Image: Last spring, Alex Bowen was awarded the second annual W. Todd Groce Fellowship in History from the Georgia Historical Society and in May he travelled to Savannah to start his work in their archives for the summer. Doctoral students Erleen Ellis and Caroline Alt met with Alex recently to find out more about the fellowship. Alex is a William J. Fanning Graduate Fellow in his 4th year at the University of Georgia. He received his Bachelors in History and Studio Arts at Florida State University and his Masters in History from Clemson. Previously, Alex worked as a research fellow for the Echo Project in Laurens, South Carolina where he researched the history of the town and the racial violence that occurred there. At UGA, Alex studies the correlations between class, race, and memory as Florida’s and the South’s economy evolved after the American Civil War. This extensive background made him a perfect pick for Savannah. As the W. Todd Groce Fellow, Alex used his expertise as a research professional to assess what unique holdings the Georgia Historical Society archive held. Day to day, he digitized newspapers and rescued microfilm in order to build a database of materials housed in the archive. Beyond this work, he helped prepare the Georgia Historical Society for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, primarily updating Today in Georgia History and materials for K-12 accessibility, as well as collaborated with the state’s historical marker project to fact check and revise damaged signs. Alex speaks highly of his time at the Georgia Historical Society, saying that it really influenced how he views the way historical societies engage with the public and state. Working with the Georgia Historical Society provided a frontline glance at the various audiences public history institutions engage with. It really drove home how human this section of the profession is. I interacted with elementary- and middle school-aged children visiting the Research Center as a part of their summer camp; I had the honor and pleasure of attending the historical marker dedication for Rev. Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert, the "father of the civil rights movement in Savannah," as a part of the local Black community's larger Juneteenth celebration; and I helped prepare educational materials for Georgia K-12 students for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. My heart is in uncovering and writing stories that are not front and center in our historical consciousness, but the W. Todd Groce Fellowship highlighted who the ultimate beneficiaries are of the fruits of the History discipline. We also asked Alex how the fellowship experience influenced how you go about your work as a researcher now: Because the majority of products put out by the GHS are prepared for the public, I would say my experience as a Groce Fellow revealed how important it is to have your facts straight. I spent a lot of time with the Historical Marker Program within GHS drafting revisions for replacement markers, authoring a research essay for a marker application related to a set of communities displaced by Atlanta airport expansion, and so on. Knowing that what I wrote in my work would be subject to public scrutiny, I spent a lot of time exhaustively combing historical materials and relevant literature to ensure the final marker was accurate beyond reasonable doubt. The last thing I wanted to do was release history that would subject the GHS to negative attention or, worse yet, offend any people who have a stake in what a marker says. Finally, we asked Alex how he felt about FSU’s upset against Alabama earlier this year and he said “Pretty happy!” Thanks to a generous donation from John F. and Marilyn McMullan, the W. Todd Groce Fellowship in History honors the historian and longtime CEO and president of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Once awarded the fellowship, the Groce Fellow works on projects commensurate with their experience and interests. These can include, but are not limited to, working on public exhibits; processing and inventorying new collections, as well as compiling finding aids; working on digital projects, from websites to podcasts; taking oral histories; and assisting with the production of educational materials for the K-12 classroom. Learn more about the fellowship here. Last year, when this fellowship was announced, W. Todd Groce said “Creating this fellowship provides an opportunity for a worthy student of history to gain experience and skills, it strengthens our profession, and it secures the relationship between the University of Georgia and the Georgia Historical Society. For all this, I am profoundly grateful.” Groce, a respected author and educator, has led the Georgia Historical Society for almost 30 years as CEO and president. The society has thrived under his illustrious tenure, uncovering histories that weave our communities together. Groce’s dedication to historical research and public history culminated in 2023 when he was appointed by the state as a representative of Georgia for the country’s 250th anniversary. We are happy to announce that W. Todd Groce will be joining us later this fall for a public talk.
