Victor E History

 In the last episode of this season, Hollie is joined by history department alum Randy Gonzales. Randy is an expert on J.F.K.'s 1959 visit to Hays, KS. Kennedy's visit to Hays included a stop at the radio station, a news conference at Fort Hays State University (home of Victor E. Tiger and Victor E. History!), a parade, and a banquet. Randy discusses the preparations for his visit, provides details on how the events went, and discusses the 2019 recreation banquet in honor of the anniversary. Have some "apple pie ala democrat" and enjoy!

 Dr. Jason Barr, FHSU History M.A. student, joins Hollie Marquess to discuss the 1958 Federal Switchblade Ban. Jason explores the cultural setting of the 1940s and 50s, including perceptions of race and juvenile delinquency, that led to Public Law 85-623. Jason also discusses popular media like films, novels, and magazine articles that led to ideas about who was using switchblades and how, creating a frenzy about teen gangs in the era. 

Dr. Emory Wilder, FHSU Masters in History student, joins Hollie to discuss "Serpents" and "Vipers" and the resistance to cannabis prohibition from 1930-1945. Dr. Wilder covers cannabis in patent medicines, cannabis as a muse in jazz music, and the circumstances that led to discourse on a federal ban. 

 In this episode, Will Amos, undergraduate history major, chats with Hollie Marquess about the 1927 Mississippi River Flood. This devastating flood caused hundreds of deaths and displaced thousands from homes. Will discusses the natural disaster, Herbert Hoover's coordination of relief efforts, and the reasons in which this flood marked the African American turn from the Republican Party. 

FHSU History M.A. student Starla Rajavouri discusses Finnish death customs with Hollie Marquess. Starla focuses on the sensorial aspects of preparing the body of the deceased, burial practices, rites and customs to prevent returning spirits, and the lament traditions. 

Master's student Matt Davenport joins Hollie to discuss how music, silence, and violence contributed to the soundscapes of Polish ghettos during World War II and how studying those soundscapes contributes to a wider understanding of Jewish experiences in those ghettos. 

In our first episode of season six, Chelsea Kiefer joins Hollie Marquess to discuss the social dynamics of two 1950s prison riots that took place in the women's prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. While both riots were motivated by very different circumstances, together they demonstrate that these women felt that rioting was the only way they could create change.  However, the riots resulted in even less power for these women in an era before the major inmate rights movements. 

 In the last episode of the season, Joanna Lockwood, History Masters Student at FHSU, joins Hollie Marquess to discuss the orphan train. Joanna explains how and why the orphan train began, the experiences faced by orphan train riders on their journey and in their new homes, and modern memorialization efforts. Joanna's great-grandfather, George Lockwood, was an orphan train rider at just six years old. 

Keith Kuehn, senior history major at Fort Hays State University, joins Hollie Marquess to discuss the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Keith unpacks the use of Nazi propaganda in the efforts to get countries to come to the games and their use of propaganda to prop up their image at the games as well. He also discusses Helene Mayer, a German Jewish fencer who won a silver medal in Berlin. 

David Solis, senior history major at Fort Hays State University, joins Hollie in this episode to discuss Soccer's role in Nazi Germany. He covers individuals and soccer clubs who resisted the Nazi regime in complex ways during World War II.