Union University
Union University Dept of History

Phi Alpha Theta


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2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014

2017-2018 Photos
The last formal stop of the World War I travel group from West Tennessee was the Medici Fountain that Marie de Medici, the widow of French King Henry IV, had built around 1630 in the Luxembourg Garden in Paris. The tour group saw the fountain on May 31, 2018. Drs. Stephen and Alice-Catherine Carls, both Phi Alpha Theta members, wait for their dinners at a restaurant on the Place du Tertre in the Montmartre area of Paris on May 28, 2018. They led a West Tennessee group of travelers on a World War I tour in Western Europe in the latter part of May. A French truck used to carry messenger pigeons is one of thousands of items on display at the Great War Museum in Meaux, France. The World War I travel group from West Tennessee explored the museum on May 28, 2018. Two French World War I “Adrian” helmets and a French kepi are among the items on display in a museum located in the tower of the Douaumont Ossuary at Verdun. Several members of the World War I tour group that Drs. Stephen and Alice-Catherine Carls led in the latter part of May 2018 visited the Museum on May 27. The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France contains the graves of more than 14,000 American soldiers, most of whom lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of 1918. The World War I tour group that Drs. Stephen and Alice-Catherine Carls led from May 20 to June 1 visited the cemetery on May 26, 2018. Members of the World War I travel group rest for a few minutes on May 26, 2018, at the State of Pennsylvania Memorial constructed in the 1920s in Varennes, France, to honor its soldiers who died in the First World War. The tour group was in Western Europe from May 21 to June 1. A photo that appears in the book EUROPE FROM WAR TO WAR, 1914-1945, by Stephen and Alice-Catherine Carls is shown here in a display at the Imperial War Museum in London. A World War I tour group led by the Carlses visited the museum on May 22, 2018.
Drs. Stephen and Alice-Catherine Carls led a World War I tour group to Britain, Belgium, and France from May 20 to June 1, 2018. In this photo, group members stand in front of the Cenotaph war memorial in Whitehall, London, on May 22, 2018. The official unveiling ceremony of the memorial took place on November 11, 1920. Graduating Phi Alpha Theta members stand together prior to Union University's spring graduation at the Oman Arena on May 19, 2018. They are (left to right) Ali Renckens, Katherine Cheshire, and Seth Reid. Dr. Stephen Carls shares a light moment with graduating Phi Alpha Theta member Ali Renckens during a gift presentation program at the 26th Annual Phi Alpha Theta/History Department Cookout on May 12, 2018. Phi Alpha Theta member Katherine Cheshire accepts a graduation gift bag from Dr. Stephen Carls at the history department cookout on May 12, 2018. Attendees at the 26th Annual Phi Alpha Theta/History Department Cookout on May 12, 2018, enjoy their time together in the back yard of the Carls's home. Attendees at the Phi Alpha Theta cookout go around the food table on May 12, 2018. They are (left to right, going clockwise) Brittany Staggs, Luke Sower, Robert Briley, Brenda Briley, Ali Renckens, and Joanna Butcher. Hostess Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls puts out iced tea at the Phi Alpha Theta/History Department Cookout on May 12, 2018. Phi Alpha Theta members have some fun at the start of the 26th Annual Phi Alpha Theta/History Department Cookout at Dr. Stephen Carls's home on May 12, 2018. They are (left to right) Megan Ledbetter, Dr. David Thomas, Katie Allison, and Leah Atkins.
