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0. Prologue | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
Welcome to The 2023 UCF Veterans Legacy Program (VLP) Institute Podcast Series, a limited narrative podcast series directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia. The series focuses on a 10-day educational workshop created by UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program to honor and memorialize Veterans through powerful pedagogical teaching methods to K-12 teachers across the state of Florida to ensure that the legacy of Veterans can be appreciated and shared for generations to come.
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute was hosted at the historic St. Francis Barracks (headquarters of the Florida National Guard) and the adjacent St. Augustine National Cemetery (SANC). The Institute was incredibly versatile in profile and content. The UCF VLP Team comprised UCF History Professors and graduate and undergraduate students. The subjects of the participating K-12 teachers ranged from history to English Language Arts to Civics to JROTC to Physical Education. A myriad of activities, from interactive workshops to informative lectures to special presentations given by acclaimed veteran history researchers to field trip activities at SANC, remarkably fulfills the UCF VLP and broader Veteran Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration (NCA) mission to honor Veterans in perpetuity in innovative and engaging ways.
Sebastian Garcia joined the Institute on Day 6 out of the 10 Institute. At this point, the K12 teachers had been at the Institute for almost a week, and the conversations Sebastian had with the teachers reflected that impetus. But before we get to those conversations, in this prologue, Sebastian does an extensive “historiography” (literature review) to provide context so that anyone can understand how and why this Institute came to be and how it was a product of tremendous collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA). Situating the Institute in this historical context undoubtedly reveals its significance with sharp lucidity.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Bugatti” by prazkhanal (Pixabay), “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay), “Suspense Intro” by SegreQuadrado (Pixabay)
Sound Effects: “Birds chirping” and “Shotgun” by Pixabay
UCF VLP WEBSITE: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu
UCF VLP K-12 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/k12.php
Veteran Biographies: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies.php
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
References:
https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/about.php
https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/index.php
https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/timeline/timeline-1862.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/timeline/index.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/timeline/timeline-1867.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/alexandriava.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/Dates_of_Establishment_1.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/Facts_About_NCA.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/NCA_History_and_Development_1.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/NCA_History_and_Development_2.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/NCA_History_and_Development_3.asp
https://www.cem.va.gov/legacy/
https://www.cem.va.gov/legacy/colleges.asp
https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1867?amount=750000
https://www.nps.gov/frla/learn/historyculture/memorials.htm
https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-to-help-k-12-teachers-create-veteran-focused-classroom-projects/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQzXXjW5FLI&t=7s (INAUGARAL UCF VLP TRIP IN 2017)
Tom Howard, Chief of Staff for the NCA, “Veterans Legacy Program memorializes service, stories” (July 27, 2016). https://news.va.gov/29367/veterans-legacy-program-memorializes-service-stories/
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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1. "A Very Historic Property" | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the first episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Sebastian Garcia spoke with Allison Simpson, Command Historian of the Florida National Guard, about the historic St. Francis Barracks, which hosted The 2023 UCF VLP Institute. Currently, the Florida National Guard headquarters, the characteristic coquina building, has an extensive and rich history that extends back to when the Spanish occupied St. Augustine in the 1500s. Alison also talked about the history of the Florida National Guard—extensive in its own right. The St. Francis Barracks is also adjacent to the St. Augustine National Cemetery, where all the Veterans of this Institute are interred. Hosting the Institute at such a historic military landmark was essential in establishing the appropriate attitude for the K12 teachers—and subsequently for the opening of this podcast series.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia and featured Alison Simpson.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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2. "History versus Heritage" |The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the second episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Jim Stoddard, a reoccurring guest on KHC (Ep. 27 and Ep. 28), hosted the conversation with Dr. Heather P. Venable, an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. Given her successful career in researching and teaching military and Veterans’ history, Dr. Venable was invited to give a special presentation on Day 6 out of 10 of the Institute titled “My Intellectual Journey Trying to Understand My Veteran Dad’s Experience.”
