GeneralSpace (Georgia Gwinnett College)

Rawls, Richard

Grant, Paul

Georgia Gwinnett College

GGC School of Liberal Arts Graduates Focus: Global Politics After COVID: SLA Political Science Faculty and Students Present at International Studies Event

November 2022 issue of GGC History and Geography News, a newsletter published by Georgia Gwinnett College's history departmen

Cocar, Remalian

GGC History and Geography News 
A Journal of GGC’s History and Geography Department  
 November 2022 
History and Geography Department Formed 
   GGC asked its disciplines to join into academic de-
partments. Several were formed in the School of Lib-
eral Arts, including the Department of History and Ge-
ography. The idea was to create efficiencies and also 
disciplinary synergies.   
     “It is striking--already in the few months we’ve 
been working together as a larger group--how well 
the group personality of the geographers and histori-
ans seems to mesh together,” said Dr. Nathan Orgill, 
the chair of the new department, which was formed   
star ng with academic year 2022-23. “The historians 
have already collaborated with the geographers on a 
number of different ins tu onal projects in the 
past,” he observed. 
    James Lowry, Associate Professor of Geography 
and Coordinator of Geography, suggested that the 
two academic disciplines were a good fit because 
“both try to learn about me and place to try to 
paint a picture of life in those mes and places.  It’s a 
natural marriage of like-minded people.” 
GGC Historians Contribute to Book on Gwinne  County’s History 
     Ci ng a lack of academic scholarship 
about Gwinne  County, GGC historian 
Michael Gagnon teamed up with a pro-
fessor at Georgia Tech to edit a book of 
scholarly inves ga ons. Joining the 
group of scholars were GGC historians 
David Mason, Carey Shellman, Richard 
Cook, and Erica Metcalfe. 
     Gagnon enlisted Katheryn Ni-
kolich, a GGC history grad, to write 
the chapter “Saving Gwinne  Coun-
ty: Preserva on, Moderniza on, and 
the Three Women Who Informed a 
Suburban Sunbelt.” 
     Gagnon recognized that wri ng 
about the span of Gwinne  County’s 
history would require so much 
depth and breadth in history that  
the project would challenge any aspiring au-
thor. “I originally thought I would singularly 
compose a monograph about the county’s his-
tory, but quickly realized that I lacked the ex-
per se to do jus ce to all the stories,” he said. 
“I knew the general contours of which stories to 
include but without exper se in each period of 
US history, I would have missed a lot.” 
Below: L‐R: Mason, 
Gagnon, Shellman 
Below, L‐R: Cook, Metcalfe, 
and Nikolich. 
Chapters Contributed by GGC Historians: 
Richard Cook, “Cherokee and Creek Agency: Gwinne  
County before the Bu on.”  Michael Gagnon, “Slavery 
and Co on in Antebellum Gwinne .”  Michael Gagnon 
and Ma hew Hild, “Reconstruc on and Race in Gwin-
ne  and Northeast Georgia.”  David Mason, “Luck and 
Pluck: The Life of Buck Buchanan.”  Carey Olmstead 
Shellman, “Alice Harrell Strickland (1859-1947): Civic 
Motherhood in Progressive-Era Gwinne  County.”  
Erica Metcalfe, “In Search of the Promised Land: Seg-
rega on, Migra on, and the African American Experi-
ence in Gwinne  County, 1910-1980.”  
Ex Libris: On Personal Growth and Wri ng 
     Tom Bilyeu is an Internet media personality 
who created a reading agenda for personal 
growth. This list appealed to me since I wanted 
to rekindle my historical research a er the pain 
of graduate school. 
     Due to Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) 
programming, I had already read two books 
from the list: Grit, by Angela Duckworth 
and Mindset: The New Psycholo‐
gy, by Carol Dweck. Duckworth 
concludes that grit - persevering 
towards a par cular goal - de-
cides success more than IQ. My 
doctoral adviser, back in 2008, 
told me to get up every morning 
at 5:30 am and write. [At the 
me, I could not understand how 
a mere half hour would produce results.] Dweck 
argues that people have two mindsets about 
learning: a growth or fixed mindset. Somebody 
with a growth mindset can learn and get be er 
at anything. A person with a fixed mindset sees 
no to li le chance of improvement. For Dweck, 
success depends on having a growth mindset, 
not IQ. Together, these two books suggested 
why intelligence alone was insufficient to power 
my research.  
     The remaining books from the list were new 
to me. David Goggins is a Navy SEAL and an en-
durance athlete; he wrote Can't Hurt Me: Mas‐
ter Your Mind and Defy the Odds. Goggins lived 
a life of setbacks, but persevered to become a 
SEAL. He con nued to look for challenges, enter-
ing races that span over several days in challeng-
ing terrains. Goggins laments that most people 
do not push themselves sufficiently. In our age of 
comfort, this is a mely reminder about the dan-
gers of comfort. Yet, there is also the ques on of 
balance: he detailed several rela onship failures. 
     One of the gems on the list is Man's Search for 
Meaning, by Victor Frankl. As a survivor of the 
Holocaust, Frankl’s perspec ve 
is powerful. He concludes that 
values can help one survive any-
thing. Not knowing that his wife 
would die during the Holocaust, 
his desire to see her again al-
lowed him to make the choices 
that, combined with chance or 
providence, helped him survive. Frankl contends 
that people with a purpose can endure the great-
est sorrows and difficul es. 
     The fi h book from Bilyeu’s list is John Max-
well's Some mes You Win, Some mes You Learn. 
Maxwell, a leadership expert, suggests that diffi-
cult moments provide the best learning opportu-
ni es. He once le  his briefcase, containing the 
only copy of a book manuscript, on the side of 
the road. From that debacle, he began to make 
copies of his handwri en legal pads.  
     These books have not magically unlocked the 
key to persevering with my research. But they all 
point to the kind of emo onal intelligence that 
has been crucial to that process. 
“Somebody with a 
growth mindset can 
learn and get be er 
at anything.” 
 
