards
by topic: The Richard Cropp award of $100 for the best paper on military
history and the Cedric Cummins award of $100 for the best paper in
institutional history. All papers submitted for competition must be read by the
author. Papers presented will be published if desired. Deadline for submission
of papers is January 31, 1987. Please address all correspondence to: H. W.
Blakely, History Department, Dakota State College, Madison, SD 570421799.
A national Bicentennial conference on the American presidency will be
presented April 23-26, 1987 by the Center for the Study of the Presidency in
Erie, Pennsylvania. The conference will be co-sponsored by Gannon University
and the Chautauqua Institution. The theme of the conference will be "The
Origins, Development, and Future of the American presidency." Among those
invited to address the conference are Chief Justice Warren Burger, former
presidents, cabinet officers, and other top level members of current and past
administrations, as well as prospective candidates for the 1988 presidential
election. A series of panels and round table discussions also will be presented.
Paper abstracts and panel and discussant proposals should be submitted by
January 15, 1987. Papers presented at the conference will be considered for
publication in the Center for Study of the Presidency's Presidential Studies
Quarterly. Contact Gregor Reinhard, Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania
16541.
The Society for Historians of the Early American Republic invites proposals
for individual papers, discussion panels, and especially for entire sessions for its
annual meeting next year. The meeting will be held July 16-18, 1987 at
Temple University's Center City campus. Deadline for proposals is December
1, 1986. Proposals should include a synopsis of the thesis, methodology, and
significance of each paper, and a vitae for each author. Send proposals to Dr.
James B. Stewart, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN 55105.
The National Council on Public History has published Public History
Education in America: A Guide. Listing 80 schools with public history
programs in place and identifying others that plan to offer courses in public
history, the guide includes degrees offered, admission criteria, fields of interest,
internships, and employment rate of graduates. The publication is available to
members of the council for $7.50; to nonmembers for $9. To order a copy, send a
check payable to NCPH to Barbara Howe, Executive Secretary, NCPH,
Department of History, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
26506.
Leading figures at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 will be depicted in a
12-poster series, 10,000 copies of the series will be distributed to schools
throughout the Commonwealth. The series will use drawings of the Founding
Fathers by the eminent American artist Leonard Baskin. Included will be
illustrations of George Washington, George Mason, Alexander Hamilton,
Benjamin Franklin, William Paterson, Gouverneur Morris, James Wilson,
John Rutledge, John Dickinson, John Jay, Roger Sherman and Edmund
322
PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY
Randolph. The portraits will be accompanied by captions and a study guide
prepared by Dr. Robert Crist. The posters, which will be ready for distribution
by January 1987, are being prepared through a grant from the J. Howard Pew
Freedom Trust. They will be distributed through the Department of Education's 29 Intermediate Units, which service the state's school districts.
The third annual Public History Forum sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 1987. This
year, students and professors who attend will actually sample work and research
that is, or can be, done at the state's official historical agency. Workshops will
include: How to Use State Land Records for Historical Research; How to
Identify and Catalogue Artifacts; How to Evaluate and Summarize a National
Historical Register Application. College professors are encouraged to bring
groups or classes of students to this event. For information call 717-787-3034.
PENNSYLVANIA MEETINGS:
PHMC Public History Forum, Feb. 11, Harrisburg. Middle State Council for
the Social Studies, March 5-6, Hershey; contact Dave Pierfy, Rider College,
Lawrenceville, NJ. Organizationof American Historians, April 2-5, Philadelphia. Bicentennial Conference on the American Presidency, April 23-26, Erie;
contact Gregor Reinhard, Gannon University, Erie, PA 16541. American
Associationfor the History of Medicine, April 30-May 3, Philadelphia; contact
W. Bruce Fye, Cardiology Dept., Marshfield Clinic, 1000 N. Oak Ave.,
Marshfield, WI 54449. Mercer Museum Folk Fest, May 9-10, Doylestown.
Pennsylvania History Day, May 13-14, Keller Conference Center, University
Park, PA; contact Donna Munger, Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Rose Hill
Seminar on Governor Gifford Pinchot, June 13, Wilson College, Chambersburg; contact John Furlow, The Pennsylvania State University, The DuBois
Campus, College Place, DuBois, PA 15801. Society for Historiansof the Early
American Republic, July 16-18, Temple University, Philadelphia; contact
James B. Stewart, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN 55105.