History classes work together

Students in History 106: Art of Historical Detection helped out the students in History 206:  Introduction to Public History by playtesting the Civil War games they built. It's all part of the design process.

Dr. Roth discusses history podcasting with students

On November 4, Dr. Andrew Roth, former interim president of St. Bonaventure and current Scholar in Residence at the Jefferson Educational Society, discussed his new venture with students in History 206.  Dr. Roth is starting a podcast series The American Tapestry.  He has been working on this for some time, including lectures at the Chautauqua Institute.

You can listen to him explain the project on Tom Pysz’s “WeQuestion We Understand.”   Dr. Roth starts at minute 30.

Congrats Mason!

Congratulations to our History & Secondary Ed. Major, Mason Kelley, the 2019 Constitution Day Jeopardy Champion and the firstcontestant to win back-to-back championships! Mason fended off challenges from Grace Ferris and Bryce Kelly in last night's finals and won a ton of Bona Bucks!

Working for the Robert H. Jackson Center by Ashlee Gray

This summer I had the opportunity to intern for the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, NY. The Robert H. Jackson Center in a non-profit historical center dedicated Robert H. Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Chief U.S. Prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials.

Last summer, the Jackson Center offered an exhibit on Charles Goodell. The exhibit, “A Model for Courage: The Life of Charles E. Goodell,” was put together by Cameron Hurst, a St. Bonaventure student intern. The exhibit was a success, and the Jackson Center wanted to take on another Bonaventure intern to work on a program and exhibit celebrating the life and career of Stan Lundine, former Mayor of Jamestown, U.S. Congressman, and NYS Lieutenant Governor.

I originally heard about the position from St. Bonaventure archivist, Dennis Frank. He recommended me to the Jackson Center and encouraged me to apply. I was a bit hesitant applying for the position for several reasons. The first was distance; I was nervous about making to commute to Jamestown from my hometown of Delevan. It was an hour and fifteen-minute drive and my car, Green Bean, was on her last legs. The second was my lack of self-assurance.  I did not think I had the tools nor the skills to create an entire exhibit and a ten-minute video. Though I was confident in my ability to learn new skills, I was still nervous.

In the end, I decided to apply, and I vowed to give the project my all. I visited the center and met with several Jackson Center staff and board members.  A few weeks later, I was offered the position.

I started working on the project at the end of the spring semester at Bonas. I was able to find a few resources to give me a brief biography of Stan Lundine. In all honesty, I did not know who Stan Lundine was nor did I understand how important he was to the city of Jamestown, the Southern Tier district, and the state of New York. I believe my lack of knowledge on Stan was beneficial. It allowed me to go into the internship with a fresh perspective and the ability to gather information through extensive research rather than previous knowledge.

The first step was to write a biography that I could use for the informational panels in the display portion of the exhibit and as a possible narrative for the documentary. For the first few weeks, I was busy finding articles, book, and newspaper clipping on Stan and watching hours of old video interviews. I reached out to the New York state archives, Fredonia University Archives, and the Fenton Historical Center for more information and materials. After I gathered as much information as I could, I wrote my own biography and began sorting out what items I could use in the display and video.

I also conducted my own video interviews with several people who had previously worked with or for Stan Lundine. This was rather nerve-racking. I had no experience interviewing people. I went to my supervisors at the Jackson Center and asked for advice on how to best conduct the interviews. The first few interviews did not go spectacularly, but by the end, I had learned what questions to ask, how to ask them, and the best way to get a person to open up. It was a great way to practice these skills and, since then, I am more confident in my ability to interview others.

Another challenge I faced was creating the panels for the exhibit. The Jackson Center archives had a Mac desktop and I own a Lenovo laptop. I needed a program that I could use on the Mac at home. That led me to Canva. It is a simple online graphic-design tool that worked on both devices. I taught myself to use Canva by watching tutorials and creating practice panels. The program worked wonderfully, and I made 10 canvas posters for the exhibit.

