The annual member banquet took place at Ching Yen restaurant on Saturday, April 22. Fifteen students were initiated as new members (see list below).  Phi Alpha Theta member Jacquelyn Farnholtz was on hand to accept her award as the department's Outstanding Graduating Senior (see "Student Spotlight").  We also honored our 2006 JR Wonderly Prize Winners: Sharon Gillison and Cyndy Torigiani. Congratulations to our newest members: Steven Allen, Jennifer Anzalone, Alexandro Castro, Shanna Cerro-Rowland, Jacquelyn Farnholtz, Tracy Hastings, Deanna Heikkinen, Matthew Majewski, Kenya McCormack, Brenda Moudy, Eric Parker, Marie Poland, Shelly Rice, Tiffany Smith, and Daniel Tierney.

A new board of officers is all set to go for next year.  Please join me in congratulating the following members on their new positions:

President: John Gilbert; Vice-President: Marie Poland; Secretary/Treasurer: Deanna Heikkinen; Historian: Kenya McCormack; Paper Award: Peter Wonderly; Banquet Coordinator: Daniel Tierney.  Thanks for agreeing to serve!  Thanks, too, to the officers for 2005-2006; I greatly appreciate your service to our chapter.

Our PAT co-advisor, Prof. Orliski, and I had a wonderful time with Sharon Gillison at the Southern California Regional Paper Conference, held on April 29 at Cal State Fullerton.  Participation in the annual regional paper conference provides a wonderful opportunity for serious history students to experience a professional history conference.  It's NOT too soon to start planning for next year’s conference, so please give some consideration to how you might participate.

The perfect preparation for the annual regional conference is our own local chapter paper competition.  This competition for a JR Wonderly Memorial Prize will be in January 2007; applications will be mailed out to members sometime in December.  If you wrote a research paper this past winter or spring quarter (e.g., for HIST 300 or 490 or any other history course with a research paper), or will be writing one in the fall (especially for HIST 300 or 492), please consider submitting it by January 19, 2007, to our thirteenth annual paper competition; you are welcome to revise the paper as much as you like.  You, too, might win one of the J.R. Wonderly Memorial Prizes!

I am seeking annual gifts from Phi Alpha Theta alumni in order to help a select few outstanding Phi Alpha Theta members to fund their undergraduate education or further their education as graduate students.  Scholarship donations are not only tax deductible, but it is my understanding that CSUB President Mitchell will match such gifts with his own funds.  If you are a chapter alum—or anyone for that matter—and are interested in this opportunity to help promote and sustain excellence in our program at CSUB, please contact me for more information (mvivian@csub.edu, 654-2230, Faculty Towers 304A).  We would be delighted to offer an annual scholarship in your name.

Finally, congratulations to all our graduating honor society members, and all good wishes in your future endeavors.  If you'd like to continue receiving the department's quarterly newsletter, please make sure that our office has your current address.