Phi Alpha Theta member Seth Reid (left) accepts Union University's Academic Excellence Medal in History from Dr. Stephen Carls in a special ceremony in Carls's office on May 10, 2018. Phi Alpha Theta member Luke Sower (right) accepts the first place award from Dr. Stephen Carls in the Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Competition during Union University's Awards Day Convocation on May 4, 2018. Photo by Janelle Vest Beverly Smothers shows off her Union University graduation ring, which has the Greek letters for Phi Alpha Theta embossed on it, during an award response at the History Department Awards Banquet. Smothers was honored with the History Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award at the banquet on May 3, 2018. Photo by Katherine Cheshire Dr. Stephen Carls (right) presents a certificate of appreciation to Seth Reid at the history awards banquet on May 3, 2018, for his work as president of Union's Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta in 2017-2018. Photo by Katherine Cheshire Katherine Cheshire accepts a certificate of appreciation from Dr. Stephen Carls at the history awards banquet on May 3, 2018, for her work as vice president of Union's Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta in 2017-2018. Photo by Catherine Carls Dr. Henry Allen presents a recognition certificate and a book to Lauren Butler at the history awards banquet on May 3, 2018, for the paper she presented at the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference on April 7, 2018. Photo by Katherine Cheshire Leah Atkins accepts a book and a certificate of recognition from Dr. Henry Allen at the history awards banquet on May 3, 2018, for her paper presentation at the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference on April 7. Photo by Katherine Cheshire Seth Reid (center) stands with Robert Briley (left) and Dr. Stephen Carls as he accepts the Phi Alpha Theta Scholarship Pin and Academic Excellence Certificate at the history awards banquet on May 3, 2018. Photo by Katherine Cheshire
Phi Alpha Theta member Seth Reid presents a paper on “Votary of the Blue Flower: A Historical Reflection on Hope in the Life and Thought of C. S. Lewis” at the Union University Scholarship Symposium on April 24, 2018. Lauren Butler (seated, left) and Jessica Barton (seated, center) talk to a customer at the Phi Alpha Theta bake sale near the Lexington Inn on April 11, 2018. Lauren Butler (right) waits on students in the chapel foyer at the Phi Alpha Theta bake sale on April 11, 2018. Dr. Stephen Carls (center, wearing jacket) inspects the arrangement of food items while Katherine Cheshire (left) makes a sale at the Franco-American bake sale on April 11, 2018. Photo by Kristi Woody Katherine Cheshire puts a package of cookies in place at the Phi Alpha Theta bake sale near Barefoots Joe on April 11, 2018. Photo by Kristi Woody Megan Ledbetter and Seth Reid handle the sales table near Barefoots Joe during the Phi Alpha Theta bake sale on April 11, 2018. The three student paper prize winners at the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference at the University of Arkansas at Monticello display their award certificates on April 7, 2018. They are (left to right) Leah Atkins (third place) and Luke Sower (first place) of Union University, and Matthew Harvey (second place) of the University of North Texas. Leah Atkins presents her paper on “Poisonous Women of Ancient Rome: A Literal and Metaphorical Contaminant” as part of a panel titled “Perception and Power: Gender in History” at the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference on April 7, 2018.
Ali Renckens answers a question about her paper on “From the Coalbin to the Diamond: How Baseball Changed America's Most Segregated City” during a panel titled “Race and the Construction of Community” at the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta conference in Monticello on April 7, 2018. Luke Sower responds to a question about his paper on “Cort�s' Dream to Regain the Glory of the Aztec Capital” during a panel called “Roads to Riches: Foreign Campaigns in Mexico” at the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference at the University of Arkansas at Monticello on April 7, 2018. Lauren Butler discusses her paper on “How Instrumental Were Covert Deception Operations to Allied Success in World War II?” as a part of the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta conference panel called “War and Remembrance: At Home and Abroad” on April 7, 2018. The Delta-Psi chapter paper presenters relax at the beginning of the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference at the University of Arkansas at Monticello on April 7, 2018. They are (left to right) Luke Sower, Ali Renckens, Leah Atkins, and Lauren Butler. Union University participants at the Arkansas Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference at the University of Arkansas at Monticello stand together at the start of the event on April 7, 2018. They are (left to right) Lauren Butler, Dr. Henry Allen, Leah Atkins, Dr. Stephen Carls, Ali Renckens, and Luke Sower. Delta-Psi Chapter President Seth Reid takes a break from reading in the Union University cafeteria on March 12, 2018, to show off his history shirt as a part of Phi Alpha Theta Spirit Day. Delta-Psi chapter member Jessica Barton proudly wears her history T-shirt in the Union University cafeteria on Phi Alpha Theta Spirit Day on March 12, 2018. Delta-Psi chapter members celebrate Phi Alpha Theta Spirit Day on March 12, 2018, by wearing history T-shirts. They are: (front row, left to right) Katie Allison, Jessica Barton, Lauren Butler, Ali Renckens, Leah Atkins, Alex Barger, and Megan Ledbetter; (back row, left to right) Dr. Stephen Carls, Seth Reid, Dr. Keith Bates, Dr. Henry Allen, and Luke Sower.
