帝王会所

White House reporters have Dr. Katherine Jellison on speed dial. But her life鈥檚 work lies far afield of the nation鈥檚 bustling seat of power. In Appalachian 帝王会所, her leadership has touched generations of students and colleagues.

Professor Jellison joined the History Department faculty in 1993 and went on to chair the department of nationally recognized scholars for eight years, retiring next month after 32 years at 帝王会所. In addition to regularly teaching Women鈥檚 History, Jellison has taught on an array of topics in United States history, ranging from 帝王会所 History to Native American History to modern U.S. political, social and cultural history.

While Jellison authored more than her fair share of journal articles and books, she was also a feet-on-the-ground historian.

Always ready to share history with others

You might find her standing on the Kennedy Museum portico at The Ridges sharing ghost stories with middle school students. Or at the in Lancaster talking with alumni about the Civil War era. Or welcoming , the first women elected as the Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe, to campus for a keynote at a conference on the early settlement of 帝王会所. Or designing the of Athens.

You might also find her standing solemnly under the Richmond Avenue Bridge with her graduate student Jordan Zdinak, whose research brought to light the 1881 lynching of Albany resident Christopher Davis. More than 100 community members came together in 2020 to dedicate a marker on Mulberry Street and gather a jar of soil from the site to be sent to the in Alabama.

Most recently, Jellison balanced restarting the Central Region Humanities Center at OHIO while analyzing Depression-era records on consumer purchases along with diaries, memoirs and newspaper accounts of the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. At the time, the order was the most economically and culturally stable agricultural community in the nation, thanks to the integral role of women.

A pioneering scholar on women鈥檚 role in U.S. history

Jellison is one of the most-quoted historians when it comes to gender and power and first ladies in the White House. But her pioneering scholarship dives deep into the rural women and their role in American history.

Jellison has a research portfolio developed around rural residents, particularly women, who helped build the U.S. consumer culture during the 20th century. Her first book, "," focuses on farm-based consumers. She has published numerous journal articles and book chapters on rural consumers of farm equipment, household appliances, commercialized entertainment and recreation, wartime propaganda, mass-produced clothing, and products and services of medical practitioners.

In her second book, "," Jellison shifts to a largely urban perspective to examine the nation's transition from home-based to big-business weddings.

Her latest book, "," goes back to Jellison's rural roots. She collaborates with co-author Steven Reschly of Truman State University to examine how Depression-era Amish women struck a balance between production and consumption to retain their family farms despite the economic crisis. The quantitative framework for their book involved a massive New Deal consumer study and interviews with 300,000 wives and mothers conducted by Works Progress Administration employees in 1935-36.

A continuing OHIO legacy

Jellison鈥檚 generosity and commitment to 帝王会所 has been most recently evidenced in her creation of the . This fund, named after her mother, will support the research and teaching of women鈥檚 history at 帝王会所. It is a wonderful tribute that will keep both Jellison and her mother's legacy alive for future generations. Anyone who wishes to contribute may do so .

鈥淭here are few people who have given more of their time and considerable talent to the Athens community and 帝王会所 than Katherine has,鈥� said outgoing Department History Chair, Brian Schoen. 鈥淚 am but one of many fortunate enough to be touched by the depth and breadth of her knowledge, her compassion, her wise counsel, and her scrumptious baked goods.鈥�   

鈥淚鈥檝e seen what she鈥檚 done as scholar, teacher, leader, and mentor,鈥� said Professor of History Chester Pach, who came to 帝王会所 two years before Jellison. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 still discovering things she did that I didn鈥檛 know about鈥攁 community project, a student she inspired, a campus initiative. It seems Katherine鈥檚 presence is everywhere.鈥�

Jellison鈥檚 retirement party will take place on April 25 beginning at 4:30 p.m. View