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).

History Newsletter 9 October 2012

SBU HISTORY NEWSLETTER
YEAR 18, NO. 2 9 OCTOBER 2012
BY DR. THOMAS J. SCHAEPER

St. Bonaventure Cemetery

As everyone knows, St. Bonaventure has its own cemetery. I recommend it to students who need to escape from campus and get some fresh air and exercise. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place for contemplation about the meaning of life (and death). It’s also a place where one can find the graves of many persons who were extremely important in the history of our institution. Fr. Thomas Plassmann was the longest serving president in our history (1920-1949). Fr. Irenaeus Herscher served as library director and archivist for about a half century. It is fitting that our main classroom building and our mountain retreat are named after these two men.

New Member of the Department

Many of you have noticed that there is a new face in the Department of History this year. Mr. Christopher Dalton is a specialist in Chinese and East Asian History. He received his BA at the University of Florida and currently is completing his PhD dissertation for the University of Arizona. He has taught at several American universities and has also spent much time teaching and doing research in China. Mr. Dalton and his family live in Olean. I hope that everyone on campus makes him feel at home here.

Study of the United States Institute at St. Bonaventure University (Summer 2012)

St. Bonaventure University hosted a Study of the United States Institute about American government and history for student leaders from Central and South America, a program sponsored by the United States Department of State. Assistant Professor of History Maddalena Marinari served as academic director of the program. Please follow this link for more information: http://www.sbu.edu/alumniAndFriends.aspx?id=39738

Leanna Chojnacki Helps Bring Important Stamp Collection to SBU

On August 21, 2012, the St. Bonaventure University archives received an $11,000 United Nations stamp collection. Ray Albertella, an alumnus who graduated with a degree in History in 1962, donated this collection to the university after visiting the campus for the first time since he graduated. As part of my summer job working for Admissions, I signed up to give tours during the Alumni Weekend. One of the tours I gave was for the class of 1962 to show them what had changed at St. Bonaventure University since they attended the university 50 years earlier.

             During my tour, I showed the class of 1962 the Thisness piece to give them a sense of the types of clubs and activities in which current Bona students are engaged and mentioned the Model United Nations of which I am the current Secretary General. This peaked Mr. Albertella’s interest and after my tour he had started to ask me what our organization on our campus does. He soon told me about his collection of United Nations stamps and we exchanged email addresses.

Notes from a Summer Internship by History Major Stephen Bowers

There is an old saying that states, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Well, this past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to not forget my historical background but rather to live it. I could do so through the Genesee Country Museum in Mumford, NY.

At the Genesee Country Museum, as an historical interpreter, I was given several tasks on a weekly basis. One of the jobs I was given was to work on an old pioneer farmstead that was established in about 1820 in Bloomfield, NY. Here I was given chores that a typical farmer in the 19th century would’ve had to do, such as feeding the livestock, fixing the fences, or even chasing the chickens into the coop. I even learned about what plants are good to eat and which ones aren’t.

Not only was I on the farm, this summer, but I was also working in an active 19th century brewery. The original brewery was owned by Walter Grieve in Geneva, NY and pumped water directly from Seneca Lake. Though I rarely was given the opportunity to brew, I did learn an outstanding amount about the history and the importance of beer, not only in the United States but also around the world.

My last duty was in an old gunsmith shop that is from Dalton, NY. Working in this shop taught me a valuable lesson. I do not mean to sound too “right winged” but the quote goes, “The gun has played a critical role in history. An invention which has been praised and denounced, served hero and villain alike, and carries with it moral responsibility. To understand the gun, is to better understand history.” This quote certainly holds true if think about all the instrumental times in our history the gun has gotten us to where we are today (the American Revolution?).

What the Genesee Country Museum teaches so well that our history books cannot teach, but is often overlooked, is the simple idea of how people were still people 200 years ago. They lived honest lives and arguably more grueling than the ones we live today. Needless to say, I cannot fully sum this summer up in 300 words other than to say it has been the experience of a lifetime and really hope I am welcomed back as I was welcomed this year.

Notes from a Summer Internship by History Major Leah Brownstein

Western New York is gifted with tremendous historical importance exposed through the many societies, museums, and public exhibits. Although there are many educational opportunities available to examine these various historical events, the rich history of Buffalo, New York is often overlooked by the public. Society’s lack of historical knowledge became discouragingly obvious to me as I began volunteering my time at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.

I spent the first three weeks of my internship expanding my knowledge of Theodore Roosevelt as well as of the early 1900’s. I then devoted the following two weeks to understanding, memorizing, and learning how to properly convey an enormous amount of information. After doing so and becoming familiar with the structure of the site itself, I began giving guiding tours as an official docent. My first day as a docent I nervously sat behind the circulation desk along with two other very experienced volunteers. We alternated leading tour groups through the exhibits.

Notes from a Summer Internship by History Major Kevin Yehl

When I decided to take part in a summer internship this year, I considered several different local organizations where I felt I could gain experience and further my understanding of history. Initially, I planned on looking for an internship where I could learn about the local history of Olean, New York. I felt this would be interesting because, for such a small town, Olean has an incredibly diverse past. While that would have been interesting, I ended up taking an internship at the Eldred World War II Museum in Eldred, Pennsylvania instead. I had been to the museum as a child and remembered how impressed I had been even at a young age.

I was surprised to find that there was an interesting story about how the museum had come to be, which started over sixty years ago. Initially, the museum opened in recognition of the men and women who worked at or had a part in creating the National Munitions Plant #1. The man who opened the museum and continues to fund it, Tim Roudebush, had a particular interest in its creation because it was his father, George M. Roudebush, who was the lawyer that secured the land and contract for the munitions plant to be built at the onset of World War II.

Prior to America’s entry into the war, Great Britain hired George M. Roudebush to find a suitable place for a munitions plant to help further their war effort. After looking at many different places, Roudebush settled on Eldred, Pennsylvania for several reasons. Due to Eldred’s geographic position, it was far enough inland that it would be untouchable by the Germans. Also, there were already railroads in place at the time, making it easy to transfer finished munitions to the coast and on to Great Britain. Finally, Eldred was already the home of a factory in which explosives were produced for use in civilian oil fields, which made for an easy conversion into military munitions.