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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Rebecca Bush, reb87@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

K-STATE HISTORY STUDENT FROM PRATT A 2008 GILDER LEHRMAN HISTORY SCHOLAR FINALIST

MANHATTAN -- A Kansas State University student has been selected as a 2008 Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Finalist and will take part in a special program in New York City designed to honor and support outstanding students of history.

Rebecca Bush, senior in history, Pratt, is among 50 students selected by competitive application to participate in the program, which is sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Applicants for this year's program came from 166 colleges and universities in the U.S.

"I am the first student from K-State, and, to my knowledge, the first student from Kansas to be selected for this program," Bush said. "I am extremely honored and excited to have the chance to represent K-State, and I am equally grateful for this opportunity to enhance my knowledge of history as both a discipline and a career field."

The main goal of the Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Finalists program is to foster an interest in American history and provide an opportunity for students to hear from some of the field's leading scholars. Bush will participate in a weeklong program June 14-21 in New York City that will focus on the American Revolution.

"Some of the speakers lined up include noted historians Ira Berlin, Carol Berkin and Christopher Leslie Brown," she said. "In addition to the formal lectures, we will visit important archival treasures at places like the New York Historical Society, the Gilder Lehrman Collection and the New York Public Library. We also plan to tour several places associated with the American Revolution in New York, including visits to where the Stamp Act Congress met and where George Washington read the Declaration of Independence to New Yorkers."

As part of the scholar program application process, Bush had to submit a historical writing. Her paper was "'We Shall Overcome' Ourselves: Barriers to Progress in the Postbellum South," which was her final for the History of the American South course taught by Lou Williams, K-State associate professor of history, in fall 2007. In addition, she submitted letters of recommendation from Williams and from Robert Smith, librarian and archivist for the Museum Division at Fort Riley. Bush is currently serving her second summer as an archival intern under Smith's supervision.

A K-State honors list student, Bush has been recognized with the Chapman Excellence in History scholarship, which is presented to the outstanding senior in history by the K-State department of history. She also has received K-State's Kassebaum and Presidential scholarships, a National Merit Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi academic honoraries, as well as Phi Alpha Theta, the history honorary.

For the 2008-2009 school year, Bush will serve as piccolo assistant section leader of the K-State Marching Band; co-coordinator of the Academic Decathlon for Mortar Board, the senior honorary; vice president of service for Tau Beta Sigma, the honorary band service sorority; small group leader for the freshman leadership class, Introduction to Leadership Concepts; and copy editor for the Kansas State Collegian.

Her previous activities at K-State include Chimes, the junior honorary; Silver Key, the sophomore honorary, where she was Fort Riley Mom's Day Out co-chair; Quest, the freshman honorary; and various community service projects, including the Greensburg alternative spring break, Cats for Cans and Girl Scout Music Day.

Bush, a 2005 graduate of Pratt High School, is the daughter of Bob and Jill Bush. She plans to pursue her master's degree -- and may eventually earn a doctorate -- in public history after completing her undergraduate studies at K-State in May 2009. Her goal is to become a museum curator or university professor focusing on community history.

"While the term 'public servant' often brings to mind police officers, firefighters and school teachers, I want to serve the public by promoting knowledge and understanding of our country's rich past," Bush said. "It was Cicero who said, 'Not to know what happened before you were born is to be forever a child.' I believe in today's fast-paced, technologically advanced world, it is more important than ever to have history education for all ages -- whether it be in school systems, universities or museums -- that encourages an intellectual and meaningful discussion of what the past means for the future.

"Whether I work in a museum or become a professor, I want to be a public servant for the preservation of U.S. citizens' culture and heritage."

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and appreciation of American history. The institute serves teachers, students, scholars and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools, organizes seminars and programs for educators; produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions; sponsors lectures by eminent historians; and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its partnership with Preserve America. The institute also awards the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and George Washington Book prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The collections has more than 60,000 documents on the political and social history of the U.S., ranging from 1493 through modern times. More on the institute is available at http://www.gilderlehrman.org