For the color scheme, I chose the color blue. Details, such as color, were crucial to making the exhibit aesthetically pleasing and I wanted a color that would reflect Stan’s personality and capture his history. During his first Mayoral campaign, Stan assembled a team of prominent individuals to run alongside him and called his team the Blue Ribbon Ticket. Stan is also a Democrat and a Duke University Alumni, so the color blue has been an integral part of his history. The official color of the exhibit is Duke blue because Duke was a special place to Stan and because it would be visually appealing against the cream-colored walls of the exhibit. It was a unique color that made the entire display pop.

After the panels, the next challenge was the video. This was another skill set that I did not have, but I knew that I could learn. I watched several tutorials on iMovie and eventually taught myself how to use the software. Instead of fitting the video interviews to my narrative, I arranged the video clips by a topic and set them in chronological order. I then made my narrative fit the clips to tell Stan’s story. From there, I found various images and video clips to use throughout the film. I had to do a lot of cutting, which was hard, and I eventually cut the video to ten minutes in length and added music.

The trickiest part of the video was choosing the music. I did not want the documentary to sound like an epic movie soundtrack, nor did I want it to sound like elevator music. I spent hours sifting through tracks, looking for a right inspiring tune for each chapter of Stan’s life.

When the video was finished, I was left with roughly five days to paint and spackle the walls, hang up the posters, and fill the space. During the information collection stage of the internship, I gathered a lot of original Stan Lundine campaign material. I found over 50 campaign buttons, 2 hats, 10 bumper stickers, and 1 matchbook with a single match remaining (plus various other materials). I used these items to fill the display cases and arranged the campaign buttons in the shape of New York State. I also had various plaques and several pictures in the collection. My personal favorite item was the Duke University pennant flag. I was setting up the exhibit up until the day before the Stan Lundine Tribute event making sure everything was perfect.

It was not until after the tribute, on my way home, that the full scope of how much I accomplished hit me. I had grown so much in the four months I worked for the Robert H. Jackson Center. I not only refined the skills I learned at Bonas, but I also learned new ones. I also learned to be more confident in myself and understand that I am capable of so much more. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work for the Jackson Center and thankful for the experience.

Board Games in the Library

Tuesday, October 1

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lower Seminar Room

Friedsam Memorial Library

Join us for pizza and games.  Destress before midterms.

We'll have a variety of games.  Bring a game.  Stay for a little bit, stay for the entire time.

The past few semesters we've been playing board games near the end of the semester to chill before finals.  This semester we're mixing things up, playing games before midterms.
 

Meet our New History Majors: Charlie Bridge

My Name is Charlie Bridge I’m from Baldwinsville New York. It’s a small town just outside of Syracuse. I went to Baker High School and played football. I loved playing sports in high school and that led me to making new friends wherever I went. I fell in love with history when I was in 7^th grade because my teacher would create lessons around the students, putting us into the history. It always felt like we traveled back in time and the stories of the past were my stories too. Also, my mom always took me to battlefields and historic landmarks. Some of my favorite destinations for history include Boston, Williamsburg, and Gettysburg. 

Over the years in high school I traveled to Europe and became a Magician. I have played my last game of football and accomplished everything that I felt that I set out to do in high school. I knew I wanted to go on to teaching history and coaching. When I came to St. Bonaventure, I knew this was the right place for me because it already felt like home.

Meet our New History Majors: Selena Vazquez

Hello my name is Selena Vazquez. I am a freshman history and international studies double major. I have always been into history, from reading The Magic Treehouse books in elementary school, to wanting to focus on the civil war as my concentration now. I hope in the future to become a museum curator and travel to collect pieces for exhibits all around the globe. I am originally from Lorain, Ohio which is thirty minutes away from Cleveland. In the past I have volunteered to do work for Johnson’s Island, a POW civil war camp, in Sandusky, Ohio. I hope to get even more involved with work like this during my time at St. Bonaventure. 

Leading with Integrity & Innovation: Stan Lundine Video by Ashlee Gray

As part of her internship with the Robert H. Jackson Center, Ashlee Gray created this video.

