Historians

Graham, Loren R.

June 29, 1933—

Place of Birth: Hymera, IN

Place of Principal Residence: 
Summer: Munising, MI 
Winter: Cambridge, MA

Biography:
Loren Graham was born to Hazel and Ross Graham in Hymera, IN on June 29, 1933.  He earned his BS at Purdue University in 1955 and his MS and PhD at Columbia in 1960 and 1964, respectively.  In the past, Graham has taught at Indiana University, Columbia University, and Harvard University and is today a Professor of History of Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  For most of his life, Graham has enthusiastically embraced the history of Russia, in particular the history of scientific thought in the Soviet Union.  His research is the product of both intellectual and personal observation as Graham studied for two years at Moscow State University in USSR during the early 1960s and has since built a lengthy traveling record in the area.  The fruit of his labor has taken on forms that both the scholarly and the layman audience can enjoy, ranging from a strongly academic style in Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History to his autobiographical Moscow Stories for general audiences.  This work has not gone unrecognized; Graham has won many fellowships, awards, and honors, including being named a Guggenheim Fellow and winning the Sarton Medal from the History of Science Society.  In addition, he is part of the American Philosophical Society, the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Russian Academy of the Humanitarian Sciences.  Graham and his wife, Patricia, spend their summers in Michigan and their winters in Massachusetts and have one daughter, Marguerite.

Selected Works:

• Science, Philosophy and Human Behavior in the Soviet Union (1987)
• Science and the Soviet Social Order (1990)
• Science in Russian and the Soviet Union: a Short History (1993)
• The Ghost of the Executed Engineer (1993)
• A Face in the Rock: The Tale of a Grand Island Chippewa (1998)

Awards:

           
• Finalist for National Book Award
     
• Follo Award of Michigan Historical Society
     
• Honorable Mention for the Annual Award for Excellence by the Association of American Publishers
     
• Stuart D. and Venice Gross Award for Excellence in Literature
           
• One of the “Notable Books of 1993” from the New York Times
     
• Danforth Fellow
           
• Guggenheim Fellow
           
• Sarton Medal from the History of Science Society

Critical Reception:

For Moscow Stories:

“Not only are the stories captivating but they are also well told: Graham’s that rare academic who knows how to write for a popular audience.”
Publishers Weekly

“...Graham writes ...as an ordinary American living through these years [1960-2005] alongside Russians…”
Moscow News

“Exciting, shocking, reflective, humane, strong-minded, compelling and touching…essential reading for anyone…involved in the affairs of modern Russia…”
History

For Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History:

“Loren Graham’s informative history…leaves one wondering how science could function at all….The remaining, very open, question is: How well will a newly freed Russian science survive the removal of the Soviet hand that nourished and battered it?”
New York Times Book Review

“...well written, frequently insightful, and firmly grounded in the scholarly literature….This new social history will surely add much to an already complex and dramatic tale.”
American Historical Review

For The Ghost of the Executed Engineer: Technology and the Fall of the Soviet Union:

“In this gem of a book, Loren R. Graham, our foremost authority on Soviet science and technology, draws the reader into the life story of Peter Palchinsky, a remarkable Soviet engineer who was executed in 1929 for treason…Like all memorable books, [this one] leaves the reader wrestling with large questions. The fate of Palchinsky was specific to Stalinist Russia, but the story Mr. Graham tells prompts us to reflect on the tenuous position of the state-supported social critic in all places, at all times.”
New York Times Book Review

“[A] provocative and engaging volume.”
New Republic

“This remarkable book by Loren R. Graham deals with one of the many independent minds crushed by the Soviet government.”
American Historical Review

“A terrific read, and a needed reminder of what happens when technology is loosed from social responsibility.”
Boston Globe

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
One of Graham’s books, A Face in the Rock: The Tale of a Grand Island Chippewa, is a heavily researched account on the Chippewa Indians of Grand Island, a location very near to Graham’s summer home in Munising, MI. 