Phi Alpha Theta members enjoy refreshments following their spring plenary meeting on February 27, 2018. They are (foreground, left to right) Alex Barger, Luke Sower, and Ali Renckens. In the background is Leah Atkins. Phi Alpha Theta members stand together at the Delta-Psi chapter's spring plenary meeting on February 27, 2018. They are: (front row, left to right) Robert Briley, Leah Atkins, Ali Renckens, Alex Barger, Katie Allison, and Lauren Butler; (back row, left to right) Dr. Keith Bates, Dr. Henry Allen, Seth Reid, Megan Ledbetter, Luke Sower, Katherine Cheshire, and Dr. Stephen Carls. Photo by Janelle Vest The newly elected 2018-2019 Delta-Psi chapter officers stand together at the Phi Alpha Theta spring plenary meeting on February 27, 2018. They are (left to right) Alex Barger (senator), Katie Allison (senator), Megan Ledbetter (secretary), Lauren Butler (president), and Luke Sower (vice president). Photo by Janelle Vest Delta-Psi Vice President Katherine Cheshire leads the induction ceremony for new Phi Alpha Theta members on February 27, 2018. The inductees are (left to right) Lauren Butler, Leah Atkins, Katie Allison, Alex Barger, Megan Ledbetter, Luke Sower, and Ali Renckens. Photo by Janelle Vest Delta-Psi President Seth Reid begins the chapter's plenary meeting on February 27, 2018. Vice President Katherine Cheshire is at his side. Photo by Janelle Vest Dr. Stephen Carls (left) and Seth Reid stand by a sign on January 7, 2018, that celebrates the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Orleans in 1718. Dr. Stephen Carls stands with his wife Alice-Catherine at the end of the Phi Alpha Theta convention on January 6, 2018. The Phi Alpha Theta executive committee members for the start of the society's 2018-2020 biennium stand together at the Phi Alpha Theta convention's Presidential Banquet on January 6, 2018. They are (left to right) Drs. Graydon Tunstall (executive director), Clayton Drees (president), Jochen Burgtorf (chair, advisory board), and Jacob Blosser (vice president).
Seth Reid presents his paper on “C. S. Lewis's Pilgrimage of Hope: A Biography” on January 6, 2018, as part of a student panel on “Literature” at the Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Convention at the InterContinental Hotel in New Orleans. Attendees at a dinner in honor of retiring Executive Director Graydon Tunstall (seated with his wife Wendy in the chairs) pose for a photo at the beginning of the evening's festivities at the Trenasse Restaurant in New Orleans on January 5, 2018. Dr. Stephen Carls (left) stands with other faculty members participating in a “How to Panel: Planning a Successful Regional Conference” at the Phi Alpha Theta convention on January 4, 2018. The other panelists are (left to right) Drs. Christopher Kennedy (Francis Marion University), David Nelson (California Lutheran University), and Robert Kodosky (West Chester University). Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls and Seth Reid stand together at the start of a Phi Alpha Theta convention luncheon on January 4, 2018. Dr. Keith Bates serves water at the French Christmas dinner on December 9, 2017. Robert Briley poses for a photo at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta French Christmas dinner on December 9, 2017. Seth and Kaylee Reid get ready to eat their cream of pumpkin soup with ginger at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta French Christmas dinner on December 9, 2017. Attendees at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta French Christmas dinner on December 9, 2017, start the evening with a group photo. They are: (on floor, left to right) Kaylee Reid, Dr. Stephen Carls, Katherine Cheshire, and Leah Atkins; (sitting, left to right) Brittany Staggs, Marylee Barker, Brenda Briley, Nancy Thomas, and Lisa Bates; (standing, left to right) Dr. Terry Lindley, Brayden Williams, Robert Briley, Seth Reid, Christopher Hearn, Susannah Murphine, Luke Sower, Jessica Barton, Dr. Henry Allen, Haelim Allen, Dr. Keith Bates, and Dr. David Thomas. Photo by Alice-Catherine Carls