Bonas Student Works on Exhibit Opening at Robert H. Jackson Center

From the Jamestown Post-Journal:

A new exhibit is premiering at the Jackson Center to honor the career of a former Jamestown mayor, U.S. Congressman and lieutenant governor of New York. 

On Sunday, "Leading with Integrity & Innovation: Stan Lundine," will open to the public at the Jackson Center, which is also hosting a special event to honor the life and career of Lundine at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at its Carl M. Cappa Theatre. The event is free and open to all.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Lundine's mayoral election, the center will highlight the influence of Lundine's career as the former mayor of Jamestown, Jan. 1, 1970, through March 8, 1976, U.S. Congressman, March 2, 1976, through Dec. 31, 1986, and lieutenant governor of New York, Jan. 1, 1987, through Dec. 31, 1994. He is also the former chair of the Jackson Center's Board of Directors and continues to serve as one of its members.

Ashlee Gray, Jackson Center intern and senior at St. Bonaventure University, created the exhibit and compiled interviews for a short documentary that will be shown at Sunday's event. Gray said she heard at college that the Jackson Center was looking for an intern for the summer.

"They wanted someone to take the reigns on the project this year," she said. "(Lundine) turns 80 years old and its the 50th anniversary of him being elected mayor."
Gray said she is a native of Machias and didn't know much about the history of the city or Lundine.

"Coming here I've learned quite a bit about Jamestown," she said. "I didn't even know who Stan was, but I've learned he is very important to Jamestown, to the Southern Tier and to the whole state of New York."

The event Sunday will include remarks from family, friends and professionals who worked with Lundine or were influenced by him during his almost 50 years in public service.

For more information, call the Jackson Center at 483-6646.

Meet our New History Majors: Ryan Bahret

Hello, my name is Ryan Bahret. I’m from Dutchess County, New York.  I’m a freshman this year and I’m an adolescence education major with a focus in history. I play on the rugby team and I hope to get involved in other intramural sports. The first time I discovered my interest for history was my 8th grade year. I had this teacher named Mr. Testa and he really made is glass very enjoyable and engaging. He would put on popular movies and break them down, explaining every scene as it actually happened in history. Apart from that he was a very relatable guy and an excellent teacher. From then on, I genuinely enjoyed history throughout the rest of my high school career and decided to continue my love for history through college.

Meet our New History Majors: Donald States

Hello everybody, my name is Donald States, but you can call me Don. I am currently a freshman at St Bonaventure University, and I will be majoring in Adolescence Education with a concentration in Social Studies. I am from a small town in Pennsylvania called Pennsburg where I attended Upper Perkiomen High School. Some of the hobbies I enjoy includes playing sports with my friends, driving around with friends, and listening to music. 

The reason why I chose to become an education major with a focus on history was because of my 8^th grade teacher who was very inspiring to me. He always made class very fun, interesting, and never made anyone disappointed. I hope to pursue my career in Adolescence education and become a future high school history teacher.

Meet our New History Majors: Liam Hart

My name is Liam Hart, I am a history major from Grand Island, NY. I fell in love with history at a very young age because of my father. It really started when he would tell me stories about stuff like our family history and the history of the United States. He would also show me TV shows about history such as: Band of Brothers, Turn, and a bunch of random shows on the history channel from time to time. My favorite time periods to learn about is the American Revolutionary era and the Napoleonic era, I find them both to be very fascinating and exciting to learn about.

I went to Grand Island high school, there I played one year of JV football and two years of Varsity football. I also played Varsity baseball my senior year. As a freshman and sophomore, I took AP world history. As a junior I took AP U.S. History as well as College Spanish. I am currently attending St. Bonaventure University, while here I plan on getting a degree in history. I am looking forward to spending time here and learning more and more about history, as well as meet new people and make new friends.

Meet our New History Majors: Matthew Wing

My name is Matthew Wing. I am from Boston Massachusetts and I am a History major as well as a member of the Rugby team here at St. Bonaventure. I have always had an interest in history. It all began when high school when we were learning about ancient histories like the Peloponnesian War and the Rise and Fall of Rome. Other than learning about history in the classroom I have also been able to visit many historical places here in America some which are local such as the grounds from the battle of Lexington and Concord. And other areas such as Gettysburg and the multitude of monuments in Washington D.C. I don't exactly know what I want to do with my history degree but I do know that I want to further my knowledge and love for history here at St. Bonaventure.

