Dr. Hubert G.H. Wilhelm received his Ph.D., which focused on German settlement in Texas Hill Country, from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, under the auspices of renowned cultural geographer, Dr. Fred B. Kniffen. Following his graduation, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, extended an invitation to Dr. Wilhelm to join its Department of Geography and Geology in 1963. From that time onward, he continued to teach for more than 30 years at Ohio University, where he is still considered the father of the Department of Geography, having served as the first chair of the department after it separated from the Geology Department in the late 1960s. In addition, he was twice honored as a University Professor for his teaching excellence while at the same time conducting research and writing on America’s built-up landscape, especially the diffusion of folk buildings (houses and barns) and migration and ethnic settlement patterns. Several of his presentations on these subjects have been published. His most recent publications include Barns of the Midwest, a cooperative editorial effort with Allen G. Noble, and two chapters in the two volume work, The National Road, which was edited by Karl Raitz and sponsored by the PAS:APAL.
Dr. Wilhelm’s continued enthusiasm and emphasis on material culture — ethnic landscapes, barns, and other forms of vernacular architecture — have inspired many to follow in his footsteps. In fact, he has supervised master’s degree research for several of today’s leading cultural geographers. Further, he has been a long-time member of PAS: Association for the Preservation of Artifacts and Landscapes, in addition to various regional organizations, and he is recognized as one of today’s foremost experts on Ohio’s agricultural landscape. And thus, it is with this background that his family has generously agreed to sponsor the annual Hubert G.H. Wilhelm Student Research Award which will provide both undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to compete for a research award in the field of material culture studies. This award includes a $200 cash prize and an engraved plaque.
Requirements:
During the annual PAS: APAL conference, two sessions of eight papers will be set aside for this student competition. No matter whether undergraduate, Master’s, or Doctoral research is submitted, it will be judged on the basis of content, scope, and enthusiasm for the subject of material culture.
A 250-word abstract accompanied by a one-page statement of the student’s interest in material culture must be submitted. Students are expected to attend the annual conference and present their paper with an enthusiastic flair, in keeping with the tradition of Dr. Wilhelm.
Presentations must be 20 minutes in length and should demonstrate exceptional abilities in topic selection, theory, methodology, field work, and conclusion. Three judges familiar with all levels of academic research plus one invited student representative will select one winner and one honorable mention. The award will be presented at the Friday awards banquet.
Submissions for the award should be sent directly to the Wilhelm Award Committee Chair, Artimus Keiffer, via email to: akeiffer@wittenberg.edu. The deadline for submissions has PASSED. Students are expected to attend the conference and hence, should complete the conference registration form at this time.
On behalf of PAS: The Association for the Preservation of Artifacts and Landscapes, it is our privilege to recognize up and coming students in the study of material culture with this, the Hubert G.H. Wilhelm Student Research Award. This award will, hopefully, stimulate interest in a subject that affects all of us in a myriad of untold ways.
Recipients of the Hubert G.H. Wilhelm Student Research Award
2008 Amy Potter, Louisiana State University, There’s No Place Like Home: rebuilding Community in the Lower Ninth Ward