Click here to view the 2017 conference program
Our first stop on June 8 was Lexington and Concord, called the Birthplace of American Liberty.
Charlie White, center in white shirt, introduced us to Lexington Green.
A highlight of our Lexington and Concord visit was a tour of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.
We were able to organize our group for a photo on the Concord Bridge – no small task. We still wonder who or what side fired the first shot of the Revolutionary War near this bridge – the shot heard around the world!
On June 9, our second conference day, we toured Boston. Our first stop was the City of Boston Department of Archaeology.
We were treated to an insightful description of the work of the archaeology department by Joseph Bagley, Boston City Archaeologist. Mr. Bagley impressed on us that his office has many lifetimes of work backed up, even though he has several highly qualified volunteers.
After a brief tour of downtown Boston, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the grounds of the Edward Kennedy Institute and the John F. Kennedy Library. The lunch was the second picnic coordinated by Deborah White, and we are grateful for her wonderful contribution.
At the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, Charlie White introduced Walter Parker, our keynoter from the University of Washington, whose paper was entitled Going for Depth in Civic Education.
Following the keynote, we had the opportunity to tour the John F. Kennedy Library.
The special treat at the JFK Library was viewing photos, narratives, and artifacts commemorating the 100th year of President Kennedy’s birth.
Our third conference day, June 10, was devoted to member papers, the annual SSEC corporation meeting, and a wonderful dinner tour of the Salem Harbor.
Of special interest were the papers presented by our four Nicholas and Suzanne Helburn Young Scholars.
Photo from left to right: Jim Davis, SSEC Executive Director; Stephanie Schroeder, University of Florida; Mark Kissling, Pennsylvania State University; Jacob Bennett, University of Virginia; Jing Williams, University of South Dakota; and Michael Berson, SSEC President from the University of South Florida.
Interestingly, one Young Scholar, Jing Williams, received some nice credit at her university, the University of South Dakota, for her Young Scholar award. The following link will get you to the article about Jing.
http://www.usd.edu/news/2017/usd-school-of-education-professor-wins-social-science-education-consortium-award
Michael Berson, President, chaired the SSEC annual meeting. At that meeting the following long time SSEC scholars received Irving Morrissett awards for excellence in social science education: Charlotte Anderson and Lee Anderson (in memory), and Charles S. White.
The Salem Harbor Cruise was a fitting conclusion to a well-organized and informative 2017 SSEC annual conference.
All attendees marveled at the glorious sunset as we completed our cruise.
A listing of Conferees and their Institutions is shown below.
Credits:
Narrative: Jim Davis
Photography: Michael Berson, Fred Risinger, Charles White