Meet our New History Major: Robert Scheurer

Hello, my name is Robert Scheurer, and I am an incoming freshman at Saint Bonaventure University. I’d like to share a little about myself and why I chose to be a history major.

I was born in New York City, but was raised in Cranford, a small town in northern New Jersey. From an early age, I was fascinated by stories. I began to read, and by the time I was four I could read well enough on my own. I loved anything I could get my hands on, consuming information like a junkie. From dinosaurs to the Titanic, I loved to learn. This led to me joining the Cub Scouts in Kindergarten, which ended with me as an Eagle Scout and a veteran of Philmont Scout Ranch. I went to St. Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City for high school and earned several varsity letters in football and rugby. I was a member of the Celtic Club and Italian Club. Currently, I am on the St. Bonaventure Rugby team and am looking forward to joining the history club.

My dad really got me into history, as he enjoys to study history as a hobby. My favorite areas to study are especially European and American history during the 20^th century, specifically military history. I am looking forward to studying and honing my skills in these fields.

Meet our New History Majors: Joshua Sweeney

My name is Joshua Sweeney, I am a history major at St. Bonaventure University. I have always wanted to be a history teacher for a few years now since I was in 7^th grade, my history teacher of American history was so interactive with his students and was a big sports fan, so I really connected with him and started my urge to want to be a history teacher, then it continued with another teacher and so on, proceeding to involve myself with AP history courses I still kept my passion. It has always been my passion and I look forward to further developing that passion in this class here at SBU. I have played football and lacrosse in high school, And will be playing on the SBU club lacrosse team, And I look forward to furthering my education here at SBU.

Meet our New History Majors: Hayden Robinson

My name is Hayden Robinson. Before attending St. Bonaventure, I was an athlete in many sports including basketball, football, baseball, and BMX racing. After reaching high school, the only sport I would continue to pursue is basketball, however BMX is where I achieved the most success. In 2011 I became the number one BMX rider in my age group in the United States and my success on the BMX track gave me the opportunity to visit many different places including Columbia, France, and Las Vegas to name a few. As a senior in high school, I was captain of the basketball team and played very well that season. I had the choice of playing basketball in college, however I decided to focus on my education and college degree. During high school I excelled in all of my history classes. Seeing history was my best subject, I felt majoring in history for college would be a good path. Along with majoring in history, I decided to minor in education. Currently, I could see myself as a great high school teacher that all students would like. However, I am open to changing my major at any given point if I don’t feel comfortable with it anymore. Seeing many college students have a change of heart and move to a different area of study gives me a better attitude towards it. I hope to have a great four years at St. Bonaventure University as I learn and experience many great things while I am here.

Design thinking in a history class

 You can't tell from the picture but if you could read the whiteboard you would see that in History 206 we reversed engineered a game to look at the way information is organized.  Lots of diagrams and such. We want to think about how to take content (our research) and organize it into something folks can use and understand.

Japan- Summer Trip Information Meetings

Meet our New History Majors: Garrett Harp

My name is Garrett Harp, and I am from Orchard Park New York.  I have played both high school hockey and lacrosse and I will be playing hockey for the St Bonaventure Club team.  I have interests in both history and business and have already completed an internship at a 3D Metal printing company located outside of Ithaca New York.  I have been interested in history for as long as I can remember.  I come from a family that always taught me the importance of history, and the entertainment you can get from it.  I have traveled to France, Switzerland, and Italy and have been able to see some of the world’s greatest historical sites. The Notre Dame was one of those sites I was so grateful to see.  I hope to expand my skills in the History department, and I am looking forward to a great year. 

Ashlee Gray interning at the Robert H. Jackson Center

Ashlee Gray, a double major in History and English, hard at work this summer for her internship at the Robert H. Jackson Center.