Kirk, Russell

October 19, 1918 – April 29, 1994

Place of Birth: Plymouth, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Mecosta, MI
Biography:
Russell A. Kirk was born to Marjorie and Russell Kirk in Plymouth, Mi in 1918.  He got his B.A. at Michigan State University in 1940, his M.A. at Duke University in 1941, and his D. Litt at St. Andrew’s University (in Scotland) in 1952.  Kirk is the only American to earn the highest arts degree from St. Andrews.  During the course of his life Kirk became the poster child for seizing rich and versatile experiences and became known as one of America’s leading thinkers.  He published over thirty-two books, many short stories, and hundreds of periodical essays appearing in U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and Poland periodicals. His book, The Conservative Mind, went through seven editions.  In total his books have sold over a million copies and have been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Korean, and other languages.  Kirk wrote and spoke on topics including modern culture, political thought and practice, educational theory, literary criticism, ethical questions, and social themes.  He lectures on hundreds of American campuses, and some of his public lecture appeared on radio and were broadcast nationally on C-SPAN.  In addition to lecturing, Kirk debated with well-known speakers like Norman Thomas, Hubert Humphrey, and Malcolm X.  He also enjoyed a circle of literary and scholarly friends including T.S. Eliot and Ray Bradbury.  Kirk’s life work won him many awards and much recognition, including being a Fulbright Lecturer in Scotland, receiving a Presidential Citizens Medal from President Reagan, the Christopher Award for his book Eliot and His Age, and twelve honorary doctorates from American universities and colleges.  Kirk edited the educational quarterly journal The University Bookman, and was the founder and first editor of the quarterly Modern Age.  For twenty-five years he wrote a page on education for National Review, and for thirteen years published (through the LA Times Syndicate) a nationally syndicated newspaper column.  Kirk lived with his wife of almost thirty years, Annette Yvonne Cecile Courtemanche, and his four daughters Monica, Cecilia, Felicia, and Andrea at his ancestral place, Piety Hill, in Mecosta, MI.  He converted a toy factory into his library and office, and was a famous narrator of ghostly tales, many of which he picked up during his travels (often on foot) in Scotland, Ireland, Mediterranean and Alpine lands, and Africa.  The Kirk’s house was often packed with Asiatic, African, and European refugees and exiles, along with university students, travelers from antique lands.  Kirk and Annette held many seminars at their residence in connection with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the Wilbur Foundation.  Every year they received several literary interns.  Kirk died in 1994 and his work is continued by the Russell Kirk Center.   
Selected Works:

       
• Randolph of Roanoke : A Study in Conservative Thought (1951)
       
• The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Santayana (1953)
       
• Old House of Fear (1961)
       
• Lost Lake: Confessions of a Bohemian Tory (1963)
       
• Eliot and His Age: T.S. Eliot’s Moral Imagination in the Twentieth Century (1971)
       
• Lord of the Hollow Dark (1979)
       
• Edmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered (1985)

Awards:

       
• 1950-1951 American Council of Learned Societies senior fellow
       
• 1956 Guggenheim fellow
       
• 1966 Ann Radcliffe Award for Gothic fiction
       
• 1972 Christopher Award
       
• 1977 World Fantasy Award for short fiction
       
• 1984 Weaver Award of Ingersoll Prizes for scholarly humane letters
       
• 1985 Freedom Leadership Award, Hillsdale College
       
• 1985 Constitutional fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities
       
• 1988 Literary Michigan by the Michigan Council for the Humanities
       
• 1989 Presidential Citizens Medal, conferred by President Reagan
       
• n/a Honorary degrees from Boston College, Central Michigan University, Olivet College
       
• n/a For several years a Distinguished Scholar of the Heritage Foundation

Critical Reception:

“As the prophet of American conservatism, Russell Kirk has taught, nurtured, and inspired a generation. From . . . Piety Hill, he reached deep into the roots of American values, writing and editing central works of political philosophy. His intellectual contribution has been a profound act of patriotism. I look forward to the future with anticipation that his work will continue to exert a profound influence in the defense of our values and our cherished civilization.” —Ronald Reagan

“[The Conservative Mind] gave American conservatives and identity and a genealogy and catalyzed the postwar movement.” - The New York Times

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
For the majority of his life, Kirk’s home was in Mecosta, MI where a number of people from all over the world, including refugees and scholars, lived with him and his family.  Kirk worked in his library and office in a nearby converted toy factory.  Kirk and his wife held many seminars at their home, and were joined each year by several literary interns.

Magnaghi, Russell M.

October 12, 1943 -

Place of Birth: San Francisco, CA

Place of Principal Residence: Marquette, Michigan

Biography:
Russell Magnaghi was born to Grace and Mario Magnaghi in San Francisco, CA on October 12, 1943.  Magnaghi was raised in an Italian-American community and attended the University of San Francisco, graduating with a BA in 1965.  He continued his studies at St. Louis University, earning an MA and PhD in 1967 and 1970, respectively. Magnaghi has been a history professor at Northern Michigan University since 1969, but has also taught at Loyola University, the University of San Francisco, and Florissant Valley Community College.  Although originally focusing on Latin-American history in his studies, Magnaghi now is an avid scholar of Northern Michigan history and has published many books and scholarly works on the subject.  He lives in Marquette, MI with his wife, Diane, and his daughter Emily.

Selected Works:

• A Sense of Place: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Essays in Honor of William & Margery Vandament
• Italians in Michigan
• Cornish in Michigan

Awards:

• Charles Follo Award
• Award of Merit, Historical Society of Michigan
• Distinguished Faculty Award, Northern Michigan University
• Peter White Scholar
• Helen Longyear Paul Award, Marquette County Historical Society
• Gov. Blanchard appointment to the Michigan Christopher Columbus Quincentenniary Jubilee Commission and reappointment by Gov. Engler

Critical Reception:

For Herbert E. Bolton and the Historiography of the Americas

...this book should be required reading for everyone working in the history of the United States, even if they do not subscribe to a greater Americas viewpoint.
- Western Historical Quarterly

Relevance of Place to the Author’s Work:
Magnaghi devotes his research and writing to the history of Northern Michigan.  He is actively engaged with the Michigan community in pursuing a deeper knowledge of Michigan’s past by being involved in many locally run research projects.