Dr. Venable is one of Jim’s Ph.D. dissertation committee advisors. Their shared personal connection and professional interest in military and Veterans history produced an incredibly dynamic conversation that ranged from Dr. Venable’s special presentation to her 2019 book (How The Few Became The Proud: Crafting the Marine Corps Mystique: 1874-1914) to the complexity of teaching military history to currently serving members of the Armed Forces, and to their personal experiences in converging both worlds—military and academia.
This episode was directed, produced, written, and edited by Sebastian Garcia, hosted by Jim Stoddard, and featured Dr. Heather P. Venable.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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3. "Even with the Younger Ones" | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the third episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Sebastian Garcia had his first conversation with the K12 teachers. The teachers he spoke with were Lisa Bostick and Kristen Reilly, both second-grade teachers at Union Park Elementary and Clay Springs Elementary, respectively. Several key themes get talked about in conversation for the first time in this episode, such as the three deliverables the teachers worked on during the Institute—the Veteran biography, a themed mini-tour of St. Augustine National Cemetery, and a lesson plan that integrates the Veteran experience within the context of American and local history. More importantly, however, these teachers represented the youngest grade levels of the Institute—second grade—and thus had a unique perspective and approach from their peers. Lisa and Kristen explained the delicacy of implementing Veteran history teaching materials for a young audience. However, they also stressed why it’s ultimately worth pursuing.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Lisa Bostick and Kristen Reilly.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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4. "To Bring This Person Back to Life" | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the fourth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Sebastian spoke with three K12 teachers: Sharon Forand, Ryan Dane Rasmussen, and Alexis Wood. Sharon is an ELA and Social Studies teacher at Enterprise Elementary, Ryan is a high school teacher at Freedom High School, and Alexis is a fourth-grade teacher (all subjects) at Azalea Park Elementary.
In the first “after-hours” conversation of the series (recorded at the hotel once the day’s itinerary was over), the three teachers went into great detail about their overall experience at the Institute, specifically with their Veterans. Given that the teachers had just finished Day 7 out of 10 of the Institute, which included a workshop titled “Mapping Memories: Outlining your Biography,” they could clearly articulate the progress they have made with their Veteran bio. Also, being at the Institute for a week, these three teachers emphatically expressed its impact—both professionally and personally.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Sharon Forand, Ryan Dane Rasmussen, and Alexis Wood.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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5. “Now He’s My Guy” | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the fifth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” the “after-hours” edition continued as Sebastian Garcia spoke with two other teachers, Anne Makay (11th-grade US history teacher at Clearwater High School) Sgt. Maj. Ray Fullard (JROTC Instructor at Edgewater High School) and at the hotel after the Day 7 program of the Institute.
Anne Makay’s fascinating candor throughout the conversation further revealed with tremendous clarity the indelible impact and significance the Institute had on the K12 teachers for their profession and in memorializing Veterans. She shared her takeaways on learning how to teach Veterans history, its relevance, and how this Institute has given her tremendous confidence to do so. Sgt. Maj. Ray Fullard’s experience as a Marine and participation in this Institute undoubtedly transformed the episode, as that is a unique and different perspective we had not heard of previously. Conflating their distinctive views ultimately provided greater insights as to why the work being done by UCF VLP matters.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Anne Makay and Sgt. Major Ray Fullard.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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6. “I Hope He’s Appreciating the Presence” | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the sixth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we’ve reached the climax. At this point in the series, you have heard seven teachers, ranging from 2nd grade to 11th grade, profoundly reflect on their experience at the Institute—from their Veteran bios, to their mini-tours, to their lesson plans, to even how rewarding it has been to collaborate with other educators in the pursuit to memorialize Veterans and improve their craft. All the momentum we’ve built up in the past five episodes has led us to this pivotal moment—the “meta” field trip on Day 8 out of 10 of the Institute.
This experience differed from when the teachers explored St. Augustine National Cemetery because they have been engaging with their mini-tours, lesson plans, and, more importantly, their Veterans. So, when they participated in these field trip activities, for example, rubbing the headstones, they connected with their Veteran and their work in a completely surreal and transformative way that would not have been possible if they hadn’t been vehemently putting in that work from before. Therefore, this “meta” field trip took all the separate components the teachers have been working on for over a week and converged them into this holistic, all-encompassing experience.
