Appalink Vol. 23, No.1
   Appalink Vol. 24, No. 2

Officers

Joining the ASA

Annual Meeting

Awards

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President's Message by James B. Lloyd

On November 20th the ASA Steering Committee met in the Knoxville Convention Center, site of the upcoming conference March 24 -- 26. We welcomed a new Secretary, William Klaus, and confirmed Gerald Roberts as Archivist once again, while at the same time reminding ourselves that Gerald is retiring soon, so that mantel will need to be passed on. Susan Lewis sent the final accounting for the conference in Abingdon, and we all need to congratulate Steve Fisher for engineering such a successful and lucrative meeting. Not only was the site pleasant, but we had record attendance of some 551.

Sally Maggard is very excited about the meeting in West Virginia, which she has arranged to be hosted by Snowshoe on March 30 -- April 1 of 2001. Some of you, like myself, will be having visions right about now of doing a little skiing at the meeting that year, but we'll just have to see, since its pretty late in the season. If, however, there is no snow, all is not lost. Sally says the present owners are busily turning Snowshoe into a four season resort. The theme, according to Sally, is likely to be something like "building the new Appalachia."

We then had a fairly lengthy discussion about the infrastructure at WVU as it affects the Journal of Appalachian Studies and office support in general. WVU's commitment to the ASA remains strong, which is good, but we will need to replace Susan Lewis, who had notified me earlier that she was stepping down as Office Manager. We agreed that it would be good to try to do this while Susan was still in place, so we nominated a committee chaired by Sally and made up of people from WVU with representation from other institutions to seek a replacement as soon as possible. Those at our meeting who agreed to serve included William Klaus, Phil Obermiller, Jane Woodside, and Shaunna Scott. At the same time, Sally felt the need to shift some of the responsibility of the Journal to someone else while she serves as president, and she quite rightly pointed out that it was time to set up some procedures for passing the editorship on, as is done in other associations. Accordingly, she had already contacted John Inscoe to ask him to chair a committee to consider directions for the Journal, including terms of office and procedures for replacement of the editor. She also reported that Richard Couto has agreed to serve as associate editor for the next issue.

This was followed by reports from the standing committees, beginning with Jane Woodside, who has done a fine job with the program committee this year. At the present writing, the preliminary program is almost ready to go, and Jane has been working directly with Heather Huskey of the UT Conference Center to assign meeting rooms and in general manage the space. Phil Obermiller reported on behalf of the web site committee that the beta version of the web site was almost ready (we are running the alpha version now), and that he thought we would be happy with the result.

And, finally, I reported on local arrangements, which are being handled partly by Conference Center staff, and partly by individuals I have recruited to take charge of specific functions. Brent Cantrell, for instance, is in charge of the music, which will be coordinated with the Jubilee Festival which Brent puts on at the Laurel Theater every spring. Hugh Bailey, a local member of the Foothills Handicraft Guild, will be in charge of a crafts fair, and Zoe Holye, who works in Research Administration at UT, has arranged for a walking tour of historic downtown Knoxville as well as tours of Highlander, Arrowmont, and the Museum of Appalachia. Everything seems to be on track so far, and I'll be curious to see how it actually turns out. See you in Knoxville. 

News

Appalachian Studies Conference, March 24-26 , 2000, Knoxville Knoxville, TN: The March 2000 Appalachian Studies Conference will include several firsts and the resurrection of some traditions. The University of Tennessee and "Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere" sponsor the event to be held at the Knoxville Convention Center. SAMAB is a cooperative of eleven federal agencies and three states (Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina). The conference will be held in conjunction with the Laural Theater's Jubilee Festival, featuring regional artists and musicians, and a crafts fair. This year's keynote address, unlike recent years, will take place on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The speaker will be announced at a later date. A barbecue and dance are planned for Friday evening.

The conference theme is "Regional Stewardship of the Millennium: Integrating Cultural, Social, and Scientific Development in Appalachia." Jane Woodside, Program Chair, reports that the program includes over 60 sessions on topics ranging from the experiences of Latinas and Southern Appalachian women in the region to migration at the millennium. Preliminary programs should arrive in January, complete with registration information.

The deadline for entries in the Carl A. Ross Appalachian Student Paper Competition is January 15, 2000. Categories include: middle and high school; and undergraduate and graduate. Winning authors will receive a $100 award and will present the paper during the conference. The award does not include the cost of conference attendance. Alisa Brandenburg-Basinger, ETSU, chairs the committee. Mail entries to Jane Woodside at CASS/ETSU, Box 70556, Johnson City TN 37614-0556.

