Somewhere in France

The Buffalo News has a nice article on Dr. Schaeper's Somewhere in France.  It begins....

"Professor of history Thomas J. Schaeper of Saint Bonaventure University has achieved a stellar place in the annals of writing about the history of war. He does this with his excellent book “Somewhere In France” which shows that all war is, in the end,  a story of the "quick and the dead," the personal and local."

Check out the story and the book.

Dr. Schaeper Publishes New Book

Dr. Thomas J. Shaeper, professor of history, recently published a new book, titled "Somewhere in France: The World War I Letters and Journal of Private Frederick A. Kittleman." In 1983, a man cleaning out his attic in Olean came across a stack of papers that had previously gone unnoticed. After glancing through them, he discovered they were letters dealing with World War I and brought them to nearby St. Bonaventure to donate to the library. The library alerted Schaeper and what resulted was a decades-long project. The letters were those of Priv. Frederick A. Kittleman, a small-town man who regularly wrote to his family after being drafted in 1918 and sent to France. The letters are contrasted with Kittleman's journal, which recounts the gritty details of battle that he shielded from his family in their correspondence. "Somewhere in France" will be available Feb. 1. 

Read the full story about his book on the SBU web page here.

Dr. Schaeper Writes Article Based on World War I Letters

Dr. Thomas Schaeper is writing a book based on the letters of Fred Kittleman, an Olean man who served in World War I.  As we wind our way through the 100th anniversary of the Great War, Kittleman's story offers a local perspective on a global tragedy.  See his recent piece in the Olean Times Herald, "Letters tell of Oleander going to war `Over There."

SBU HISTORY NEWSLETTER YEAR 18, NO. 3 31 OCTOBER 2012

SBU  HISTORY  NEWSLETTER

YEAR 18,  NO. 3    31 OCTOBER 2012

BY DR. THOMAS J. SCHAEPER

 

St. Bonaventure and the World Series

　John McGraw

         The recent success of the San Francisco Giants in the World Series reminded me that at one time St. Bonaventure had a close connection with both the Giants and the World Series. Did you know that a former Bona student once cancelled the World Series? The man who did this was John McGraw. The first World Series took place in 1903. Since that time there have been only two years when it was not held. The second cancellation came in 1994, when the players were on strike. The first cancellation occurred in 1904. John McGraw was the manager of the National League champion New York Giants. (The Giants moved to San Francisco in 1957). The National League was the older of the two leagues. The American League had started only in 1901, and McGraw hated the idea of giving the new, rival league publicity and respect by having the two leagues play in a World Series. So he refused to let his Giants play the American League champion Boston Pilgrims (later the Red Sox).

Dr. Schaeper Addresses American Revolution Roundtable

Recently Dr. Thomas J. Schaeper, Professor of History, spoke at a general meeting of the American Revolution Round Table in New York City. His topic was "Edward Bancroft: Master Spy of the American Revolution." The Round Table's members meet five times per year at a dinner banquet. Previous speakers before the group have included Pulitzer Prize winners David McCullough, Gordon Wood, and David Hackett Fischer. Schaeper's talk was an outgrowth of his book "Edward Bancroft: Scientist, Author, Spy," which was published in 2011 by Yale University Press. The book will appear in paperback later this summer.

SBU History Newsletter no. 9 (Year 17)

SBU HISTORY NEWSLETTER

YEAR17, NO. 9 15 APRIL 2012

BY DR. THOMAS J. SCHAEPER

"Griff" –Another Bona Legend

Every day throughout the school year most Bona students pass by a portrait of Griff. But how many of today’s students have any idea who he was? His name was Francis Griffin, but everyone called him "Griff." He is perhaps the only person ever associated with our campus whose portrait is hanging on public display in not just one, but two, locations. The portrait that most people see hangs on a wall in the RC Café. The other one is near the steps leading to the lower level of the library. St. Francis would probably be pleased to know that Griff is honored in two places, for Griff was one of the "little people." He was born in Allegany in 1900 and died in the friary’s infirmary in 1978. From the 1930s to the 1970s he was a member of the campus maintenance staff. He worked on the campus farm, which was located where the McGraw-Jennings field is today. After the farm closed he used a team of horses to pick up trash around campus. He became a beloved fixture. Every spring he said he was preparing the horses for the Kentucky Derby. In his retirement years he continued to come to campus each day. At lunchtime he would sit in the RC Café, and students would compete to get a chair near him. He lived in an old farmhouse across from campus–where the Uni-Mart sits today.

SBU History Newsletter no. 8 (Year 17)

SBU HISTORY NEWSLETTER

YEAR 17, NO. 8 11 MARCH 2012

BY DR. THOMAS J. SCHAEPER

St. Bonaventure University has had many legendary figures during its more than 150 years of existence. One of the best was Father Irenaeus, who devoted 50 years of his life to serving as library director and university archivist. Bona students today know of Irenaeus as a mountain retreat, and thus it is good to remind them of the gentle spirit after whom it is named. "Irenaeus" comes from the word for "peace." Father Irenaeus was the personification of that word. Those on campus who are old enough to have known him will never forget his quiet, generous spirit and his ever cheerful disposition.

HISTORY MAJOR’S EXHIBIT IN QCA

The Department of History is proud to announce the opening of a new exhibit in the Quick Center for the Arts. The exhibit is entitled "World War II Through a Soldier’s Eyes." This exhibit was created by senior History major Diana Phalon. This project constitutes her Honors Program capstone. In the exhibit she tries to convey the feeling of what war was like for an ordinary soldier. To achieve this sense of immediacy she has included oral histories from some World War II veterans, plus pictures, weapons, parachutes, uniforms, ribbons, medals, and other artifacts. To celebrate the opening of this exhibit the department will sponsor a reception in the Quick Center atrium at 6:30 tomorrow evening–that is, on Monday the 12^th. Everyone is invited to attend. The exhibit will be on display in the Branch Family Gallery until 12 April.

SBU History Newsletter no. 7 (Year 17)

SBU HISTORY NEWSLETTER

YEAR 17, NO. 7

BY DR. THOMAS J. SCHAEPER---

Shrine of St. Joseph

The two pictures above show the Shrine of St. Joseph, which is located in woods behind St. Francis Hall. This shrine was erected more than a half century ago by seminarians of Christ the King Seminary (which later became St. Francis Hall). The shrine was built at the bottom of a former oil tank storage lot. The five-foot statue of St. Joseph holding the baby Jesus was donated by Rev. Joseph A. Burke, Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo. Nowadays the shrine is difficult to find in the dense shrubbery. The statue was removed and put in storage. Perhaps when spring arrives adventurous students will rediscover this forgotten part of our history.

Summer Internships

Thanks to a generous grant from the university, the Department of History will be able to provide some financial support to students who wish to have summer internships getting hands-on experience in some history-related activity. Student interns will be able to do this work somewhere in or near their hometowns. This could be in a local historical society, museum, state park, or other such place. If you are interested in such an internship, you might wish to contact organizations near your homes over midterm break. For more information, contact me.