Scotland: An Academic and Personal Journey

Posted by Steven J. J. Pitt

In late June, I participated in “The Problem of Piracy” conference (https://problemofpiracyconference.home.blog/conferenceprogramme2019/) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. One of the great privileges of being an academic is the ability to travel, meet other scholars working in your field, and exchange ideas. This conference, organized by Dr. David Wilson, Dr. John Coakley, and Nathan Kwan, examined piracy from antiquity to the present. The opportunity to participate in this conference thrilled me because my dissertation, publications (articles and book reviews), and research interests deal heavily with the pirates, sailors, privateers, and smugglers during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was also the first time in my career, as far as I am aware, that an institution has hosted a conference entirely dedicated to pirates and piracy. On a more personal front, the location of the conference struck me as especially fortuitous. Travelling to Scotland had been a life goal because my father, Lt. Steven J. Pitt, died in the Isle of Skye during a training mission when his F111 crashed into the mountain of Sgurr na Stri on December 7, 1982 – four months before I was born. The crash site was just a five-hour drive from Glasgow (more like eight or nine hours after stopping to behold the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the ruins of castles along the way). After receiving word from David that my proposal had been accepted, I knew that part of my trip to Scotland would entail visiting Skye and climbing Sgurr na Stri to the crash site.   

F111s in flight from Lakenheath in 

England where my Dad was stationed

As I prepared my presentation, entitled “Boston, Pirates, and Reciprocal Revenge during the Early Eighteenth Century,” I thought about how I would carry out my journey up Sgurr na Stri. Initially, I envisioned a very somber, solitary hike up the mountain – a personal pilgrimage and tribute of sorts with a life goal accomplished but with little joy or sharing. I would have slipped into Skye, stayed a couple of nights, climbed the mountain, and no one would have been the wiser. I could have lived with that experience but the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea. I decided to invite my older sister, Sara, who was six at the time of the crash. Several years earlier, Sara had invited me to go on a similar journey. I declined because our family had just moved from Maine to New York and we were in the process of buying a house. It now felt right to have her join me on the climb up Sgurr na Stri. I knew that inviting my sister would change the nature of the trip I had planned, but I could not have envisioned by just how much.

Sara already had a contact up in Skye, a very gifted artist named David Deamer, who informed her about the All Things Cuillin (https://allthingscuillin.co.uk/) Facebook group, which in turn put her in contact with Adrian Trendall. Adrian is a talented photographer and mountain guide who had been to my Dad’s crash site before. He, along with the wonderful Bridgette Blackmore, also run the Boat House in Sconser where Sara and I stayed during our visit to Skye. David “Heavy” Whalley, the man who led the RAF’s initial rescue attempt in extremely dangerous weather conditions, also reached out to Sara via the Facebook group and generously offered to join us on our journey. I was relatively unaware of all these arrangements taking place and relationships being formed but I am extremely grateful to everyone involved, especially Sara because I would not have reached out to anyone. Through Sara, I learned how much people in Skye remembered and cared about my father’s crash. This tragic event connected us.

I arrived in Glasgow for my conference on June 23. Over the next three days, our cohort of rabble-rousing pirate experts exchanged ideas and debated “The Problem of Piracy.” I learned a great deal from all the panel sessions I attended and the two keynote speakers, Dr. Claire Jowitt (University of East Anglia) and Dr. David Starkey (University of Hull). Our Pedagogical Roundtable, led by Dr. Jessica Hower (Southwestern University), generated a great discussion and great ideas for educating students about pirates and piracy and will prove extremely beneficial when I teach HIST451: Piracy during the Age of Sail again.

In Glasgow, I stayed at the Merchant City Inn, an eighteenth century building where tobacco merchants trading with the Americas met to conduct business. 

I also enjoyed the comradery and conversations outside of panel sessions where I openly discussed my plans to visit my Dad’s crash site with many colleagues. I appreciated the warmth and encouragement I received in return. In talking about my forthcoming trip to Skye with colleagues, I realized that I had suppressed discussing my Dad and his death for much of my life. He had been my hero as a young child but, even as I learned more about my father and his life, a stony silence set in during adulthood. This insight helped explain why my first inclination was a secret, solo mission up Sgurr na Stri.

