Burlingame invested as Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies

Professor Michael Burlingame lives downtown by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, goes to a coffee shop near the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices and banks at Lincoln’s bank.

Residing in Springfield is the perfect setting for a Lincoln scholar.

On Thursday evening, February 11, Burlingame became the second Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies for UIS during an investiture ceremony in the Old State Capitol downtown.

“I am deeply honored to be invited to hold the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies and hope to live up to the high standards set by my predecessor in that position, my late friend Phillip Paludan,” Burlingame said.

The Lincoln Chair was established in 2000 when the Dr. Richard E. Vaden Family donated a gift for that purpose to honor their long-time friendship with then-UIS Chancellor Naomi Lynn.

During the ceremony, Burlingame was invested with a gold medallion, the symbol of the Lincoln Chair. The medallion was presented in part from Springfield attorney Richard Hart, who is the president of the Abraham Lincoln Association and a long-time friend of Burlingame. Val Vaden, managing partner of Outfitter Ventures and representative of the Vaden Family, also spoke at the investiture.

Burlingame was a professor at Connecticut College for 30 years and taught courses on Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War era, and 19th century American history. He recently released a two-volume biography of Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008). The biography was named one of the top five books published in 2009 by the Atlantic Monthly.

“I am delighted to be based in Springfield, not only because I can teach courses about Lincoln at sites where he spent time and can conduct research at the splendid Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, but also because I have so many good friends in town who have been exceptionally kind and hospitable to me over the many years I have been visiting the city as I worked on Abraham Lincoln: A Life," Burlingame said.

Burlingame is well-known as a psychohistorian. His view that history is “psychology teaching by examples” informs his writings and his teaching.

The distinguished Lincoln Chair was first occupied by Phillip Shaw Paludan, who served from August 2001 until his death in August 2007. Burlingame said he intends to continue UIS’ fall Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series, which was started by Paludan.

View video of the investiture.

UIS archives preserving regional history in central Illinois

If you’re looking for family genealogy records from the 1800s or researching the history of your town, the historical archives and special collections section at the University of Illinois Springfield may hold your answers.

The archives, located in the basement of Brookens Library, contain more than a million historical documents from 14 counties in central Illinois. The UIS archives are part of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository system collecting marriage, birth and death records, along with various court files.

“If we’re going to study our past we have to have authentic records of what was done in the past,” said Thomas Wood, UIS archivist.

The archive also contains a complete history of the foundation of Sangamon State University and its transition into the University of Illinois system. Wood is responsible for collecting all administrative records, pictures and other documents that have long-term historical value.

“That’s really the function of archives is to document our world for the future,” said Wood.

The archive is made up of over 3,000 cubic feet of records and serves as a training ground for students studying historic preservation.

“This has helped me learn how to sort, clean and learn what the archive has, so when I go to do my research as a grad student I know where to go,” said Anne Suttles, graduate student in public history.

Among the archives more interesting documents is an original copy of a survey conducted by Abraham Lincoln in the 1800s, which features his signature.

“This isn’t his actual hand righting. It’s a record copy that was made at the same time of the survey he made,” said Wood. “Documents that were in his hand are so valuable those have been sent to the vault at the Illinois state archives”.

The UIS archive is primarily used by people in the community who are researching their family tree, but not all the requests staff get are local.

“We also get a lot of reference use from all over the country and even other countries. We’ve had people from Europe and Russia using our oral history,” said Wood.

All archives/special collections’ materials are open to the public unless restricted by law or contractual agreement with a donor. The material must be used in the archives reading room, but photocopying and scanning are available.

For more information on the UIS archives visit: http://www.uis.edu/archives/

UIS continues Lincoln Legacy

The University of Illinois Springfield continues its dominance as a leading institution in the study of the life of President Abraham Lincoln. The 2009 Lincoln Legacy Lecture series was held on October 15, 2009 focusing on “Lincoln and the Environment”.

Dr. Mark Fiege, associate professor of History at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins talked about how Lincoln’s views on the environment were shaped by his time on the farm working outdoors in Illinois. Dr. Fiege is the author of a book on the environmental history of the United States that is forthcoming from the University of Washington Press in its Weyerhaeuser Environmental Series.
Fiege met with a group of UIS students before his lecture to answer their questions about Lincoln.

“We’ve had a long history of top notch Lincoln scholars here and this just continues that,” said UIS History Club President Matt Parbs.

The Legacy Lecture was moderated by Dr. Michael Burlingame, professor of History and Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS. Burlingame taught History at Connecticut College for over 30 years before accepting the appointment at UIS this year. His recent two-volume biography, Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008) has been described as the definitive study.

“I’m deeply honored to hold the Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies and I hope I can live up to the high standards set by my predecessor,” said Burlingame.

Burlingame travels all around the world speaking about the life of our 16th president, but plans to return to Springfield to study at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.

Watch the entire Legacy Lecture in the Video on Demand section

Student Volunteers Create 9/11 Video

Students from the University of Illinois Springfield’s Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center have put together a video in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Student and staff volunteers traveled around the UIS campus asking students what impact 9/11 had on them, where they were when the attacks happened and if they think it united the country.

“It’s probably the defining event in young people’s lives on campus since they’ve been alive it’s been the one event that has impacted the entire world,” said Jordan Jeffers, Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center Americorps VISTA.

The project is being done as part of the first ever 9/11 National Day of Service, which will be the culmination of President Obama’s Summer of Service.

Jeffers hopes the video interviews will spark discussion about the importance of the events and inspire people to work towards civic engagement.

The video will air on the campus cable channel at various times through Sunday.