Nye, Russel

Feb. 17, 1913 – Sept. 2, 1993

Place of birth: Viola, Wisconsin

Place of Principle Residence: East Lansing, MI

Biography:
In 1913 Russel Nye was born to Charles and Zelma in Viola, Wisconsin.  In 1934 Nye graduated from Oberlin College and went on to University of Wisconsin, where he received his Masters in 1935 and his Doctorate in 1938.  He married Kathryn Chaney and the two had one son, Pete.  Besides writing, teaching was Nye’s chief profession; he served as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University for thirty-nine years.  Nye’s first book George Bancroft: Brahmin Rebel, published in 1944, became a huge success, winning a Pulitzer Prize.  Nye accredited the book’s origin to browsing through his grandfather’s library.  Besides delving into historical figures, Nye enjoyed a colorful assortment of interests, such as jazz musicians Bix Beiderbecke, the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, comic strips from The Chicago Tribune, the “Gunsmoke” television series, Tom Swift and Horatio Alger books, hair styles, and automobile racing.  He died in Lansing, Michigan on September 2, 1993.
 
Selected Works:

           
• George Bancroft: Brahmin Rebel (1945)
           
• Fettered Freedom: Civil Liberties and the Anti-Slavery Controversy (1947)
           
• A Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen Unusual Americans (1957)
           
• The Unembarrassed Muse: American Popular Culture (1970)

Awards:

           
• 1945 Pulitzer Prize, Biography
           
• 1947 Rockefeller Fellowship
           
• 1948 Newberry Library Fellowship
           
• 1977 Donner Medal, Donner Foundation and the Association for Canadian Studies
           
• 1978 Distinguished Service Award, Society for the Study of Midwestern History and Literature
           
• 1984 Distinguished Service Award, Michigan Council for the Humanities
           
• 1968 Litt.D., Northern Michigan University
           
• 1968, 1976 LL.D., Ferris State College; Bowling Green State University
           
• 1944 Knopf Fellowship

Critical Reception:

George Bancroft: Brahmin Rebel, Nye’s very first book, won enthusiastically received and won a Pulitzer Prize.  New York times praised the author as “a prodigious scavenger of the trivial past” and that “reading his book is like spending an afternoon in a country antique store.”

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Nye published much of his work during his thirty-nine years at Michigan State University.

Panagopoulos, Janie L.

December 17, 1955 -

Place of Birth:  Owosso, MI

Place of Principle Residence: Roscoe, IL and Owosso, MI

Biography:
Janie L. Panagopoulos was born to Clyde and Betty Blount in Owosso, MI.  Before starting school she could read, and in third grade started writing with the encouragement of her teacher.  She attended Jewett’s Women’s College of Business and John Wesley College and graduated with an AA degree.  Panagopoulos is a dedicated historian, spending two to five years researching for a writing project.  She started out in advertising as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines, and has had over 1,000 articles published between 1774 and 1992.  Besides writing, Panagopoulos has taught courses in theater arts and playwriting, and has had several of her plays produced.  After being an editor for Health Horizon Magazine in 1988-1990, Panagopoulos now works with students as an online mentor and workshop leader to develop their writing.  In 1993 she published her first documentary historical fiction novel, Traders in Time.  Since then she has been granted several awards, including the Michigan Authors Award in 2000 and the Read Michigan Award in 2001.  Panagopoulos does much traveling for research, spending much time in Michigan.  Panagopoulos lives with her husband, Dennis, in Illinois.

Selected Works:

     
• Little Ship Under Full Sail: An Adventure in History (1997)
     
• Train Called Midnight (1999)
     
• Journey Back to Lumberjack Camp (1994)
     
• Runes of Isle Royale (2000)
     
• Madame Cadillac’s Ghost (2004)
     
• Faraway Home: An Orphan Train Story (2007)

Awards:

     
• 2000   Michigan Author Award
     
• Short Story Awards and “Readers Choice” Awards
     
• 2003   Must Read Award
     
• 1998   Parent & Teacher Award

Critical Reception:
Panagopoulos is a noted Michigan author, and has received several awards including the prestigious Read Michigan Award that was granted by Michigan’s Governor Engler and Michigan’s Secretary of State Candace Miller.  In addition to her awards, Panagopoulos has been nominated for many national, state, and regional awards.

Relevance of Place to Writing:
Spending an enormous amount of time on researching for novels is a part of Panagopoulos’ daily routine.  She has traveled widely across the United States, especially Michigan, to study different histories, including canoeing over 3800 miles on the Great Lakes and Canadian waterways, living with traditional Native Americans, participating in archaeological digs, dog-sledding, snow-shoeing, and traveling with a wagon train.  Her writing dedicated to Michigan has been acknowledged by receiving the Michigan Authors Award and the Read Michigan Award.

 

 

Return to the map