Public Historian

History Background

I have loved history for as long as I can remember. I grew up around older relatives who enjoyed telling stories about their experiences and family lore. I remember being shocked as a young boy when my grandfather told me he knew individuals who had fought in the Civil War (much to his amusement). He picked me up from kindergarten one day and took me to a ceremony aboard the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stern-wheel steamboat Mississippi which was tied up in Cairo, Illinois for the day (see a 1955 photo of the Mississippi below). My early interest in history was further encouraged when I received the American Heritage Junior Library volumes on steamboats, railroads, and cowboys. 

Forced to choose a major in college, I selected the subject I most enjoyed hearing lectures about: history (there are worse ways to choose a major!). I loved music, too, but music was something I enjoyed doing rather than something I wanted to study. After graduating with a BA in History from Vanderbilt University in 1976 I pursued a career in music for thirty years while I continued to read history and visit museums and historic sites.

Back to School

In 2009 I renewed my love for learning as a student in the Master of Liberal Arts and Science (MLAS) program at Vanderbilt University. I took two history courses as part of the MLAS program; both had a profound effect on me. In Slavery Studies, I learned about a man named Sylas “Sy” Williams who had been enslaved by my ancestors in Charleston, Missouri. Based on my research, I started an education award to benefit Charleston students. The Sy Williams Annual Award for Education, now in its twelfth year, is described in greater detail in the Scholar section. During a course in the history of the Caribbean, I developed an interest in Trinidad and Tobago and calypso music, one of the nation’s best-known exports. A classmate encouraged me to apply for a Fulbright grant so I could study calypso in person. In 2018, after three applications, I received a Fulbright U.S. Scholars grant for Trinidad and Tobago. My experiences as a Fulbright scholar in Trinidad are detailed in the Scholar section.

Public History PhD Program at MTSU

I started the doctoral program in Public History at MTSU in the spring of 2019 and have enjoyed every minute of it! My public history projects to date have included researching the music of Spanish-speaking churches in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; organizing historical marker projects for two recording studios; producing a reissue of recordings on the university’s record label; and working on my dissertation project: preserving the history of Kennett Sound Studios, a recording studio in southeast Missouri where I recorded as a teenager.