Erik Johnson, a student in the History M.A. program, has been named as the 2013 recipient of the Randy Beth Clarke Fellowship in U.S. history. The fellowship is given each year to an outstanding student in the History M.A. program.
In 2010 Robert and Joyce Clarke established the award in memory of their daughter, Randy Beth. Randy Beth completed Mason's History M.A. program in 2008 while in the very last stages of a terminal illness. Randy Beth's diligence in her academic work and her indomitable spirit left a lasting impression on her professors and her fellow students, and the department is honored to partner with the Clarkes in awarding this fellowship in her memory.
Erik is a worthy recipient of this award. Like many of our M.A. students, Erik entered the program with a wide range of life experiences, including a period of teaching English in Korea. He has built an outstanding record in his coursework for the M.A. program and maintains an avid interest in 19th-century U.S. history, and the Civil War in particular. He also shares Randy Beth's passion for public history, having volunteered with the National Park Service at the National Mall and with the Glen Echo Oral History Project. He is planning for a career either in teaching or in public history.
July 03, 2013