Biographical Sketch

I am a Professor of History in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Memphis. I started teaching at what was then named Memphis State University in 1962, and I officially retired in May 2011 but will continue teaching in the post-retirement program for a few years. My class schedule and office hours vary from semester to semester, but I have regularly taught classes in United States history to 1877 (HIST 2010, formerly 2601), United States History since 1877 (HIST 2020, formerly 2602), and Colonial America (HIST 4620/6620). Occasionally I have taught Studies in U.S. History before 1877 (HIST 7650/8650). During the years that the requirement for a computation-intensive course was in the General Education Requirements, I designed and taught Quantification and History (HIST 3045). Before it was replaced by more area-specific historiographical courses, I taught the general Introduction to Historical Research and Writing (HIST 7000/8000). I was in the first group of instructors to teach Hebrew and Greek Legacy (UNIV 3580) for the University College, at first in the classroom and later online. For the Regents Online Degree Programs I wrote and implemented the WebCT version of that course and I also implemented the WebCT version of Faith, Reason, and Imagination that was written by Dr Robert Frankle.

I started along this path by taking a B.S. in History from Davidson College in 1956, followed by an M.A. in History from Northwestern University in 1957. After two years with the U.S. Army, I returned to Northwestern and received a Ph.D. in History in 1964, with training primarily in American colonial history. About 1982 it became clear to me that computers would be important even for history students, and I started taking courses in computer science. One course led to another and I ended up with an M.A. in Mathematical Sciences with Concentration in Computer Science from Memphis State University (now known as The University of Memphis) in 1986. I have been Webmaster for the Department of History and producer of its newsletter, History Happenings, for many years.

I am a member of the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the American Association of University Professors, and the South Carolina Historical Society.

My publications during the 1960s and 1970s were about colonial South Carolina history. In recent years I have concentrated mainly on online publications and especially on the subject of citing electronic information. Over the decades I have served on scores of committees for the Department, the College, and the University. I have also addressed numerous groups such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Huguenot Society, the Jamestowne Society, public school classes, and other groups. I lectured regularly in the department’s High School Scholars Seminar from 1979 until it ended in 2006, and I have been a judge in every History Day since the department started sponsoring that event in 1980.

I am addicted to books and music. In my spare time I prowl book stores and music stores, read, and listen to music, mostly classical. I enjoy bluegrass and old-time mountain music, and I sometimes play banjo in the old-time frailing or clawhammer style. I have long been interested in antiques and in world religions. And — obviously — I spend a lot of time with computers.