Watch the full video of what the volunteers created below:

Campus guest discusses Creole culture

By Courtney Westlake

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UIS Music hosted guest Dr. Sybil Kein, Creole scholar and composer on Friday, May 2. Kein presented a public lecture titled "Gumbo People: Celebrating and Teaching the Creole Culture of New Orleans," on Friday afternoon, which featured poetry, folklore and personal stories collected from Creole muscicians, entertainers and other historical and cultural figures.

Kein, a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, is a recognized expert in Creole culture and history, as well as a musician, composer and poet. She has numerous books and CDs to her credit and recently served as a translator and dialect coach for the Screen Gems production Bolden, a film about early jazz in New Orleans.

Kein discussed where many beliefs about different races came about, and how various races were "assigned" a color at some point in time, such as black, red, yellow and white. People need to understand that many beliefs about race were invented in the beginning and are still fiction.

"The key word in all of this is 'folklore,' but it has stuck," Kein said.

Kein described her family tree dating back to her great-grandparents, with roots in the Jewish religion, France, Ireland and more. Multicultural is really the definition of Creole, Kein said.

"We have 17 million multicultural people in the United States. As Creole people in the culture and language, we are more than 55 million in the world," she said. "And one of the things I like about the news laws is that the law cannot tell you who you are. It's up to you to decide who you identify with in your ancestry. If you have that culture, that is a part of you."

Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series Pays Tribute to Founder

By Courtney Westlake

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In memory of the late Professor Phillip Shaw Paludan, a highly respected Abraham Lincoln scholar, hundreds of people took part in the Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series on Thursday evening, October 4, which contained laughter, moments of respect and the sharing of knowledge and memories.

The Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series was started by Paludan, Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS, who had served as host of the series and who passed away on August 1. Paludan's wife and two daughters were present on Thursday in his honor.

"In the all too short period, six years, that Professor Phil Paludan was (here at UIS), he immeasurably enriched our lives and stimulated our minds," said Cullom Davis, UIS professor emeritus of history, during a tribute and dedication to Paludan. "This is an evening of poignant memories, interesting coincidences and notable milestones. Aptly named the Lincoln Legacy Series, it also stands conspicuously as the Paludan Legacy."

The annual Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series brings nationally renowned scholars to Springfield to present lectures on public policy issues that are of contemporary interest and that also engaged Abraham Lincoln and the citizens of his era, said Barbara Ferrara, director of the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, which co-sponsors the program.

Thursday's focus was on "Lincoln and the Law." Featured speakers included Dr. Mark E. Steiner, who spoke about "'The Sober Judgement of Courts': Lincoln, Lawyers, and the Rule of Law," and Dr. Brian R. Dirck, who discussed "Abraham Lincoln: The Lawyer in the White House." Davis served as the moderator for the event.

Steiner and Dirck, both published authors with books on the topic of Lincoln and the law, said they believe that Lincoln's law practice is a very relevant issue in today's society, especially in Illinois.

"I think you have to remember that he spent a significant portion of his life as a lawyer," Dirck said. "In fact, I think he's the most experienced trial attorney we've ever put in the White House. He practiced law for 25 years, litigated several thousand cases, and it had to have a tremendous influence on the way he approached leadership issues and what he did during the Civil War."

The Lincoln Legacy Series is held each year in the Brookens Auditorium and is free and open to the public. The two speakers said they were thrilled to be invited to UIS for the event.

"I was honored to be asked; I was asked last spring by Professor Paludan, and it meant a lot professionally to be asked by him," Steiner said. "Through my discussion, I hope to be able to bring out the variety and depth of Professor Paludan's scholarship."

New Professor Uses Religion as Way to Explore World

By Courtney Westlake

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Dr. David Bertaina has found that more can be learned from the study of religion than most people think, from understanding wars and historical events to comprehending and appreciating differences between various cultures.

Bertaina, a new professor to the University of Illinois at Springfield this fall, is the history department's first specialist in comparative religion. He received his Ph.D. in Semitic Languages and Literatures from the Catholic University of America in 2007 and previously taught courses on Islam at California State University in Chico.

Bertaina said he has always held a fascination with history, especially with both of his parents being teachers, and first studied traditional Western history. As he then began to study Christianity’s presence in the Middle East, he also became interested in languages in that particular area of the world.

“For my doctorate, I studied many Middle Eastern languages: Arabic, Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic and Greek,” he said. “Plus some French and German had to be done for all of the reading. So I had an opportunity to delve into the literature and appreciate the historical development of the cultures.”

The history and literature of the medieval Middle East with an emphasis on Christian-Muslim dialogs is now Bertaina’s forte. Through extensive research on these subjects, Bertaina said he found his professional interest begin to expand into personal interests in other cultural aspects of the Middle East, primarily music.

“From the languages, I had an appreciation for the way of life and how they express themselves,” he said. “Expression relies on language, art and music, and I gained an appreciation for the many forms of music. It’s a way to look back into time.”

Bertaina is teaching two classes this semester. One of them is an online course on Islamic history. The other, called “Scriptures and World Religions,” teaches religion from the historical perspective and examines how religion developed in history, he said.

Bertaina said he hopes his students develop an understanding and appreciation for religion on a deeper level: each religion’s history, scriptures, culture and the way its followers view the world.

“I want my students to take away from my classes an understanding of a particular religious tradition – each religious tradition in its own right,” he said. “Every religion has a world view that is how they identify themselves and look at the world based upon their identity as a religious person, so it’s important to step into this religious world view.”

While UIS doesn’t have a specific religion department, Bertaina anticipates filling that void in the department of history.

“The University of Illinois at Springfield was interested in having someone in comparative religion because they saw a need for not only studying politics, but also the fact that religion is a reason and driving force behind politics today, behind issues of culture and behind issues of cultural wars,” Bertaina said. “(I want) to communicate to the students the complexity of each individual religious tradition, and also how they interact with one another and with other areas, such as the area of intellectual life or literature or gender issues.”