Just as impactful of this “meta” field trip is the pedagogical element to it—it’s why the label “meta” is put in front of “field trip.” The teachers occupied a dual role in this enterprise—rather than being just passive receivers of the action; they were also challenged by the UCF VLP team to actively engage with the pedagogy behind constructing such an experience for students. Lastly, to add another layer of uniqueness to this episode, Sebastian recorded the field trip LIVE, allowing you as the listeners to get an authentic capture of what was going on—from the content that was being given to the genuine comradery that was displayed by the teachers, to even the beautiful soundscapes you hear when you’re at a national cemetery. Sebastian also narrates throughout the episode to provide better context to a dynamic and metamorphic event at the zenith of the Institute.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured UCF VLP Team Members Dr. Amelia Lyons, Dr. Amy Giroux, Dr. Barbara Gannon, Sarah Boye, Jim Stoddard, and Harrison Smith. This episode also featured the 2023 UCF VLP Institute K12 Teachers Cohort.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay) and “Glossy” by Coma-Media (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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7. "“That Felt So Personal” | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the seventh episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we pick back up where we left off last week: the conclusion of the “meta” field trip and into the roundtable discussion about it. At the zenith of the Institute’s pedagogical and emotional significance, this roundtable discussion was remarkably reflective, insightful, and cathartic for several reasons. First, the roundtable discussion format established a fluid and open dialogue between the K12 teachers and the UCF VLP Team that the Institute had not seen previously. Second, the K12 teachers’ perspicacious remarks on how indispensable the meta-field trip was for them and could be for their students demonstrated the success and mastery of UCF VLP’s time-tested pedagogical model in teaching Veterans’ history. Lastly, the emotions released during this 45-minute discussion showcased the profound investment made by these educators to memorialize Veterans in and out of the classroom. As with the previous episode, this is a poignant reminder that academia is as much heart as it is mind.
This episode was directed, produced, written, and edited by Sebastian Garcia, hosted by Dr. Amelia Lyons, and featured the UCF VLP Team and the 2023 UCF VLP Institute K12 Teachers Cohort.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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8. “It Puts a Face to It” | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the eighth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we return to a sit-down conversation with K12 teachers Alecia Bryant (7th Grade Civics Teacher at Meadow Woods Middle School), Angie Hubbart (4th Grade Teacher at Orlando Gifted Academy), and Heaven Wilson (10th Grade World History Teacher). However, having gone through such a transformative morning, the “meta” field trip (Episode 6) and the subsequent roundtable discussion (Episode 7) produced a different conversation we’ve listened to thus far in the series that was exceptionally passionate, reflective, and evocative.
The conversation’s descriptive imagery allows us to further understand who the Veterans assigned to Alecia, Angie, and Heaven were. This imagery also extended into the pedagogical side of this series—as they got deeply personal with their thoughts and feelings towards this Institute’s impact on their profession…ultimately giving this episode an inimitable identity and “face.”
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Alecia Bryant, Angie Hubbart, and Heaven Wilson.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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9. “Given Me More than I Could’ve Asked For” | The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series
Sebastian Garcia
In the final episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we return to an “after-hours” edition as Sebastian Garcia spoke with Nicole Bennett (2nd-grade Teacher at Webster Elementary), Erika Grant (Physical Education Teacher at Webster Elementary), and Judy Lindquist (K-5 Gifted Teacher at Andover Elementary), at the hotel after the entire Day 8 program. This includes the events of Episode 6 (“meta” field trip) and Episode 7 (subsequent roundtable discussion), in addition to afternoon workshops titled “Themed Explorations: Putting together your Mini-Theme Tour of SANC” and “Trying Tech: An Introduction to Using Google Maps, Cilo, and StoryMaps for Veterans History.” What ultimately ensued was a tremendous reflective exercise for these teachers as they had A LOT to process and decompress. Given this, in addition to the teachers closing in on Day 8 and approaching the final two days at the Institute, the conversation carried had an unintentional finality—a beautiful way to close this podcast series.
During the close of the series, Sebastian brings it to the present, as he briefly spoke with Dr. Amelia Lyons about her reflections on Year 1 of UCF VLP executing an educational Institute for K12 teachers about teaching and memorializing Veterans’ history. Dr. Lyons even shared with us some exciting details about the future of this initiative.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Nicole Bennett, Erika Grant, Judy Lindquist, and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.
