Biography
My family and friends find it ironic that I ended up living in Canton, NY after having spent most of my life in sunny southern California. I grew up in Irvine, CA, where I lived with my parents, my two sisters, and a dog we called Golda Meir Regosin.
I am a product of the University of California. I earned my B.A. at Berkeley, and my M.A. and Ph.D.at Irvine. In both my undergraduate and graduate experiences, interaction with dynamic professors in American history and African American literature sparked my interest in my primary research field, African American history. My area of emphasis has been African Americans in the transition from slavery to freedom. My work on this subject includes two books: Freedom’s Promise: Ex-Slave Families and Citizenship in the Age of Emancipation; and Voices of Emancipation: Understanding Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction through the U.S. Pension Bureau Files (with Donald R. Shaffer.)
I came to the department of history at St. Lawrence University in the fall of 1997. I teach courses in American history, African American history, and American Women’s history. I have also participated in SLU’s First Year Program with colleagues from the English and Sociology departments. I am currently teaching in the program with a colleague from Philosophy. Our course is entitled “Making a Difference: Active Citizenship in a Healthy Democracy.” With its strong teaching mission, SLU is the perfect place for me. I enjoy having the opportunity to interact with my students both in class and in a variety of ways outside the classroom.
Last updated
October 18, 2018