Contact Informa on:  rcocar@ggc.edu 
Take a Bow!  Faculty Accomplishments 
GGC recognized faculty promo ons at a ceremony 
in Cisco Auditorium on Thursday, October 20, 2022.  
Michael Gagnon was promoted to Professor of His-
tory, Carey Shellman was promoted to Associate 
Professor of History, and Remalian Cocar was pro-
moted to the rank of Senior Lecturer. Congratula-
ons to all GGC faculty receiving promo on! 
Academic Promo ons: 
Georgeta Connor, Associate Professor of Geography, had a produc ve academic year.  
She published “Reflec ons on Fieldwork in Romania: Subjec vi es, Risks, Benefits, and 
Ethics,” in The Geographical Bulle n of Gamma Theta Upsilon, Vol. 63 (2), 2022, pp. 67-
72.  She also published a review of A. Umland, When the Future Came: The Collapse of 
the USSR and the Emergence of Na onal Memory in Post‐Soviet History Textbooks. Edited 
by Li Bennic-Björkman and Sergiy Kurbatov.  Stu gart: ibidem Press, 2019.  The review 
was published in Balkanis ca 35, 2022, pp. 205-209.  She also gave three academic 
presenta ons of research: 1) “Shi ing Rural Property from Private to Collec vized Land: 
The Poli cs of Land Reform and Agricultural Development in Romania, 1939-1962.”  Asso-
cia on of American Geographers (AAG) 2022 Annual Mee ng. Sec on: Topics in Rural Geography.  New York 
City.  February 26, 2022 (Virtual). 2) “Iden ty and Change: The Des ny of the Romanian Wine.” Agriculture, 
Food, and Human Values Society & Associa on for the Study of Food and Society (AFHVS/ASFS) Conference: Cul-
va ng Connec ons: Exploring Entry Points into Sustainable Food Systems. Sec on 109: Wines and Ciders.  Uni-
versity of Georgia (UGA), College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.  Athens, GA, May 19, 2022.  Finally, 
3) “The Drama of the Romanian Seeds.” Council for European Studies: 28th Interna onal Conference of Euro-
peanists.  Ins tuto Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, June 20, 2022 (Virtual) 
Richard Rawls received the Registered [Student] Organiza on Advisor of the Year for Academic 
Year 2021-22, for his work advising the Organiza on of La n American Students. It was the sec-
ond year in a row for this award. He also presented “Exiles, Holocaust, Homecoming, and 
Memory,” at the Associa on for Core Texts and Courses, 22 April 2022, at the University of Notre 
Dame. He co-composed the panel “Memory, Canon, and Power.” 
Michael Gagnon was awarded a one-month short term PEAES (Program in Early American Economy 
and Society) Fellowship from the Library Company of Philadelphia to visit archives in Philadelphia to 
study the 1832 Congressional Bank Commi ee's visit inves ga ng irregulari es at the Bank of the 
United States, which was based in Philadelphia. Gagnon completed the research in Philadelphia in 
Summer 2022.  He is working on a journal ar cle based on his research. 
Michael Gunther published a chapter, “Environmental Footprints in President Polk’s Thickly Forested 
Interior,” in Michael D. Cohen, ed., James K. Polk and His Time: Essays at the Conclusion of the Polk 
Project (University of Tennessee Press, 2022), pp. 261-284. 
Ellen Rafshoon was awarded academic study leave (some mes called “sabba cal” at other universi es), 
