NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Dale A. Johnson, Drucilla Moore Buffington Professor of Church History at the Vanderbilt Divinity School, has been elected to serve as president of the American Society of Church History (ASCH) for 2003 and Dennis C. Dickerson, professor of history in the College of Arts and Science, has been elected president-elect and annual-meeting program chair for 2004. Johnson is the first person from Vanderbilt elected to serve in this capacity for this national organization.
The office of president-elect is chosen each year by a different group made up of the ASCH’s outgoing president and the members of the society’s administrative council so Johnson thinks it is coincidence that two presidents in succession are from the same institution. However, ASCH Executive Secretary Henry W. Bowden said it is unique that two persons from the same institution have been selected to serve as president in successive years.
"Dale and Dennis have been designated president and president-elect because of their long service to the association, their many scholarly publications which have set new standards in the field, and the universally high regard in which they are held by colleagues across the country," said Bowden.
Johnson’s publications include "Women and Religion in Britain and Ireland: An Annotated Bibliography from the Reformation to 1993" and "The Changing Shape of English Nonconformity, 1825-1925," which was awarded the1996 Albert C. Outler Prize in Ecumenical Church History. He edited "Divinity School: Education, Contest, and Change" and served as editor of the quarterly journal "Religious Studies Review" from 1993 to 2001.
Dickerson’s books include "Out of the Crucible: Black Steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania, 1875-1980" and "Militant Mediator: Whitney M. Young, Jr." As historiographer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, he has written "Religion, Race, and Region: Research Notes on A.M.E. Church History" and is editor of the "A.M.E. Church Review." His current project, titled ""Protestant Preachers in the Public Square: The Careys of Chicago," examines pre-civil rights movement black leadership.
Dickerson is also the first African American to hold the presidency of the ASCH.
Bowden regards Dickerson?s election as a long overdue triumph. "For decades I have admired Professor Dickerson for his solid contributions to teaching and writing, first at Williams College and now at Vanderbilt," said Bowden.
"Dennis has graced the society with his work on committees and the administrative council. He has contributed ideas and shaped policy in valuable directions without being strident about it. Instead, he has simply continued working in his characteristic manner, applying an open mind and honest virtues to each issue of the moment."
Founded in 1888, the American Society of Church History is an organization of more than 1,450 members, including scholars from colleges, universities and seminaries across the United States who share a common interest in the history of ecclesiastical experience and in the historical interaction between religious expression and culture. ASCH advocates the study of religious history within its cultural context, and the society maintains strong ties with the American Historical Association.
More information on the ASCH is available at: http://www.churchhistory.org/.
Media Contact: David Glasgow, 615-322-NEWS david.glasgow@vanderbilt.edu