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Episode 38: Dr. Cecilia Rodríguez-Milanés and Dr. Lisa Nalbone, Coordinators of the “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Event
Sebastian Garcia
In the final installment of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Cecilia Rodríguez-Milanés, a Professor of English with a specialty in Latinx Literature at the University of Central Florida, and Dr. Lisa Nalbone, a Professor of Spanish and Coordinator of the Latin American Studies BA Program at the University of Central Florida. Both of these women were the coordinators of the esteemed, conspicuous, beautiful, and powerful “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Program that Florida Humanities, UCF’s Department of English and Department of Modern Languages and Literatures sponsored (see https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/ for more details on sponsors and the program in general).
Sebastian wanted the “brains” behind this event to be highlighted in this mini-series as well, so their conversation focused on the responsibilities and expectations that come with creating and organizing an event like this, why it matters, and so much more.
If you could not attend the event listen to the previous episodes of this mini-series (ep. 35-37) to get a more intimate perspective from the panelists involved with this event. Also, WATCH a live recording of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQbQYS0NzIQ (Day 1) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xHEtLE1Kek (Day 2).
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Episode 37: Senator Mel Martinez - An Operación Pedro Pan Survivor
Sebastian Garcia
In Part 3 of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with former U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2005-2009. Mel Martinez was the first Cuban-American to serve in a presidential cabinet (President George W. Bush, from 2001-2003) and the first-ever Cuban-American to serve in the United States Senate. Before his career in Washington D.C., Mel Martinez was the Mayor of Orange County (Orlando, Florida) from 1998-2001. As if the résumé was not already astounding, Mel Martinez arrived in the United States at the age of 15 via Operación Pedro Pan.
Like other Pedro Pans, Senator Mel Martinez is a testament to the success and power of Operación Pedro Pan (and of immigration more broadly). One of the most prestigious and acclaimed guests this podcast has ever seen, he walks us through his life, his story, and how this historic event forever shaped him.
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Episode 36: Barbara Palacios Wessels - An Operación Pedro Pan Survivor
Sebastian Garcia
In Part 2 of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Barbara Palacios Wessels, a Pedro Pan, who arrived in the United States from Cuba via Operación Pedro Pan (Operation Peter Pan) on September 27, 1962, with her two younger siblings. Barbara was also a panelist from Day 1, Panel 2, which featured “community experts (survivors) that shared their personal perspectives to aid our understanding of the profound impact of Pedro Pan on their lives” at the esteemed, conspicuous, and powerful “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Program that Florida Humanities, UCF’s Department of English and Department of Modern Languages and Literatures sponsored (see https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/ for more details on sponsors and the program in general).
In one of the most personal, emotional, riveting, and powerful Knights HistoryCast episodes ever, Barbara recounts her life, her story, and how she is a part of the history of Operación Pedro Pan forever.
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Episode 35: Alexis Castellanos, Author of “Isla to Island”, and Her Panel Presentation during the Operación Pedro Pan Two-Day Event
Sebastian Garcia
In Part 1 of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Alexis Castellanos, an author, illustrator, graphic novelist, and a panelist at the esteemed, conspicuous, and powerful “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Program that Florida Humanities, UCF’s Department of English and Department of Modern Languages and Literatures sponsored (see https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/ for more details on sponsors and the program in general).
Sebastian structured this specific episode on Alexis Castellanos’ Isla to Island, a wordless graphic novel grounded by her personal family history and the history of Operación Pedro Pan (Operation Peter Pan). By analyzing such a historic event through the medium of fiction, Sebastian argued that this is one of the most unique Knights HistoryCast episodes of all time. Naturally, their conversation expanded to what she talked about during her panel presentation in Panel One, Day 1 of the event that featured “internationally renowned scholars that discussed the political, historical, and cultural legacy of Operación Pedro Pan (1960-1962).” (https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/)
To purchase Isla to Island (strongly recommend), check out: https://islatoisland.com/.
