Press Release

For Public History News - December 2000

History Associates Incorporated is developing a written history of its twenty years as a historical services firm and will commemorate the company's anniversary in 2001 with the book and photo exhibit.

Dr. Robert C. Williams, a co-founder and vice president of HAI, was named the Vail Professor of History at Davidson College during fall convocation in October. In addition, his book Ruling Russian Eurasia: Kahns, Clans, and Tsars was published in August by Krieger Publishing Company.

Dr. Gabriele G. Carey, Senior Historian and Archivist who runs HAI's West Coast office, oversaw the completion this fall of fifteen local history websites for the County of Los Angeles Public Library, with research and writing assistance from Senior Historians Kathy J. Nawyn and Dr. Peggy M. Dillon. Titled "Community History in Words & Pictures," the sites (<www.colapublib.org/history/>) provide answers to frequently asked questions; contain images of historic photographs and other documents; and explain the history of Native Americans, local missions, and other regional topics. The websites marked the culmination of a two-year project titled "Accessing Los Angeles Community History" that included publication of a nearly 500-page guide to local history materials at all eighty-eight of the county's branch libraries and bookmobiles.

In October, HAI completed a review of the history and heritage programs throughout the U.S. Navy that also included recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy. The report, titled "History and Heritage in the U.S. Navy," was researched and written by Dr. Philip L. Cantelon, HAI president and co-founder; Dr. Rodney P. Carlisle, a co-founder and vice president of the firm; Paul D. Lagasse, deputy director of HAI's Information Resources Management Division; and Peter S. LaPaglia, an HAI consultant. While the review focused primarily on activity at the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C., it also addressed the broader uses of history in education, training, and public outreach via museums and recruitment programs.

Senior Archivist Anita M. Weber had two essays published in the second edition of the Handbook of American Women's History (Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.), which came out in September. The essays were titled "Temperance Movement (1790s-1900)" and "Willard, Frances E. (1839-1898)."

HAI board member Dr. Frank G. Burke had an article titled "The Beginnings of the NHPRC Records Program" published in the Spring/Summer 2000 issue of the New American Archivist. The article drew on his experience as former Executive Director of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

In October, Senior Historian Mike C. Reis gave a presentation titled "By the Gasworks Wall . . . : The Split Image of the Pioneer American Gas Industry and Its Buildings" at the annual conference of the Pioneer America Society in Richmond, Virginia.

In September, Dr. Ruth A. Dudgeon, HAI's Executive Vice President, completed the manuscript history of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.