Publication Date

January 1, 1993

Perspectives Section

AHA Activities

On behalf of the Nominating Committee, I am pleased to report the results of the 1992 election for AHA offices. (Elected candidates are indicated with an asterisk.)

Total Ballots Processed 3,507

 

President (one-year term)

*Louise A. Tilly, New School for Social Research (European social) 2,775

President-elect (one-year term)

*Thomas C. Holt, University of Chicago (African-American; 19th c. U.S.; Southern) 1,836

Joan M. Jensen, New Mexico State University (20th c. U.S.; women) 1,425

Vice President, Professional Division (three-year term)

David Brody, University of California, Davis (American) 1,598

*Drew Gilpin Faust, University of Pennsylvania (U.S. South; Civil War; cultural) 1,646

Council Members (three-year terms)

 

Place 1

Gale Peterson, Cincinnati Historical Society (recent American political) 1,331

*Donald A. Ritchie, U.S. Senate Historical Office (U.S. political; oral; public) 1,713

Place 2

Lisa M. Bitel, University of Kansas (medieval Europe) 1,218

*Mary Elizabeth Perry, Occidental College & UCLA (Spanish) 1,744

Division Members (three-year terms)

Professional

Richard L. Greaves, Florida State University (Reformation) 1,440

*Claire G. Moses, University of Maryland, College Park (women’s; modern France) 1,611

Research

Patricia Nelson Limerick, University of Colorado at Boulder (western American) 1,372

*Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, University of New Hampshire (U.S.; colonial) 1,785

Teaching

David A. Berry, Essex County (NJ) College (social/intellectual; world) 1,140

*James J. Lorence, University of Wisconsin Center-Marathon County (U.S. diplomatic; 20th c.) 1,688

Committee on Committees (three-year term)

Susan Porter Benson, University of Missouri-Columbia (U.S., 1880-present) 1,371

*Ramón A. Gutiérrez, University of California, San Diego (colonial Latin America) 1,785

Nominating Committee (three-year terms)

Place 1

*Sylvia M. Jacobs, North Carolina Central University (African-American) 1,830

Jeffrey T. Sammons, New York University (African-American; sport) 1,068

Place 2

*James R. Grossman, The Newberry Library (American) 1,712

David Wigdor, Library of Congress (modern American) 1,309

Place 3

*Marcia L. Colish, Oberlin College (medieval; Renaissance) 1,663

William J. Courtenay, University of Wisconsin-Madison (medieval) 1,307

 

The total number of ballots cast was 3,507, an increase of eighty-five over last year. Seventy-nine ballots arrived after the November 1 deadline and could not be counted.

Again, the National Computer Systems of Burnsville, Minnesota, scanned the ballots and tabulated the results. Only forty-eight ballots needed to be handcounted. Some voters registered their opinions about the candidates, and the committee will review these criticisms and comments at its next meeting, in February 1993.

The Nominating Committee met in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 13, and adjourned before noon on Saturday, February 15, 1992. Executive Director Samuel R. Gammon welcomed us and prefaced our deliberations with an outline of our tasks. Sharon K. Tune, Executive Assistant, aided our deliberations immeasurably by organizing our resources and keeping us focused. Committee members arrived well prepared with potential nominees, and lively and good-humored discussions characterized the sessions. We reviewed the Statement on Diversity in AHA Nominations and Appointments and enthusiastically attempted to implement these goals. Our nominations for Council, for example, included a place for marginally-employed faculty members. We also suggested, and the Council is considering, a dedicated slot on the Research Division for a librarian or archivist historian. In another effort to expand representation, the committee discussed nominating a graduate student for elective office and sent this suggestion to the Council, which rejected the idea. Of the three scholars that the committee recommended for the Awards for Scholarly Distinction, the Council accepted two and designated a third of its choice.

We continued the practice of writing to those who were mentioned as potential candidates but who are not members of the Association, and asked them to join. It was heartening that nearly all of those we asked willingly, even eagerly, agreed to stand for office. Serving on the Nominating Commttee has been a rewarding experience, and I want to thank my colleagues on the committee for their dedication and hard work. The candidates who agreed to run for office, both those who won and those who did not, deserve special thanks for their willingness to serve the Association.

Pete Daniel
National Museum of American History
Chair, 1992 Nominating Committee