and she will be researching and working on a book tled, Pussy Hats to the Polls: How Women Turned 
Georgia Purple.  We shall carry news about her oral interviews in the next newsle er. 
Alumni/ae, Student, and Event News 
Michelle Samson, ’19, began law school at Georgia State 
University in Fall 2022.  
Jack Harrison, ‘21, began a posi on at Richards Middle 
School in Gwinne  County, where he teaches 7th grade.  
Monica El‐Amin, ‘17, was hired by the At-
lanta History Center as the Volunteer and 
Intern Coordinator. In July 2022, she 
earned a Master of Arts in History and a 
Museum Studies Cer ficate at the Univer-
sity of West Georgia.  
James Rooks, ‘16, earned a MHP (Master’s in Historic 
Preserva on) degree from the University 
of Georgia, and he also earned a Cer fi-
cate in Na ve American Studies, both in 
2020. He is currently employed as an ar-
chaeologist. 
CONTACTING History & Geography Department: 
Department Chair: Nathan Orgill : norgill@ggc.edu  
Geography Coordinator:  James Lowry: jlowry3@ggc.edu 
GGC HISTORY Editors:   
Richard Rawls: rrawls@ggc.edu 
Patrick Zander:  pzander@ggc.edu 
Michael Gunther: mgunther@ggc.edu 
News About our Grads  Addi ons and Departures 
Cons tu on Day: Three Days of Events  
 GGC complied with the federal mandate to observe 
“Cons tu on Day,” and historians contributed to the 
events. On September 15, Drs. Richard Cook (HIST), Mi-
chael Gunther (HIST), Steven Jones (POLS), and Dovile 
Budryte (POLS) presented on the “Cons tu on and For-
eign Policy.” History major Charis Wilkinson moderated.  
On September 19, Drs. Michael Fournier (ENGL), Rich-
ard Rawls (HIST), and Ibrahim Ashour (ENGL), presented 
on the “Cons tu on and Freedom of Speech for Foreign 
Na onals.” Dr. An wan Walker (ENGL) moderated.  On 
September 20, Drs. Sco  Boykin (POLS), David Mason 
(HIST), and Jamie Lewis (ED) discussed “The Cons tu-
on and Educa on.” Dr. Janita Rawls (BUS) moderated. 
Faculty and History Graduates Spring 2022 com-
mencement ceremony. A list of graduates will appear 
in the next News. The commencement ceremony was 
held at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, on 
May 11, 2022. The keynote speaker was poet laureate 
Hank Stewart.   
Phi Alpha Theta: History Honors 
The Department of History and Geog-
raphy welcomes Ka e Goldsmith as 
the department’s administra ve as-
sistant. She graduated from UGA with 
a B.A. in Linguis cs. Her hobbies in-
clude reading, singing, and board 
games. In academic year 2021-2022, three GGC pro-
fessors le  GGC to pursue other interests: Fang 
Zhou, Erica Metcalfe, and Robert Findley. Zhou spe-
cialized in Asian history and taught at GGC from 2011
-2021. Metcalfe specialized in African-American his-
tory and taught from 2018-2021. Findlay specialized 
in Asian history and taught at GGC from 2018-2021.   
GGC’s historians inducted new 
members into Phi Alpha Theta, 
the Zeta chapter of the history 
honors society, in May 2022. In-
person induc on ceremonies 
were not possible in 2020-21 
due to Covid-19. Pictured (L-R) Shawna Lynn, Dr. Na-
than Orgill, Dr. Carey Shellman, Andrew Peska, Dr. 
Richard Rawls, and Michael Milstein, in the Library Her-
itage Room. Dr. Nathan Orgill gave the address, and 
Drs. Carey Shellman and Richard Rawls also par cipat-
ed in welcoming the new members. 