Conference planners have reserved hotel rooms at two places: Holiday Inn Select Downtown (865-522-2800); and Knoxville Hilton (865-522-2300). For additional information, call ASA headquarters in Morgantown, WV at 304-293-8541.

The Appalachian Studies Association Mourns the Loss of James S. Brown James S. Brown, noted author of a pivotal community study on Beech Creek, Kentucky and retired University of Kentucky Professor of Sociology, died Thursday, October 28 at the age of 83. Dwight Billings eulogized his colleague at a memorial service. The Appalachian Studies Association has and will continue to honor Brown by making an annual service award named for him and Cratis D. Williams. Nominations for this year's award are now being taken. 

Helen Lewis Honored by Emory & Henry College Emory & Henry College, Abingdon, VA: Dr. Helen Lewis, one of the founders of Appalachian studies, received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree at Emory & Henry College's graduation ceremonies this past May. A native of rural Georgia, Lewis has spent most of her life as an educator and activist striving to empower students and community leaders throughout Appalachia. Lewis has served in key leadership positions at two of the premier academic and activist Appalachian institutions: the Highlander Resource and Education Center and Appalshop. Lewis has been recognized by several other awards, including the Cratis D. Williams Service Award, given by the Appalachian Studies Association.

Mark Your Calendar! 2001 Appalachian Studies Conference,
March 30-April 1, Snowshoe Mountain Conference Center,
Snowshoe, West Virginia Come gather on the mountaintop for a conference focused on imagining and designing a new Appalachia. Start now to gather bright new ideas, lessons from our past, and visions for our future. Invite your neighbors, kin, and colleagues to join our Appalachian Studies family for some good hard work and lots of fun and celebration at Snowshoe.

March 2000 Conference to Feature a Silent Auction Knoxville, TN: Howard Dorgan reports that this year's conference in Knoxville will again feature a silent auction. Money raised from the event will be made available to next year's Program Chair to offset part or all of the ASA conference fees that otherwise would be charged to needy groups (students or community activists) that participate in the 2001 program.

Inaugurated at the 1998 conference in Boone, the silent auction has already raised almost $4,000, the first $1,300 of which was used by the program planners in Abingdon. Because of a successful '99 auction, the initial $1,300 will double, thus allowing Knoxville planners to devote considerably more money to this worthy cause. All ASA members, friends and supporters are urged to help.

Items for bid are now being sought. The physical items and pledges for auction should be sent to Howard Dorgan, Dept. of Communication, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. Please include the name, address, and institutional affiliation (if applicable) of the contributor, along with any information about the item which can be used in the bid display. Make sure that the actual creator of any art or craft is identified. Printed promotions for the artist will be helpful.

Services for auction: Last year, a scholar put a lecture on the auction block and inspired others to do likewise. Several institutions competed for the services, and the unique offerings raised several hundred dollars from the high bidders. We will be trying that again! Consider what kinds of lectures or performances you might be willing to place on the block.

This year, the auction committee hopes to receive a great variety of Appalachian artifacts and collectibles: crafts, photography, art works, music, video documentaries, novelty items, books, journal collections, and almost any nonperishables item likely to bring a bid of $10 or more. All ASA members should help. Don't allow our wonderful publishers and other exhibitors to become the main contributors, even as much as we appreciate the help coming from those directions.

Announcements

The Appalachian Teachers Network is now accepting articles, reviews, announcements, book lists, etc. for its upcoming issue of Stitches. This newsletter is for teachers, kindergarten through college and in any discipline, who are interested in incorporating Appalachian studies into their classrooms. Submissions should be sent by February 1, 2000 to Jim Minick, Box 6935, Radford University, Radford VA, 24142; or jminick@runet.edu.

Bluefield, WV: The Craft Memorial Library, Bluefield State College, WV currently hosts "Memories from Dante: The Life of a Coal Town." The exhibit, created by the Dante Historical Project, combines 125 photographs, excerpts from 44 oral histories collected from Dante, VA, 22 quilts made by Dante senior citizens, and comments by Dr. Jean Speer, Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University. The exhibit runs through December, 1999. Direct questions to Kathy Shearer at (540) 619-2271. 

