ALUMNI NEWS

Having completed his PhD at the University of Kansas, alumnus Jeff Bremer (BA '93, MA '95) has accepted a position as an assistant professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University (about 12,000 students) in Nacogdoches, Texas (population 30,000), north of Houston, and will begin teaching in July (summer session II).  He describes his position thus: "I'll be a 19th-Century US specialist, teaching the American West, Civil War and Reconstruction, and the early republic, as well as economic history and the history of science.  Interestingly, I'll be putting my teaching credential to work and my three years of BCSD experience, helping to create a course on teaching methods for secondary history teachers." Congratulations and all good wishes, Jeff!

Kevin Briley ('99), a superb bagpiper with the local Celtic band Whiskey Galore, and his wife welcomed their son, Liam Seamus Briley, on November 9, 2006. Congratulations!

Outstanding graduating senior Jacquelyn Farnholtz ('06) left her manager position at Walgreen's to begin work for the County Planning Department in January.  She tells the department that "if you ever need to apply for a Conditional Use Permit or would like to build a shopping center, give me a call!" Best wishes in your new job, Jacqui.

Kathleen Freeland (MA’03) and her husband Steve announce the birth of their daughter, Alison Beth Freeland, born on January 19, 2007.

Peter LaChapelle (MA '97), after completing his MA with Prof. Oliver Rink here, went on to the PhD program in history at USC. After graduation he taught Mass Communications Studies for three years at Wilson College in Pennsylvania and is now in his second year as an assistant professor at Nevada State College in Henderson. He already has a book coming out next month. Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California is being published by UC Press and has garnered scholarly praise: "Proud to be an Okie is a fresh, well-researched, wonderfully insightful, and imaginative book. Throughout, La Chapelle's keen attention to shifting geographies and urban and suburban spaces is one of the work's real strengths. Another strength is the book's focus on dress, ethnicity, and the manufacturing of style. When all of these angles and insights are pulled together, La Chapelle delivers a fascinating rendering of Okie life and American culture."--Bryant Simon, author of Boardwalk of Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America.  Peter and his wife have one young son, Asher. Congratulations and best wishes, Peter!

Ellen Miller (MA '97) continues her involvement with history in the Kernville area. She filed this report on her many activities: "I still teach a class for the local Historical Society once in a while and teach history all summer at Erwin Owen High School at the probation camp for boys. I get about 2 weeks a month work there the rest of the year and just finished 5 weeks: 2 in English and 3 in history. I also still teach at the college [a branch of Cerro Coso] once in a while, but my NEW project is to interview war veterans. A few weeks ago I had the chance to interview a WWII vet up here and will be interviewing a Korean War vet in April." Good work expanding our understanding of veterans' experiences, Ellen!

Having completed his MA here in 2005, Oliver Rosales became a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara, where he has recently received a $2,000 grant from the Chicano Research Center there to support his research into the history of ethnic Mexicans in our Central Valley. Bravo, Oliver!

If you have alumni or student news, please e-mail it to  mvivian@csub.edu.