Congratulations to our Spring 2020 student award recipients

Justin Cole

The committee selected Justin Cole as the second recipient of the Faye and Maurice Barksdale and Sheila and Don Babers Scholarship ($1,000 for two years), which supports a promising history major with a record of academic achievement. Justin Cole has maintained a cumulative GPA of 4.0 (4.0) in his studies at UT-Arlington. His nominators, Dr. James Sandy and Dr. Bob Fairbanks, noted his outstanding written work, especially his skills in primary source research and use of library special collections. Justin also performed with distinction as an intern at the Fort Worth Military Museum in the fall of 2019. Basmah Arshad, the inaugural recipient of the Barksdale/Babers Scholarship, will enter her second year having maintained her 4.0 GPA and completed an honors thesis under the direction of Dr. Joyce Goldberg.

Christian Shotts

The committee selected Christian Shotts as the recipient of this year’s Lepenski Scholarship ($1,000), which supports an excellent undergraduate who demonstrates financial need. Christian has maintained a 3.76 GPA while working full time to support himself. His recommenders noted his academic abilities, as evidenced especially by a HIST 3300 research paper examining U.S. media perceptions of French capabilities during World War I. Christian is looking forward to a future career as a history teacher.

Alexandra Sanchez

The committee selected Alexandra Sanchez for this year’s Joseph and Barbara Penshorn Award ($1,500), which recognizes an exceptional undergraduate history major. Alexandra is a McNair Scholar and is graduating this semester with a 4.0 GPA. She was accepted to numerous Ph.D. Programs, and will be enrolling in Vanderbilt’s Latin American history Ph.D. program in the fall. Her nominator, Dr. David LaFevor, especially commended her honors thesis she wrote under his direction, “The Yaqui and Porfirio Díaz: Explaining One of the Largest Forgotten Genocides of Modern Mexico.”

Orion Barry

This year’s Barksdale Essay Award ($500) will go to Orion Barry for the essay, “Navajo Weaving Then and Now.” Nominator Dr. Paul Conrad praised Orion’s sophisticated research and analysis, which brought together three interconnected histories: weaving techniques and loom technologies, the diffusion of domesticated animals in the context of European colonization (the sheep used for wool), and the history of consumer culture and the marketing of artisanal “Indian-made” goods. Especially impressive was the clarity of the writing and the well-supported argument that Navajo weaving and identity have been historically intertwined.

Albert Nungaray

Juan Albert Nungaray is the recipient of this year’s Ida V. Hall and George Kohfeldt Scholarship ($1,000). Albert was selected based on his doctoral studies in Native American and Southwest history, as well as his record of involvement and activism on behalf of Native American communities in Texas and beyond. Among other achievements, Albert helped to establish Indigenous People’s Day in Dallas and serves as a cultural ambassador for FWISD American Indian Education program.

Lacey Brown-Bernal

Lacey Brown-Bernal was selected as the recipient of the Wolfskill M.A. Award ($500). Lacey was nominated by Dr. Stephanie Cole for the award, who noted her outstanding M.A. thesis, “African-American Women’s Resistance in the Aftermath of Lynching.” This thesis drew upon census records, city directories, newspapers and other primary sources to examine the life of Bettie Moss, the wife of Thomas Moss, a lynching victim in Memphis in 1891. As Dr. Cole noted, “Lacey’s professionalism, hard work, and impressive research and scholarship” make her deserving of this recognition.

Dr. Lydia Towns

This year’s recipient of the Wolfskill Ph.D. Award ($750) was Lydia Towns for her dissertation, “The Opening of the Atlantic World: England’s Transatlantic Interests during the reign of Henry VIII.” As her nominator and advisor Dr. Imre Demhardt noted, Lydia’s dissertation revises understandings of the British Atlantic World by arguing that its creation was not state sponsored but rather a profoundly transnational endeavor led by merchants, adventurers, and scholars. Dr. Demhardt commended the dissertation for its conceptual approach, impressive use of archival resources and clarity of writing. “Her thesis undoubtedly is the best I have been involved with during my stint at UTA,” he concluded.