Huntington, WV: The Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia (CSEGA), funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, will be hosting the conference, "Piecing It Together: Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia," March 3-5, 2000 at Marshall University, Huntington, WV. Fellow scholars, Dr. Susan and Mr. Geoff Eaker, Dr. Linda Tate, Dr. Roberta Campbell, Dr. Ancella Bickley, and Dr. Rita Wicks-Nelson, will be presenting. Other projects include, "The Irish in West Virginia: Mapping Their Influence," "Fiddlers' Ghost" (a children's opera), a storytelling program, and a Master's Workshop. Two exhibits, "Banjo Women" and "Pointing the Way," will offer interactive, multi-media learning. Registration is required, though there is no fee.

CSEGA also invites humanities scholars to apply for a resident fellowship funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Proposals must fit the Center's focus, which is to examine gender and ethnicity in Appalachia and to develop a research database. Candidates should have a doctorate or equivalent professional experience. Preference will be given to scholars who take an interdisciplinary approach to such Appalachian identities as African-American women, persons of alternative gender identities, and persons of Native American ancestry. The Center also encourages the use of oral history in research. Complete applications, including letters of reference, are due by February 15, 2000 for a fellowship in Fall 2000 or Spring 2001.

For information about either conference registration or the fellowship, contact Mary Thomas, (304) 696-3348, CSEGA, 400 Hal Greer Blvd., Huntington, WV 25755; csega@marshall.edu; www.marshall.edu/csega.

Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky's Appalachian Student Council has launched a new website: http://pages.ivillage.com/bc/jcamtky/ASC.html. The site features information about upcoming author readings and other events at UK and a message board. 

Montgomery, WV: Chris Baker from West Virginia University Institute of Technology reports that the American Sociological Association is going to publish a second edition of the Appalachian Studies Teaching Guide. The first edition was published in 1997. Baker will edit the volume again, and he is now seeking syllabi on Appalachian culture, internet courses, history, literature, folklore, resistance, family, change, or other social institutions. People can send material to him at WVU Institute of Technology, 324 Cobe, Montgomery, WV 25136. 

Radford, VA: On September 9, 2000, the Appalachian Teachers' Network, along with the Southwest Virginia Association for Multicultural Education, will hold its annual conference. The event is created for teachers, kindergarten through college and in any discipline, who are interested in incorporating Appalachian studies or other cultural studies into their classrooms. Concurrent session will cover a range of topics, from Appalachian literature to science, to Native Americans. A keynote speaker will be featured. Direct questions and presentation proposals to Jim Minick, Box 6935, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142; (540) 831-5366; jminick@runet.edu. 

Roanoke, VA: The second Annual Blue Ridge Symposium, "Between Friends: Culture, Classroom, and Museum" will be held at Virginia's Explore Park, Roanoke, Virginia, April 7-9, 2000.
Virginia's Explore Park, western Virginia's premier educational and recreational facility, helps visitors rediscover western Virginia's history. The effort requires sharing scholarship with like-minded individuals and organizations, including universities, museums, and public schools. Explore Park hosts the Blue Ridge Symposium to establish this dialogue.
Proposals were recently solicited from a variety of scholars and students. Topics on the program may include regional history and culture, folklore, oral history, folk medicine, music, handicrafts, material culture, storytelling, women's studies, museum studies, ethnicity issues, Native American history and culture, religion, education, agriculture, tourism, regional economics, anthropological and archaeological studies, and using regional studies to meet the state of Virginia's "Standards of Learning."

For more information, contact Shannon Brooks, P.O. Box 8508, Roanoke, Virginia 24014; e-mail: Jebsyb@aol.com; (540) 427-1800. 

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) announces the nationwide tour of "Serving Home & Community: Women of Southern Appalachia, Photographs of Barbara T. Beirne," an exhibition of 50 black-and-white portraits and landscapes and excerpts of Beirne's interviews with her subjects, will travel to twenty venues between September 1999 and November 2003. Ohio University-Zanesville hosts the exhibit through November 21, 1999. The exhibit draws on two generations of Appalachian women, ranging in age from 50 to 100, to capture the rhythm of life in such places as Pippa Passes, KY, Ravenswood, WV, Cherokee, NC, and Ivanhoe, VA. Among those photographed are a union activist, a daughter of a born slave, a pediatrician, a miner, a police captain, a musician and a published writer. Holding a master of fine arts degree from Pratt Institute, New York City, Beirne has worked as a documentary photographer for 15 years. Her works have been widely exhibited and are included in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC. Slots are still available for some of the later venues. For content information please call Lawrence Hyman (202) 357-3168 x142. For scheduling information, call Michelle Torres-Carmona (202) 357-3168 x122. 

