History and Geography

The American Library Association has named two books by Elon faculty - a textbook on the Holocaust by professor David M. Crowe, and "Southern Culture: An Introduction" co-authored by assistant professor John Beck - as CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles for 2008. The annual list reflects the best titles reviewed by the organization's CHOICE magazine and is the top recognition of the academic library community.

Professor of History Clyde Ellis's recently published essay "'More Real Than The Indians Themselves': The Early Years of the Indian Lore Movement in the United States" has been nominated for the Western Writers Association's Spur Award for the best nonfiction essay on the American West published in 2008.

Why would white, middle class men and women at the turn of the 20th century emulate Native American customs as a pastime? Clyde Ellis, a professor of history at Elon University, examines the motivations – and consequences – of self-described Indian hobbyist activities in recent scholarship presentations that stem from a book due out next year.

Kelsey Johnson and Emily Regan work diligently in the chill morning air. They carry wrenches, bolts and tins of heavy machine grease across the back parking lot of Arts West to assemble an industrial-sized nut sheller they hope will improve the quality of life in an African village on the other side of the world.

David Crowe, professor of history, has been awarded Elon's first full-year faculty sabbatical in order to do research for a new book he is writing. The award was announced at Fall Convocation on Oct. 23.

David McCullough, a two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner, encouraged students, faculty and university guests at Fall Convocation on Oct. 23 to be avid readers and to seek from American history that courage and wisdom of their ancestors to overcome problems faced today.