Honors thesis committee member Dr. Justin Bernard (foreground) listens to Seth Reid respond to a question at Reid's thesis defense on December 8, 2017. Sitting by him are Dr. Keith Bates (left) and Dr. David Thomas (center). Dr. Keith Bates, a member of Seth Reid's history honors thesis committee, asks a question during Reid's thesis defense on December 8, 2017. Seth Reid talks about Christian hope in the life of C. S. Lewis during his history honors thesis defense on December 8, 2017. Dr. David Thomas (left) and Phi Alpha Theta member Seth Reid stand together prior to Reid's history honors thesis defense on December 8, 2017. He successfully defended his thesis on C. S. Lewis titled “The Votary of the Blue Flower: A Historical Reflection on Hope in the Life and Thought of C. S. Lewis.” The history books that the Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta purchased for Union University's library with its Best Chapter Award prize of $250 are displayed in the school's library on December 7, 2017. Photo by Kristi Woody Delta-Psi Chapter Vice President Katherine Cheshire (center) presents the chapter's 2017 Phi Alpha Theta Best Chapter Award check to Library Director Melissa Moore on December 7, 2017, while Dr. Stephen Carls holds two of the books purchased with the money prize. Photo by Kristi Woody Dr. Stephen Carls (right) presents the bound volume of the private papers of John Jeter Hurt, Union University's president from 1932 to 1945, to Union's current president, Dr. Samuel W. ‘Dub” Oliver, on November 30, 2017. The letters were a gift from the Hurt family. Dr. Stephen Carls holds a bound volume of the private papers of John Jeter Hurt, who served as Union University's president from 1932 to 1945. Carls received the papers on November 28, 2017, as a gift for Union University's archives from Hurt's grandsons, John and Robert Hurt. Photo by Kristi Woody
Drs. Stephen and Alice-Catherine Carls hold a copy of the book that they coauthored and that Routledge Press released to the public on November 8, 2017. The book is titled EUROPE FROM WAR TO WAR, 1914-1945. Photo by Kristi Woody Phi Alpha Theta member Jessica Barton (front, wearing red T-shirt), with the help of workers from the City of Jackson, throws a tree log onto the back of a dump truck at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta community service project on November 7, 2017. Photo by Kristi Woody Delta-Psi Chapter Vice President Katherine Cheshire carries a tree branch to a pile for loading onto a dump truck at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta community service project at Liberty Garden Park on November 7, 2017. Photo by Kristi Woody Dr. Kelvin Moore uses a power tree pruner at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta community service project at Liberty Garden Park & Arboretum on November 7, 2017. Photo by Janelle Vest Seth Reid, president of the Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, pauses for a photo at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta community service project at Liberty Garden Park on November 7, 2017. Photo by Janelle Vest Delta-Psi President Seth Reid (left to right), Dr. Keith Bates, and Dr. David Thomas participate on a mulching crew at the History Department/Phi Alpha Theta community service project at Liberty Garden Park as a part of Union's Campus and Community Day on November 7, 2017. Seventeen people from Union University participated in the 2017 History Department/Phi Alpha Theta community service project at Liberty Garden Park & Arboretum on November 7 as a part of the school's Campus and Community: A Day of Remembrance and Service. They, along with members of participating local organizations, include in the photo (left to right): Tammy Buchanan-Anderson (City of Jackson and project supervisor), Jodi Jacobs (Keep Jackson Beautiful), Emily Summers, Jack Baudo (Master Gardener), SaraBeth Conley, J. D. Sims (City of Jackson), Ali Renckens, Luke Sower (back row), Lydia Black, Lillie Salazar, Dr. Keith Bates (back row), Katie Allison, Matthew Latham, Jessica Barton, Katherine Cheshire, Dr. David Thomas, Dr. Kelvin Moore, Seth Reid, Dr. Terry Lindley, Dr. Henry Allen, Cynthia Wilkes (CIty of Jackson), and Mario Clark (City of Jackson). Dr. Stephen Carls (coordinator for the Union participants) took the photo. Dr. Henry Allen (standing) delivers a paper on November 3, 2017, about “The Arts and Traditional Lutheranism: A Protestant Outlier Tradition” at Dordt College in Iowa for conference titled “Culture, Criticism, and the Christian Mind.”
