History Scholarship Banquet

T. Wayne Beasley Memorial History Scholarship Banquet

The Beasley Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding junior history major to be used in their senior year. Dr. T. Wayne Beasley taught British and European history for the Murray State Department of History from 1965 to 2008. One of Beasley's hallmarks was a strong commitment to undergraduate students. His colleagues created the scholarship after his death in 2008 to honor his memory. The fund has grown quickly due to support from Wayne’s daughters and former students.

The Easley Lecture Series in the Department of History is our newest fund effort. It provides for a guest lecturer to offer a unique perspective on historical events and relevant topics. The Easley family began this fund to honor the late Sid Easley, a graduate of the Murray State History Department. Mr. Easley served his community in a variety of capacities as a lawyer and judge, and was an author as well.

Current Year Recipients

2019: Jewell "Trae" Cumbee, Ashleigh Deno, Madelyn Eisele, and Jessica Guldner

Previous Recipients

• 2015: Helen Beckert
• 2014: Austbrook Hudson

Guest Speakers

• 2019: Douglas Charles - "The FBI in Time and Place, Then and Now"
• 2018: Andrew Maraniss - "The Collision of Race and Sports in the South"
• 2017: Bobbie Ann Mason - "Making Fiction Out of History"
• 2015: Christine Kinealy - "'An Errand of Mercy': Sending Relief to the Irish Poor during the Great Hunger"
• 2014: Joe Lee - “Michael Davitt: Between Two Worlds”
• 2013: James Epstein - “Scandals of British Colonial Rule”
• 2012: Daniel L. Unowsky - "Local Violence, Regional Politics, and State Crisis: Anti-Jewish Riots in Habsburg Galicia in 1898"
• 2011: Christopher Browning

Dr. James W. Hammack, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Banquet

The James W. Hammack Scholarship Fund supports History Graduate Education at Murray State University. This scholarship is named for Dr. James W. Hammack, who served on the History Department faculty for over 30 years. He spent 10 of those years as Chair of the department. His family started the fund which continues to grow thanks to the generous support of the Hammack family and many other donors.

Current Year Recipient

2019: Zachary Jameson

Former Recipients

• 2018: Eric Gray
• 2017: Andrew Ashton Landreth
• 2016: Jon Dunning
• 2015: Rebecca Dames
• 2014: Samuel Baum
• 2013: John R. Burrow
• 2012: Jonathon W. Headford
• 2011: Richard B. Davis
• 2010: Allison E. Crowe Dublin
• 2009: Micki Davis Kaleta
• 2008: David T. Downs
• 2007: Mathew D. Penn
• 2006: Stacie L. Collins
• 2005: Meredith L. Baker and Daniel A. Lonsway
• 2004: Lindsay Spalding Simmons

Banquet Speakers

• 2014: Anne E. Marshall – “Creating a Confederate Kentucky: The Lost Cause and Civil War Memory in a Border State”
• 2013: J. Duane Bolin – “ ‘The Woman Who Helped Blind Children See’: Linda Neville and the Struggle to Eliminate Blindness in Kentucky”
• 2012: Berry Craig – “True Tales of Old-Time Kentucky Politics: Bombast, Bourbon, and Burgoo”
• 2011: Karen L. Cox – “Dixie’s Daughters: The United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Preservation of Confederate Culture”
• 2010: G. Kurt Piehler – “The Religious Life of the GI in WW II”
• 2009: John F. Marszalek – “Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief”

Strieter-Fineman Award

Dr. Terry Strieter, Professor Emeritus, former Department Chair, and member of the board of Regents along with his wife Sara Fineman created their fund to provide faculty more time for research and writing. Their generosity provides funds for a one course release each fall for a faculty member to more actively engage in their projects.

Current Year Recipient

2018: Dr. Christine B. Lindner

Former Recipients

• 2017: Dr. Eleanor Rivera
• 2016: Dr. Urmi Engineer