Phi Alpha Theta

Phi Alpha Theta is the national honor society for undergraduate and MA students in the field of history, with 860 chapters on college and university campuses across the nation. Membership is a mark of intellectual accomplishment and commitment, and brings with it participation in local, regional and national Phi Alpha Theta events.

On April 13, UB’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta hosted the society’s regional conference, where over fifty undergraduate and master’s students from colleges and universities in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ontario presented papers based on their original research. This was the first PAT conference where students from outside of the US attended and presented. One hundred and twenty students and faculty attended the conference, including Clayton Drees, the national president of Phi Alpha Theta. Victoria Wolcott, chair of UB’s Department of History, presented an illustrated keynote talk, entitled “Roller Coasters and Race in the Postwar City: Crystal Beach, Canada, and the 1956 Canadiana Riot.”

Several UB students presented their original research and four won awards for their papers: Kelly Brown, “The Throne Trembled: Reponses to King Edward VIII’s Abdication Crisis, 1936,” Christine Hickey, “The Paradoxical Nature that Led to Body Snatching in the 19th- Century,” Christiana Johnson, “Labors of Love: Black Motherhood and the Convict Lease System, 1877-1905” and Jonathan T. Makeley, “Deciding the 1884 Presidential Election: The Impact of St. John’s Campaign in New York State.”

Congratulations to all the attendees and organizers on a successful PAT conference!