Dr. David Thomas speaks to some 35 people about “Holiness Holds Forth in Time: Theology and the Past” at the Fall Colloquium of Union's School of Theology and Missions on November 2, 2017. Honorees at an Honors Community-sponsored reception on November 1, 2017, are (left to right) Drs. Phil Davignon, Matthew Henderson, Stephen Carls, and Greg Ryan. Drs. Carls, Henderson, and Ryan were honored for recent or impending scholarly achievements, while Dr. Davignon was recognized for his family's recent birth of a son. Dr. Bruce Gordon (left) of Yale Divinity School stands with Dr. Stephen Carls following Professor Gordon's lecture on “What Happened to the Bible in the Reformation?” on October 19, 2017, as the Carls-Schwerdfeger History Lecturer. Photo by Kristi Woody Dr. Bruce Gordon, the 2017 Carls-Schwerdfeger History Lecturer, talks about “What Happened to the Bible in the Reformation?” to 625 people on October 19. Photo by Kristi Woody Dr. Bruce Gordon (right) presents a copy of his book JOHN CALVIN'S INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION: A BIOGRAPHY to Union University President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver at at dinner in Dr. Gordon's honor on October 19, 2017. Dr. Bruce Gordon, Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, lectures on “John Calvin's INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION” on the afternoon of October 19, 2017, as the Carls-Schwerdfeger History Lecturer. Phi Alpha Theta President Seth Reid and Vice President Katherine Cheshire proudly hold the 2017 Best Chapter Award certificate that the Delta-Psi chapter earned for the quality of its program in 2016-2017. Cheyanne Harber (left to right), Jessica Barton, and Robert Briley enjoy breakfast at Panera Bread after serving as volunteers at the “Racing So They Can Ride” races on September 16, 2017.
Phi Alpha Theta member Robert Briley fills cups with water during the “Racing So They Can Ride” races on September 16, 2017. A City of Jackson police car guides the lead runner in the “Racing So They Can Ride” races on September 16, 2017. Volunteers representing Phi Alpha Theta at the “Racing So They Can Ride” event at Dick's Sporting Goods are (left to right) Dr. Henry Allen, Jessica Barton, Robert Briley, Cheyanne Harber, Dr. Alice-Catherine Carls, and Dr. Stephen Carls. Nakota Wood accepts her Phi Alpha Theta membership certificate from Delta-Psi President Seth Reid on September 14, 2017. Photo by Hannah Kate Heckart Delta-Psi Chapter President Seth Reid presents Marylee Barker with her Phi Alpha Theta certificate of membership on September 14, 2017. Photo by Hannah Kate Heckart Delta-Psi Chapter Vice President Katherine Cheshire (right) conducts the Phi Alpha Theta induction ceremony for Nakota Wood (second from left) and Marylee Barker. Chapter President Seth Reid (left) observes. Phi Alpha Theta members stand together at the Delta-Psi chapter meeting on September 14, 2017. They are (left to right) Seth Reid, Nakota Wood, Robert Briley, Marylee Barker, Dr. Henry Allen, Katherine Cheshire, Dr. Keith Bates, Jessica Barton, and Dr. Stephen Carls. Phi Alpha Theta members Katherine Cheshire (left) and Jessica Barton, history department student hostesses at the Big Top Campus Life Fair on August 20, 2017, stand by the department display during the fair.