Golden Anniversary Celebration of Civil Rights Activities in North Louisiana
Golden Anniversary of The Historian
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Golden Anniversary of The Historian BY GERALD THOMPSON* To the Members of Phi Alpha Theta: To celebrate our fiftieth year of publication we have commis- sioned a new cover for The Historian and modified our typeface to make the journal easier to read. I hope you like the artwork which was funded by The University of Toledo’s History Department. I feel this classical design conveys our belief that The Historian’s articles have a value that extends beyond the near horizons of time and place. Unlike so many journals that have pandered after a presentist image, The Historian has always been dedicated to thoughtful reflection about the past, not the passing scene. Perhaps in the years ahead other periodicals will copy our look, if not our intellectual approach. Back in 1921 when Phi Alpha Theta was founded, the society indicated a strong desire to support a scholarly journal, but not until 1937 was the dream realized. From humble beginnings The Historian grew and prospered both in scholarly quality and circulation size, and today your publication is regarded as one of the historical profession’s finest quarterlies. Our position has been in large measure a product of Phi Alpha Theta’s extra- ordinary success. In the great expansion of the PAT honor society it is difficult to overemphasize the role played by Dr. Donald B. Hoffman, the society’s secretary-treasurer. However, many of you may not realize that he has also served for fifty years as the business manager of The Historian. I believe that his contri- butions to Clio rank alongside the achievements of Turner, Beard and Hofstadter. This anniversary issue is dedicated to Dr. Donald B. Hoffman, public historian par excellence. Over the decades thousands of members of Phi Alpha Theta have been involved with The Historian’s work. They have *The Editor of The Historian is Associate Professor of History at The University of Toledo. 1
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Transcript of Golden Anniversary of The Historian
Golden Anniversary of The Historian
BY GERALD THOMPSON*
To the Members of Phi Alpha Theta:
To celebrate our fiftieth year of publication we have commis- sioned a new cover for The Historian and modified our typeface to make the journal easier to read. I hope you like the artwork which was funded by The University of Toledo’s History Department. I feel this classical design conveys our belief that The Historian’s articles have a value that extends beyond the near horizons of time and place. Unlike so many journals that have pandered after a presentist image, The Historian has always been dedicated to thoughtful reflection about the past, not the passing scene. Perhaps in the years ahead other periodicals will copy our look, if not our intellectual approach.
Back in 1921 when Phi Alpha Theta was founded, the society indicated a strong desire to support a scholarly journal, but not until 1937 was the dream realized. From humble beginnings The Historian grew and prospered both in scholarly quality and circulation size, and today your publication is regarded as one of the historical profession’s finest quarterlies. Our position has been in large measure a product of Phi Alpha Theta’s extra- ordinary success. In the great expansion of the PAT honor society it is difficult to overemphasize the role played by Dr. Donald B. Hoffman, the society’s secretary-treasurer. However, many of you may not realize that he has also served for fifty years as the business manager of The Historian. I believe that his contri- butions to Clio rank alongside the achievements of Turner, Beard and Hofstadter. This anniversary issue is dedicated to Dr. Donald B. Hoffman, public historian par excellence.
Over the decades thousands of members of Phi Alpha Theta have been involved with The Historian’s work. They have
*The Editor of The Historian is Associate Professor of History at The University of Toledo.
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The Historian
contributed articles and book reviews, refereed manuscripts and served as editorial advisors and staff members. But even more important in a journal’s life are subscribers and readers; they are our raison d’gtre. We now have over 10,500 subscribers and not a day passes at our office without a reminder that we have been entrusted by Phi Alpha Theta with the mission of providing the best historical scholarship in a style that is both sophisticated and readable. We welcome the profession’s new methodology, but we will never forget that written history shall always remain a part of literature.
A dedication to making history accessible has always been this journal’s goal, and I could not let the fiftieth anniversary pass without acknowledging my predecessors, the past editors of The Historian:
George P. Hammond (1937-1946) Earl S. Pomeroy (1946-1948) Gerald T. White (1948-1952) Lynn W. Turner (1952-1959) Joseph G. Rayback (1959-1964) William D. Metz (1964-1975) Gerald D. Nash (1975-1984)
Each of these individuals was a productive scholar and excellent teacher in addition to serving as editor, and I a m honored to continue their work.
Fifty years ago, George P. Hammond felt it necessary to justify the creation of a new journal, but so extraordinary have been the achievements of the past five decades that it is now hard to imagine academic life without Phi Alpha Theta and The Historian. The many individuals and institutions which have built the society and the journal have left us a rich legacy and I am confident that future achievements will rival, if not surpass, earlier ones. For its part The Historian will continue to present innovative research in a felicitous style, and strive to become the world’s finest journal of history.
Gerald Thompson Editor
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