On May 4, 2026, Dr. John C. McManus, currently at Missouri University of Science and Technology, visited the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War. During his time at the University of Tennessee, Dr. McManus, then a graduate student, worked with Dr. Charles Johnson in the early 1990s, interviewing World War II veterans. Many of […]
On May 4, 2026, the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War director, Dr. Chris Magra, interviewed retired Army Colonel Gerald York. Colonel Gerald York (Ret.) is a U.S. Army veteran and grandson of Alvin C. York, World War I Medal of Honor recipient. Born in 1947, he was raised in Tennessee and commissioned […]
On April 18, 2026, the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War hosted a table at the annual Bearden History Fair. This event brought numerous local historical entities together, such as the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War, the Knoxville History Project, the East Tennessee Historical Society, Knox Heritage, Knox County Public […]
Center Inter, Lily Beall, won first place at UT’s Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium! This is a huge accomplishment! This award comes with a certificate, a medal, and a monetary prize. We at the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War warmly congratulate Lily for her wonderful accomplishment! Lily researches on women who […]
The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War’s intern, Lily Beall, spoke at the University of Tennessee’s Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium on her work about women who served during World War II. Lily shared her research that women were invaluable to the war effort. For more information on women who served during […]
This past week, Center Director Dr. Chris Magra attended the Awards Luncheon to receive an award from the Society for Military History! The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War won the Public History award from the Society for Military History! This annual award recognizes the contribution of public historians to the field of […]
The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War received a box of gifts from AE2 (AW) Nicholas J. Wood, USN, stationed in Japan. Wood sent the Center a letter expressing his gratitude for the work the Center does in preserving and sharing veteran stories. He sent the center a hat, patches, stickers, and sand […]
Our director, Dr. Chris Magra, is scheduled to speak at Maryville College’s Witherspoon Lecture with his talk titled, “Wataugan Self-Governance: The Trans-Appalachian South and the Declaration of Independence, 1763-1776” — on Monday, March 23, in the Clayton Center for the Arts. For more information on this talk, please visit the website at the link provided.
The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War won the Public History award from the Society for Military History! This annual award recognizes the contribution of public historians to the field of military history. The Center was selected based on last year’s contributions that included a model of public history practice that emphasized and […]
On Friday, February 27, 2026, Dr. Chris Magra spoke at the Knoxville Volunteer Rotary Club about the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War and shared his insights on Knoxville during World War II.