To find out more about Alexis and her professional work, check out her website at https://alexiscastellanos.com/
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Episode 34: History Research Projects/Posters at the 2023 UCF Student Scholar Symposium Event
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia attended the 2023 UCF Student Scholar Symposium Event, UCF’s most prominent showcase event of the year, where students from all disciplines can present their research. Sebastian talked with all the students of this year’s program who did historical research, regardless of the student’s major/discipline. Sebastian recorded these interviews LIVE at the event, hence the ambiance in the background of all the conversations. Below are the names of the students who talked with Sebastian, the title of their research project, and the timestamps in which the conversation takes place during the episode.
- Marena Montes-Colon, Las Floriquenas: Puertoriquenas’ Experiences in Central Florida Presented Through a Historical Framework [00;02;21-00;13;31]
- Julia Condes, Juan De Pareja: The Portrait That Preceded Freedom [00;13;37-00;22;50]
- Glenn Ritchey III, Ancient Defenders in the Modern Body Politic: The Ulster Cycle’s Boy and Man Heroes [00;22;56-00;40;45]
- Cameron Garrow, Protection or Control? The History and Impact of the Major Crimes Act on Native Americans [00;40;50-00;51;42]
- Jacqueline Houser, Relocate the Original Bumper Missile Blockhouse [00;51;47-01;01;21]
- Jochen Riehm, The Dreyfus-Affair in the Alsatian Press: Politics, Society, and Religion in a German Borderland Region, 1906-1914 [01;01;26-01;10;03]
- Sarah Boye, Southern Justice and the Cultural Legacy of the Civil War in Orlando [01;10;08-01;18;39]
Here is a link to this year’s virtual program, where you can find and see the posters that these students presented during the event: https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/#/event/3315/program
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Episode 33: Dr. Jennifer Palmer and Her Keynote Presentation at the 16th Annual Pauley Lecture Series on Global Affairs
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Jennifer Palmer, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Georgia, about her keynote presentation at the 16th Annual Pauley Lecture Series on Global Affairs titled, “To Have and To Hold: Race, Gender, and Property in the French Atlantic World.” Given that the recording of this podcast took place before her lecture presentation, Sebastian took a holistic approach and asked questions about Dr. Palmer’s first book (Intimate Bonds: Family and Slavery in the French Atlantic) and research more broadly (Early Modern France, the Atlantic World, and the Caribbean) to provide a more dynamic and fresh preview at the lecture she planned on presenting at the recording of this episode.
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Episode 32: Dr. Mwita Chacha (featuring Dr. Jonathan Powell) and His Keynote Presentation at the 5th Annual Dr. John T. Washington Lecture Series
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Mwita Chacha, an Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Dr. Chacha was the keynote speaker at this year’s annual Dr. John T. Washington Lecture Series hosted by the UCF Department of History’s Africana Studies Program. He discussed recent trends in regional cooperation in Africa by identifying the uniqueness of these trends and placing them in a historical context. Dr. Jonathan Powell, an Associate Professor in the School of Politics, Security, and International Relations at the University of Central Florida and a longtime colleague of Dr. Chacha, joined Sebastian and Dr. Chacha in this podcast conversation as both Dr. Chacha and Dr. Powell have worked together on numerous projects. Together, they provided a dynamic podcast that broadly covered research examining the politics of regional integration and the consequences of political and economic interdependence on domestic security and conflict.
NOTE: At 56:29, Sebastian said “60 or so,” not to be confused with “6 or so,” as it appears to be.
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Episode 31: Professor Paul W. Wehr Day at the Pioneer Days Pine Castle Historical Society History Tent Event
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Mr. Richard Lee Cronin, author, historian, and event coordinator of the Pine Castle Historical Society HISTORY TENT, at the Annual Pine Castle Pioneer Days Event.
This episode is dedicated to and is in honor of Professor Paul W. Wehr.
A Professor of History at UCF since the Department’s inception in 1969, Professor Wehr retired in 1995 after 25 years of teaching his passion for history—inspiring countless students and faculty. Professor Wehr devoted much of his time to documenting the history of Orange County, specifically Pine Castle. This naturally led to a close relationship with the Pine Castle Historical Society, which dedicated Day 1 of the 2-day event at Pioneer Days to Professor Wehr for the first time this year. Sebastian decided to pay tribute to one of UCF’s original history professors by going to the Pine Castle Pioneer Days HISTORY TENT event dedicated to him and produced a podcast on location with Mr. Richard Lee Cronin, who knew Professor Wehr personally.
