Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Renowned environmental historian, Richard Judd, will be retiring from teaching at the University of Maine at the end of this semester. As many of you may already know, Professor Judd is one of the history department’s most prolific scholars and has helped build numerous connections between the sciences and the humanities at UMaine in addition to being a significant force within the interdisciplinary field of environmental history itself for the past three decades. He has authored dozens of books and articles related to conservation; environmental thought; and the traditional farming, hunting, fishing, and logging cultures of Maine and northern New England. He also served as an editor for a number of projects—most notably among them, the Historical Atlas of Maine—as well as the Journal of Forest History and Maine History.
To celebrate and discuss the significance of Professor Judd’s career, some of his current and former students have organized a panel featuring five forward-thinking scholars within eastern environmental history. Brian Payne, a former student of Judd’s and a professor of history at Bridgewater State will lead the discussion, discussing how Judd influenced him as a mentor and introduced him to the field of environmental history. Kate Viens, director of research at the Massachusetts Historical Society, will expand upon Payne’s comments about Judd’s influence as an educator, discussing the implications of his work to the field of public history in addition to her own graduate research. Matthew McKenzie, professor of history at University of Connecticut and New England Fisheries Management Council appointee, will discuss the way in which Judd’s environmental history work intersects with both the sciences and social history and brings new insights to the environmental recovery within many areas of New England over the last several decades. John Cumbler, professor emeritus of history at the University of Louisville and current history faculty at Suffolk University will explore, in greater depth, Judd’s contributions to a social-environmental history hybrid field and his work as indicative of environmental history’s emergence from labor and social history. AndBrian Donahue, chair of the environmental studies program at Brandeis University and director of the Working Landscapes program at Harvard Forest, will discuss the ways in which Judd broke new ground within the field of environmental history by highlighting through his research the conservation efforts of ordinary rural people.
A Q&A session will follow in which Professor Judd will participate.
Don’t miss this important opportunity to discuss the role of one of UMaine’s most esteemed faculty members in shaping the field of environmental history and wish him well as he heads into retirement.
If you would like more information, please contact Emma Schroeder at emma.schroeder@maine.edu or Eileen Hagerman at eileen.palmer@maine.edu.