Senior wins top prize at conference

By: Johnathan Skidmore
Copy Layout Editor

The end of the year typically marks the period where most colleges and universities host academic conferences for students. This year is no different. Recently, a history paper written by Monmouth College senior Patrick McGuire won first place at the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference, earning a $50 prize.

The conference was held at Northern Illinois University and consisted of 16 presenters, including McGuire. The paper, entitled “America’s First Farmer: The Farming Practices of George Washington,” was written as a class assignment, but originated in his summer internship at the “Pioneer Farm” in Mount Vernon, Va. “I felt that the conference was a great opportunity to hear other college students discuss topics that they had researched,” said McGuire.

The paper focuses heavily on George Washington’s innovations to agriculture and farming during the late 1700s. According to McGuire’s paper, Washington saw the potential for switching America’s crops from tobacco to wheat, he designed a threshing barn, precursor to the modern combine and he built a distillery and used wheat and another crop corn to make whiskey.

McGuire’s paper also included other interesting facts about our first president, including that Washington was “the Father of the American Mule, being the first person to introduce, breed, and use mules in the United States.”

McGuire’s internship consisted of 10 weeks at Washington’s landmark home and plantation in eastern Virginia. While on the farm, McGuire lived in quarters on the farm so his experience would be the most authentic, dressing as a working class farmer. The farm saw as many as 1,200 visitors per day.

“There were many highlights about my internship,” said McGuire. “I was able to interact and educate visitors about Washington on a daily basis. I worked with a variety of animals like horses, mules and sheep, which was fun. I spent many nights on the back porch on the mansion looking out on the Potomac River as I’m sure Washington did. I’m sure I’m in a lot of people’s vacation pictures, which I guess is a little embarrassing, and flattering at the same time. Overall, it was a great time, and a summer I’ll never forget.”