A Cast of Historical Characters

I am stressed and happy that I am doing the Master's program at USU. I love history! And I love getting my hands "dirty" in it, as our History Theory and Methods prof would say. I also have to laugh at the variety of personalities there are in the group of first years. Andrew Simek, the other fellow at the Western Historical Quarterly, didn't know anyone but me and thought of nicknames for all the first years. And although I know their names, I secretly think of them in their nicknames.

Westminster Girl - got her BA at Westminster College. She is very pretty and doesn't seem like your typical historian, cuz she dresses very fashionably. I figure she should, as she wants to study women's fashions as a political influence during the Cold War.

Borderlands Kid - and I have all of our history classes together for some reason. Surprise! He is studying the Southwest Borderlands.

Reno - went to school at the University of Nevada-Reno. He is nice and is interested in crime in Colonial America.

Crazy - is crazy. I'm not supposed to let this person dominate classroom discussions, and Andrew Simek assures me that my profs will appreciate it. She's studying Texas and Mexico.

Tie Guy - is from the U, is somewhat pompous, is studying Mormon cosmology, and always wears a tie. I think that fact adds to the pompousity. Andrew Simek called him Tie Guy once, and he was upset. It isn't his name. We still call him Tie Guy at the WHQ.

Bountiful Man - commutes from Bountiful. He is a junior high teacher. I don't know why he commutes - that's a LONG drive!

Jimmy - is from Taiwan. He finished his first MA there, and is now here at USU to study Colonial America. I think it is cool that he's studying American history. It makes sense; American historians study Europe, Asia, or Africa, so why shouldn't scholars from around the world study the USA?

Beardo - has a beard. He is studying the Civil Rights Movement and he has a very cute little daughter.

Jay - works at a tree farm and has no odd quirks that we can make a nickname about. I don't know what he wants to study.

Me - the only first year whose name Andrew Simek knows. Yeah, I'm just that cool.

All ten of us are in History Theory and Methods together. There was another guy the first week, who is in the American Studies program. He dropped out cuz History is way harder than American Studies. But we do have a class: American Studies Theory and Methods, which I am taking to learn things. He is so funny and must be included in this description.

Tyler - is from BYU and he likes to use words that no one knows the meanings to and throw in theories that no one knows about. Sometimes we have to ask the teacher what a word he used means. There is a point where using big words is a good thing, but if you are so full of theory and vocabulary that no one can understand the point of what you said, there's a problem.

Who says that historians are boring? I think we are hilarious!

I would also venture to say that I am one of the more normal people in the program.