One of our many stops in the Glen Coe region. 

Along with beautiful vistas, we stopped to see the ruins of 

castles.

Sara arrived in Glasgow on June 26, the last day of my conference. The next day we drove up to the Isle of Skye. As I previously noted, on the way we passed through the Scottish Highlands and the beautiful region around Glen Coe. It was hard not to stop every mile to walk around and take pictures of the vividly green scenery and lakes that reflected mountains like mirrors. The journey was not without its perils. Narrow roads, curbs, aggressive drivers, sheep and elderly people crossings, and driving on the opposite side of the road kept me on high alert (primarily in the passenger seat), but we safely arrived at the Boat House in Sconser around dinner. There we met Adrian and Bridgette in-person. Their genuineness and kindness immediately shone through. I connected easily with Adrian as we share a similar sense of humor and Bridgette over our mutual interest in birds, nature photography, and environmental concerns. Sara and I knew we had placed our trust correctly.

The next morning, we prepared for our climb up Sgurr na Stri. Skye can have volatile weather, but the forecast smiled upon us, holding clear skies, sunshine, and a steady upper 70° day. The good weather meant that our ferry from Elgol would be able to carry us to Loch Coruisk, a perfect starting point for our climb. In poor weather, the ferry does not run and the only way up Sgurr na Stri is a very long hike. David Whalley warmly and respectfully greeted us when we arrived in Elgol. I could tell that it meant the world to David that we invited him to join us and, upon meeting him, the feeling was mutual. Throughout the day, David would share the experience of the RAF Mountain Rescue team’s attempted rescue of my father and the pilot, Major Burnley L. Rudiger Jr. and the impact of the tragedy on his life. David clearly prioritized remembrance of the fallen and peace for the family members and relatives left behind. His presence was a constant comfort through a difficult but poignant day. He is a remarkable person. 

My first look at Sgurr na Stri from Elgol. 

Our party assembled, we went down to the harbor to meet with Anne Mackinnon who, along with Seamus Mackinnon, run the Misty Isle Boat Trips to Loch Coruisk (http://mistyisleboattrips.co.uk/). Anne remembered the night of our father’s crash well and she made special arrangements for us, not least making sure there was a boat for us after our long hike (we ended up a little behind schedule). Once again, the kindness of everyone we met on Skye astounded me and Sara, but the Mackinnon’s went above and beyond. We then boarded the Misty Isle, captained by Sandy Mackinnon, Anne’s son. As we crossed over to the loch, Sandy regaled us with stories, but I was especially interested in how his family helped hide Bonnie Prince Charlie from the Hanoverians in the 1740s and suffered punishment from the Crown because of it. The historian in me wondered if this family history has been fully explored and documented. As we got closer to Sgurr na Stri with its foreboding split and devastating history, Sandy’s stories, along with the company of Sara, David, and Adrian, helped distract from my uncertainty about what I expected or wanted from this experience.

Our view of Loch na Cuilce as we climbed Sgurr na Stri.

When we docked at Loch Coruisk, Adrian considerately allowed the other passengers to depart so we would have some privacy on our ascent. Sandy treated us to coffee, tea, and Misty Isle’s lovely shortbread cookies as we lingered. We then departed on our way up Sgurr na Stri. Initially, the climb was gradual, and we marveled at the beauty of the surrounding Cuillins and Loch Coruisk but it didn’t take long for it to become steep. Adrian picked the best path forward, but we had to be careful of some slick rocks and wet, sinking grass. I thoroughly enjoyed the movement up Sgurr na Stri, using my hands and feet to find the securest placement – it was exhilarating, and it kept me focused as we moved towards the crash site. About an hour into the hike, Adrian warned us that we would soon approach pieces of my Dad’s F111. Adrian had sent Sara some images of the crash site before our trip, but I was ignorant of what to expect. I mistakenly thought I overheard Adrian say there wasn’t much left of the crash so when we came to the first piece – a relatively sizable hunk of rusted metal – I thought this might be our big find. Me and Sara stopped here and sat near this first piece. We considered our Dad’s life and what he might have wanted us to take from this trip. From all the stories we had heard about our Dad, he lived life to the fullest, in part, because a drunk driver killed his own father when he was twelve. Sara thought he would have wanted us to enjoy a few beers and listen to some good music – an excellent plan for a future visit up Sgurr na Stri. We also spoke with regret that our sibling, Jen, who had been two at the time of my Dad’s crash, had been unable to join us.

