In early May, Stevenson’s PHIST Program celebrated the end of the semester at our local Owings Mills Red Robin. A combination professional development event and banquet, we gathered to celebrate the prior year, our collective future, and the camaraderie of faculty, majors, and alums breaking bread together. With 26 participants, the evening was a huge success. Joining us for the meal were program alums Alexandra Jeffries, Lindsay McCrae, Matt Peiffer, Jenny Liles, Jen Erdman, as well as the Dean of Stevenson’s School of Humanities & Social Sciences (HaSS), Dr. Cheryl Wilson.
Matt Peiffer ’16 described his job working for the Department of Natural Resources at Gambrill State Park. This statue, at that park, celebrates the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression Era.
While acknowledging the importance of food at the event, our alums were able to mix with our current majors and talk about life after Stevenson as well as parts of our program current majors should be sure to take advantage of. The evening was yet another opportunity for everyone in the program to realize just how special our department is at Stevenson. We all know each other, care for each other, and have developed healthy relationships that extend beyond the classroom. Our majors get to see that even when graduated they are still a part of the program. Gathering together like a family and telling stories is not only entertaining, it is a way for us to keep alive the memories of program members long departed from our university. As long as we remember you, and mention your name, you are not forgotten.
Stevenson University Public History is a small program, but we accomplish far more than other programs that are far larger. We are the “Little Giant of the Chesapeake,” and we take great pride in who we are.