Faculty and students from The University of Southern Mississippi recently attended the 34th Annual Gulf South History and Humanities Conference in Mobile.

Sponsored by the Gulf South Historical Association, the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference promotes the history and cultures of the Gulf South through an exchange of research before interested public.

This year, researchers and scholars attended the conference to present papers focusing on the theme “The Gulf South in Peace and War.”

“I am most appreciative of the University and the Center for the Study of the Gulf South for their continued support of the Gulf South Historical Association,” said Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Letters and Executive Director of the Association Deanne Nuwer. “The faculty and students from USM who presented at the conference in Mobile did an outstanding job.”

Representing Southern Miss were six faculty members and three students:

John Mangipano, doctoral student of history, presented “William Walker, Cholera, and the Regeneration of Nicaragua, 1855-1860;”

Olivia Moore, graduate student of history, presented “The Whole Roof Fell In: J. Ralph Noonkester and the Struggle Toward Integration in Hattiesburg, Mississippi;”

Adam S. Rock, graduate student of history, presented “When Harakiri Goes Haywire: The Forgotten Story of Japanese Prisoners of War in America;”

Douglas Bristol, associate professor of history, presented “Mass Incarceration in the Military: The Treatment of African American Service Personnel by the U.S. Military Justice System during World War II;”

David Davies, professor and director of the School of Mass Communications and Journalism, and Jennifer Brannock, professor and curator of Rare Books and Mississippiana, presented “Help! Help Keep America American: The National Anti-Communism Crusade of L. E. Faulkner’s Bill Smith Letters;”

Andrew Haley, associate professor of history, presented “Coca Cola Salad’: Working Women, Convenience Foods, and Community in the Mid-20th Century Gulf South;”

Rebecca Tuuri, assistant professor of history, on “The National Council of Negro Women: Waging Peace in Mississippi during the War on Poverty;”

The Gulf South Historical Association is a consortium of Gulf South colleges and universities from the states of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The association is headquartered at The University of Southern Mississippi.

For more information about the Department of History at The University of Southern Mississippi, visit www.usm.edu/history.