History majors publish 2006 works in conference publication

By: Kyle Christensen
Features Editor

Senior Joseph Babich and junior Dan Walker, both history majors at Monmouth College, recently had the honor of seeing original scholarly essays they composed appear in a collection of 44 selections from the the 14th Annual Clement S. Stacy Undergraduate Research Conference in English and Philosophy.

With the assistance of associate professor of history Simon Cordery, Babich and Walker presented papers at the conference in mid-April 2006, hosted at the Purdue University-Calumet campus, and this opportunity led to their publication in the American history section of the extensive, 300-page volume, featuring student works from several Midwestern campuses in various fields of academia.

Babich chose a topic which had more local appeal with his paper, “Samuel Wood and the City of Monmouth: Growth on the Prairies,” which explored Wood’s role as an influential mayor of Monmouth, Ill., in 1841.

“[The essay] was required for my history major. Stacey Cordery [professor and chair of history and curator of the Monmouth College archives] contacted the history department to see if there were any possible papers, and I figured it would be a good experience,” stated Babich.

Walker’s essay, entitled “Theodore Roosevelt’s 1912 Progressive Campaign and the Chicago Presses,” sought to focus on how Roosevelt’s camaraderie with the Tribune helped to bring much “friendly” publicity to causes of which the President was in support.

Walker and Babich both look fondly upon this opportunity and feel it has helped shape them as scholars in their respective field.

“I got to know Simon Cordery more, and I got to witness the whole academic atmosphere of the research environment,” Walker remarked. “It would be nice if I could do it again before I graduate.”