As we continued our ascent, it became clear to me that there was much more to the crash site than I had anticipated. I began to find pieces, some of them hidden away, half-buried in dirt or covered by rocks. I began actively searching for each fragment of aircraft. I couldn’t help but think that if only I found them all, I could piece my father and his life back together and fulfill my childhood dream meeting him at least once. For a short time, the task gave me a profound sense of purpose. Reality, and the futility of my quest, hit me hard as we approached the main crash site. Twisted metal, tires, and pieces of the cockpit littered the ground all around us and it became difficult to move without stepping on pieces. The sheer volume forced me to abandon my irrational mission and with it my sense of purpose.

Lt. Steven J. Pitt

We soon arrived at the site where the impact of the F111 had left the mountain face gouged and disfigured – the place where we had lost our father. The sadness of the site left me burying emotions and detached. I am thankful that David began talking to me about the rescue attempt. He pointed out where the helicopter had dropped off the team and how they climbed Sgurr na Stri in rough, winter conditions. The physical and emotional hardships he experienced that night in December 1982 gave him the capacity to share our grief in a way I could not have anticipated. After talking with David, I walked over to a ledge and looked out over the ocean and at the surrounding mountains. The majestic beauty gave me a deep sense of peace, despite the heartbreak behind me. My Dad could not have asked for a better burial ground.

The incredible vista from my Dad's crash site. 

In retrospect, it’s hard for me to envision a different story other than the one I laid out above, or the powerful narratives of Adrian, Sara, and David about our trip, but I could have easily ended up alone on Sgurr na Stri. I had been written out of the published and online accounts of my father’s death, mostly because of our family’s recalcitrant silence about the crash. If I had chosen my first path, I would have remained the unknown son, no new relationships would have formed, and a tragedy would have remained just that – a tragedy. Instead, me and Sara have wonderful memories filled with the kindness, joy, and warmth of Adrian, Bridgette, David, Anne and Seamus, my colleagues in Glasgow, and virtually everyone else we met on our journey. Sgurr na Stri and its visceral beauty will always be the place my father died, the place where I forever lost the opportunity to meet or know my father and vice versa, but now it is also a place of happiness, a place I could seek solace in the future, and a place I want my three children to experience and love.  

For Adrian and David’s excellent narratives and more pictures of our trip see (Adrian expected sources from me, the historian, but I doubt he expected to be one):

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/165143940728168/permalink/462521317657094/
https://heavywhalley.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/sgurr-na-stri-skye-a-wonderful-moving-day-and-a-visit-to-the-usa-f111f-crash-site/ 

Me and Adrian just before we tried to pirate the ferryboat behind us. The pirate pajama pants, however, gave the game away and the vessel fled. 

In addition to Adrian, Bridgette, David, Anne, and everyone we met in Skye, I would like to thank St. Bonaventure University and my colleagues in the History Department for their encouragement and support.

Last Day of the Culture Wars Class

Some of the really excellent students on the last day of History 417:  Culture Wars:  The Politics of Memory.  We had some great discussions.

Kurt, Brandy, Deanna, Theresa, and Evan.  (The others fled to avoid being in the picture).

Summer Study in Japan, 2020

We're getting ready for next summer. How about you? Jump on board our 2020 Summer Study Tour in Japan!

Our 11-day program, May 24-June 3, 2020, offers an unforgettable study tour through Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka and Hakone, where you can experience the energy of the Akihabara Electric Town and the Zen of Itsukushima Shrine.