A Journal of GGC's History and Geography Department

Botting, Molly

Little Mulberry_Lepomis auritus_Botting_

GGC School of Liberal Arts Crea vity Focus 
GGC Professor’s Interview and Cura ng Featured in New 
Book: the 30 Year Story Behind the Interview 
     One never knows the 
impact one’s work will 
have upon others. This is 
as true in crea ve pro-
cesses as it is in teaching.  
Li le could professor Da-
vid Cook imagine that an 
exhibit he curated dec-
ades ago would reverber-
ate through me and result in a published inter-
view in the book Drawn to Greatness: Wayne Bor-
ing and the Early Superman Ar sts.  
     The story begins in 1994 when Cook curated 
two different exhibits for the Virginia Museum of 
Fine Arts (VMFA). One of the exhibi ons he over-
saw was tled “Jack Burnley: Hero Ar st.” Hardin 
‘Jack’ Burnley was a graphic ar st who dis n-
guished himself first as a sports cartoonist and 
then later as an illustrator of Superman, Batman, 
and other ac on heroes. 
     Cook faced a difficult decision: what to exhibit 
at a me when super heroes were not in vogue 
and people had lost apprecia on for sports illus-
tra ons? “I wanted the show to focus on the his-
torical meline [of Burnley’s life] from the Robert 
Ripley-influenced sports cartoonist through Run-
yon illustra on to his comic years and back to 
sports cartoonist.” At the me Cook curated the 
exhibi on, Burnley thought Cook only wanted his 
Batman illustra ons. “These people [of Burnley’s 
genera on] are dying, and they have stories to 
tell,” Cook emphasized. “I thought we needed to 
archive their en re work before they’re gone.” 
     Cook became friends with Burnley, who 
lived only an hour away. Their rela onship 
helped Cook to 
realize that 
Burnley was 
proud of his 
sports illustra-
ons. “When I 
did the VMFA he 
couldn’t believe 
that I wanted to 
put his sports 
stuff in there,” 
Cook said. “But 
the show was a 
success.” 
     The exhibi on circulated in Virginia for sev-
eral years. It might have remained a memory 
except for an interes ng occurrence decades 
later. Writer Eddy Zeno purchased one of 
Burnley’s works. It s ll had exhibit s ckers on 
the back, thus leading him to Cook as the exhi-
bi on’s curator. Zeno contacted Cook in 2014, 
and their correspondence about Burnley re-
sulted in the published interview in Drawn to 
Greatness: Wayne Boring and the Early Super-
man Ar sts. When asked if it felt ‘funny’ to be 
interviewed about an exhibit he curated dec-
ades earlier, Cook replied “No, one of the rea-
sons I’m a teacher is because I like to see peo-
ple learn things, produce, and succeed.” This 
certainly seems to be the case both today and 
30 years ago. 
By Richard Rawls 
News Released February 2022             Number # 10        SLA Contact Info: liberalarts@ggc.edu 