Wilson, NC: Kentucky poet, essayist, and novelist Wendell Berry will be the featured guest at the 2000 Barton College Creative Writing Symposium, on the campus of Barton College, Wilson, NC, May 9, 2000. Berry's evening reading will cap a day of readings and panels "in the spirit of" Berry's work. The day's program and participants are still being finalized. For more information, contact Jim Clark, Department of English & Modern Languages, Barton College, Wilson, NC 27893; (252) 399-6453; e-mail jclark@barton.edu. 

Appalachian Studies Association Officers 1999-2000

James B. Lloyd, President
Special Collections
Hoskins Library
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-4000
Fax 423-974-0560
E-mail jllyod@utk.edu

Sally Maggard, Vice President & Editor, Journal of Appalachian Studies
National Program Leader, USDA-CSREES-ECS
3871 South Building,
1400 Independence Av., SW
Washington DC 20250
Fax 202-690-2975
E-mail smaggard@reeusda.gov

Doyle Bickers, Treasurer
Office of Admissions
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee NC 28723
Fax 828-227-7319
E-mail bickers@wcu.edu

William Klaus, Secretary & Appalink Editor
Dept of History, Box 6303
West Virginia University
Morgantown WV 26506
Fax 304-293-3616;
E-mail wklaus@wvu.edu

Jane Woodside,
Program Chair
CASS
East Tennessee State University
Box 70556
Johnson City TN 37614-0556
Fax 423-439-6340
E-mail woodsigj@etsu.edu

Susan Lewis, Office Manager
Appalachian Studies Association
Regional Research Institute
West Virginia University
PO Box 6825
Morgantown, WV 26506
Ph 304-293-8541
Fax 304-293-6699
E-mail rriasa@wvu.edu

Steve Fisher, Past President
PO Box BBB
Emory VA 24327
Fax 540-944-6170
E-mail slfisher@ehc.edu

Gerald Roberts, Archivist
215 Boone St
Berea KY 40403

Phil Obermiller,
Website Chair
5137 Salem Hills Lane
Cincinnati OH 45230
Fax 513-232-3770
E-mail solotso@aol.com

Sandra Barney,
Program Chair 2001
Department of History
203 Raub Hall
Lock Haven University
Lock Haven PA 17745
Fax 717-893-2201
E-mail sbarney@eagle.lhup.edu

Appalachian Studies Association Steering Committee 1999-2000
Pat Beaver
E-mail beaverpd@appastate.edu

Michael Maloney
E-mail meamon@aol.com 

Gordon McKinney
E-mail gordon_mckinney@berea.edu

Shaunna Scott
E-mail soc247@pop.uky.edu 

Barbara Ellen Smith
E-mail bsmith2@memphis.edu

Appalink welcomes submissions for announcements and news. Announcements of about 200 words will be considered for inclusion. Appropriate subjects include upcoming conferences, lectures, meetings, award nominations, or other events that pertain to Appalachian studies or the region. News items of about 250 words and directly concerning the membership of the Appalachian Studies Association will be considered for inclusion. Submissions should be sent by e-mail or regular mail to Bill Klaus at: e-mail wklaus@wvu.edu; Department of History, West Virginia University, PO Box 6303, Morgantown, WV 26506-6303; Limited space is available, and all submissions are subject editing. Paid-for advertisements will be considered for inclusion. Contact the editor for rates. The deadline for the Spring 2000 edition is February 9, 2000.

Nomination for the Cratis D. Williams & James S. Brown Service Award of the Appalachian Studies Association

This award will be given to an individual who has had made exemplary contributions to Appalachia and/or the Appalachian Studies Association. In most cases, the recipient is likely to be a member of the Association; however, in the event of a significant contribution by an individual outside of the Association, the Steering Committee reserves the right to present the award to that individual.

The Award will be selected by the Service Award Committee (appointed by the President) from nominations submitted by the membership, with the presentation to be made at the annual conference. The committee reserves the right to no present the award if no suitable nomination is made.
Nominations should be made no later than January 28, 2000. Mail the following items to: Grace Edwards, Po Box 7014, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142.

Nominee Name: _______________________________

Address: ______________________________

Affiliation: _____________________________

ASA Member Yes/No
If "yes", specify length and type of involvement in the Association:






Nominator Name: ______________________________

Address: ________________________________

Phone Home/Work: ________________________

Affiliation: ________________________________

Please include a narrative which includes the nominee's field of endeavor; specific examples of his or her contribution(s); the number of individuals affected by the contribution and/or the geographic area served; and any other relevant information. In addition, please submit at least two supporting letters from individuals acquainted with the nominee's work.

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