“NASA, Punk Rock, and the Galveston Movement: An Evening with Del Mar College History Professors” Presentation Scheduled Tuesday, Nov. 15
Five DMC history faculty sharing stories about historical research, preservation, civic engagement and more during evening presentation
Article by: Rosa Linda Reynoso
History is more than studying the past or the continuous recording of important or public events. You can find out how by joining Social Sciences Department History Program faculty for a panel presentation titled “NASA, Punk Rock, and the Galveston Movement: An Evening with Del Mar College Historians” on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Learn about some of their exciting projects outside the classroom that range from the local to the Cosmos.
“A democratic society needs well-informed critical thinkers, and history is one of the avenues that gets us there. I think that is why it is such a hotly debated subject,” says DMC Associate Professor Dr. Dawson Barrett. “History isn’t just a list of facts that can be memorized. History is active.”
The presentation starts at 6 p.m. in Room 227 of the Coles Classroom Building on Del Mar College’s Heritage Campus, located at 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404), get online directions and campus map. This event is FREE and open to the public.
For more information, contact Dr. Barrett at dbarrett2@delmar.edu. or 361-698-1630
Presenting faculty include Dr. Barrett, Dr. James Klein, Dr. Erinn McComb, Dr. Mark Robbins and Dr. Bryan Stone.
Dr. Barrett’s Punks in Peoria, a history of youth and underground music in a mid-sized, Midwestern city, was named 2022 “Book of the Year” by the Illinois State Historical Association. Additionally, the book’s publication included an article in the Washington Post, an all-day punk rock festival and the release of a soundtrack compilation on LP and CD.
Dr. Klein has been a leader in numerous state and local organizations dedicated to higher education, civic engagement and protection of the environment. He is also President of the Texas Association of College Teachers and former President of the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors. Dr. Klein ran and was elected as a Councilman At-large for the City of Corpus Christi during the Nov. 8, 2022 general election.
Currently finishing a book manuscript entitled “Gender and the Race for Space,” Dr. McComb was invited to speak on the topic by NASA’s Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership.
Dr. Robbins is part of a community effort to preserve and document the history of an early 20th Century Mexican-American farmworker cemetery near Driscoll, Tx. He is also involved in a related oral history project that records and shares the stories of local residents who worked in the fields.
Currently, Dr. Stone is working on two projects, including editing the memoir of Morris Riskind, a Jewish man whose family ran a department store in the Texas border town of Eagle Pass. He is also studying the “Galveston Movement,” an immigration program that occurred in the early 20th Century that brought Jewish immigrants directly from Europe to Galveston and then distributed them throughout the western United States.
“I think there is an almost cartoonish public perception of historians as stuffy and boring, but the reality is that history is lively, exciting and cutting edge,” adds Dr. Barrett. “We’re asking, and trying to answer, some of the most important questions about what it means to be human.”
Join these DMC History faculty to explore those questions and ponder the answers during what is sure to be a lively presentation.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.