GGC School of Liberal Arts Creativity Focus: GGC Professor’s Interview and Curating Featured in New Book: the 30 Year Story Behind the Interview

January 2022 issue of GGC History, a newsletter published by Georgia Gwinnett College's history departmen

Tadros, Mazin

GGC History, Issue 21

Biodiversity information of headwater fish community in Rock Springs Park, Gwinnett County GA and DNA sequence information for single sample of Nocomis leptocephalus (Bluehead Chub)

Bell, Raynard

Rock Springs_Nocomis leptocephalus_Bell

Celleri Loor, Allison

Little Mulberry_Lepomis macrochirus_Celleri Loor

GGC School of Liberal Arts News: Creativity

February 2022 issue of Student Engagement and Success Newsletter, a newsletter published by SES at Georgia Gwinnett Colleg

Rosemond, Marie

Student Engagement and Success Newsletter, February 2022

Winterhalter, Teresa

POSTCARD GREETINGS FROM THE SLA DEAN 
GGC SLA News: Dean’s Gree ngs Postcard 
Dear Colleagues: 
     As the summer draws to a close, I wish to take this opportunity to welcome you back to GGC and the 
School of Liberal Arts. The start of an academic year always feels like a special me on a college campus, 
but this year it seems especially so here in SLA. This year we are welcoming four new faculty members, 
hundreds of new students, launching a new department structure, inaugura ng new program and de-
gree plans, preparing Nexus and AA degrees for final approval, and resuming our ongoing conversa ons 
with one another as the dog days finally cede to autumn.  
     This year, we are fortunate to welcome Drs. Lekeisha Gan  (Psychology), Gaynell Simpson (Human 
Services/Social Work), Andrea Campell (Film), and Shelia Cooper (English [visi ng]) whose diverse areas 
of exper se will build upon the remarkable dedica on to excellence in teaching and research that char-
acterizes our School of Liberal Arts community. Look for their photos in our weekly SLA events no ces 
and be sure to let them know how happy we are to have them among our ranks.  
     I also want to share some other important SLA updates: each of our new departments now has its 
own Chair (and in some cases an Assistant Chair); I’ll be asking the en re SLA Leadership Team to stand 
up and take their bows at our Semester Welcome mee ng on 9/13, so please put that mee ng on your 
calendars: that way you’ll know who to turn to for what, or who’s holding the reigns, the steering 
wheels, the rudders (items in a series when one metaphor just isn’t enough). Also, our Digital Humani es 
Lab is slated for a grand opening in early September, so please keep your eyes peeled (as in Sir Robert 
Peel) for more informa on on that. And it’s worthy of note that we are making substan al progress in 
establishing the first-ever SLA Board of Visitors, and hope soon to have a dedica on ceremony for the 
collec on of prints Dr. Chad Wilkes’s family has bequeathed to SLA. 
    Without pause, our vision for SLA con nues to take shape, but with a clearer infrastructure in place, I 
am hopeful that our strategic planning will become even more inten onal and inclusive, allowing us to 
con nue expanding and enriching our academic classrooms, our research opportuni es, and our re-
sources for the visual and performing arts. 
     This is an exci ng me in The School of Liberal Arts. As I am preparing to enter my third year as your 
dean, I am floored by the great work that goes on in our classrooms and beyond. I am deeply grateful to 
each of you for your contribu ons to SLA and your extraordinary dedica on to our students. I am hon-
ored to be entrusted, yet again, with the job of serving you, and I look forward to the future we will im-
agine and make real together.  You have my very best wishes.  Teresa Winterhalter 
 
To: SLA Faculty & Staff 
1000 University Center Ln 
Lawrenceville, GA 30043 