The program is led by SBU History Professors and includes round-trip airfare, transportation on the ground, a full-time tour director, accommodations, breakfasts and dinners including regional-style meals, guided sightseeing, museum and site entry fees, as well as tuition and administration fees for the three-credit course HIST 364: Modern Japan. $5995. 

Check us out at www.sbu.edu/studyinjapan

HIST494: History through Gaming

This past semester, I have been experimenting with a course that combines computer/video games with history. Students have played an array of historically-themed games from the popular Assassin's Creed series to strategy games like Civilization 5. Students have written blog posts about the course games, researched and presented on unassigned games, and are developing their own hypothetical "dream" historically-themed game by doing historical research and incorporating game design and mechanics. As a class, we constantly seek elements of game-play that are factual and educational, as well as questioning when developers go beyond the realm of history into fiction. For more information about the course and links to student blog posts see the course website: https://spitt9.wixsite.com/historythroughgaming).

Joe Gardner presenting on Call of Duty 3,
which focuses on the Invasion of Normand.

The class has also benefited greatly from St. Bonaventure University's new eSports Club, the officers of which generously invited us to use their gaming room. Without this offer, teaching games like Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Battlefield I, and Call of Duty: WWII, would have been impossible.

Joe Gardner, Connor O'Keefe, and Brendan Fischer playing Battlefield I, which follows the stories of WWI soldiers across Europe. Those chairs in the eSport Club gaming room are amazing.    

History through Gaming students playing Battlefield V, which takes place during WWII. Battlefield V has had its share of
controversy over historical accuracy and including women in combat roles. 

Logan presented on Oregon Trail, one of the first historically-themed games used to teach history. He even played through the game although the pace at which he played ensured that everyone rapidly died. 

Luke presented on Assassin's Creed: Origins, which takes place during the Ptolemy Dynasty in Egypt. This game has a tourist mode where players can visit sites in Egypt and learn about them.  

Noah presented on his favorite subject, Ancient Rome, with the game Ryse: Son of Rome. 

 

History Club Trips 2018-2019

This past academic year, History Club had a blast visiting Old Fort Niagara, the Buffalo Zoo, and the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site.

Our first trip in November 2018 took us to Old Fort Niagara where we learned about the French construction of the fort in the late seventeenth century and the imperial contests that eventually led to the British conquest during the French and Indian War in 1759. Jacob Keenan served as an excellent tour guide, sharing his inside knowledge about the fort and life as a soldier in colonial America.

This is an excellent view overlooking Lake Ontario. You can
see the CN Tower in Toronto from this vantage point.
From Left to Right: Jessica, Oscar, Andrew, Christian, and Jacob.  

The main fort where French, British, and American soldiers lived,
traded with Native Americans, and served as the last line of defense. 

These revolutionaries are about to take up arms against the
tyrannical British or perhaps join the cast of
Hamilton: An American Musical. 

Jacob demonstrates the finer points of how to properly
hold a musket and march to the rabble above.

This tiger was quite friendly. 

History Club with Theodore Roosevelt.
From Left to Right: Andrew, Will, Oscar, Ashley, Tori, and Nick

Our second adventure took us back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when zoos and world's fairs became popularized in Europe and the United States. First, we went the Buffalo Zoo. Built in 1875, the Buffalo Zoo is the third oldest in the United States. Students enjoyed seeing the lions, tigers, and bears but Ashley's passion for turtles became a group quest to find the shy reptiles. After a fantastic lunch at a Mexican restaurant, we went to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site where Theodore Roosevelt was sworn into office after the assassination of President William McKinley at Buffalo's Pan-American Exposition in 1901. We learned a great deal about McKinley's assassination and Roosevelt's swearing in, including the story of Roosevelt's harrowing trip from the Adirondack's, where he was in the midst of climbing Mt. Marcy when he learned of McKinley's dire situation, to Buffalo.

Will found great satisfaction in exploiting his
workers to become a "Captain of Industry"
like the great steel baron Andrew Carnegie 

Will added a little fist-pump action for good measure.  

Checking out the seals at the Buffalo Zoo 

Watch out for that Rhinoceros horn, Tori!