Below are links to an Orlando Memory interview featuring Professor Wehr himself that Sebastian mentioned in the introduction of this podcast, the page to know more about his books and association with Pine Castle, and a UCF CAH article written about Professor Wehr shortly after his passing in 2021.
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Episode 30: Dr. Julian Chambliss and the 2023 ZORA! Festival Academic Conference. Plus, His Work on Afrofuturism, History Podcasting, and Comic Book Studies
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Julian Chambliss, a Professor of English with an appointment in History and the Val Berryman Curator of History at the MSU Museum at Michigan State University. He is also the Conference Curator of the 2020-2024 ZORA! Festival Academic Conference Cycle. This podcast focuses explicitly on the 2023 ZORA! Festival Academic Conference, which took place at the end of January. From his role in curating the conference, its direct connections and ties to Afrofuturism and Zora Neale Hurston, to podcasting and comic book studies, this episode of Knights Historycast covers all the incredible, dynamic, and transformative work Dr. Chambliss has done during his career.
Down below are the links to his website and the podcast shows that he produced and is currently producing that were talked about during the episode:
- His website: https://www.julianchambliss.com/
- Link to all his former and current history podcast shows: https://www.julianchambliss.com/podcasts
Here is a link to Dr. Robert Cassanello’s podcast that Dr. Chambliss was referring to: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ahistoryofcentralfloridapodcast/
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Episode 29: Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández and “When the World Turned Upside Down: Politics, Culture, and the Unimaginable Events of 2019-2022”
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández, a Pegasus Professor (highest faculty title/award that can be received at this institution) of History at the University of Central Florida, about his upcoming book, When the World Turned Upside Down: Politics, Culture, and the Unimaginable Events of 2019-2022. An award-winning historian and nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate, Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández beautifully uses the strengths of both disciplines to provide in real-time, astounding and shrewd historical analysis, insight, and commentary, of the unimaginable events of the past four years with the 66 opinion columns presented in the book. As Sebastian mentioned in the intro of the episode, this podcast serves as a preview of what readers can expect when reading the book, as Sebastian walks through all the topical sections of the book with Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández.
You can pre-order the book now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retail bookstores. The book officially releases on February 15th, 2023. Use the links down below to either pre-order the book now or purchase the book when it comes out—it will be one of the best purchases you’ll make this year.
- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-world-turned-upside-down-luis-mart-nez-fern-ndez/1142555060
- https://www.amazon.com/When-World-Turned-Upside-Down/dp/143319614X?ref_=ast_author_dp
- https://culturaltrans.com/
Want more after listening to this podcast and reading the book? Check out Dr. Luis Martínez-Fernández’s website at https://culturaltrans.com/opinion-columns to continue to follow and read his weekly opinion columns.
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Episode 28: The Florida-France Soldier Stories Project
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia spoke with the members of the Florida-France Soldier Stories Project research team to discuss the imperative and impressive work that they have done since 2015 to honor and commemorate Floridians that gave their lives to liberate France and defeat Germany in the Second World War.
Down below are the timestamps in which each of the different group segments begins:
Group 0: [3:27] Intro with Dr. Amelia Lyons (Principal Investigator)
Group 1: [12:42] Faculty/Staff, featuring
- Dr. Lyons (PI)
- Richard Harrison III (Research Librarian Consultant)
- Richard Gause (Research Librarian Consultant)
- Dr. Amy Giroux (Digital Consultant)
Group 2: [39:50] Graduate Students, featuring
- Dr. Lyons (PI)
- Marie Oury
- Jim Stoddard
- Elizabeth Klements
Group 3: [1:20:28] Undergraduate Student, featuring
- Dr. Lyons (PI)
- Evan Murray
To find out more information about this project and to read the biographies of the soldiers, check out their website (which was mentioned several times in the pod):
https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/
Need LSAT tutoring? As mentioned in 1:43:46, Evan is an LSAT tutor for the Princeton Review. To contact him about this, please email him at murrayevan725@gmail.com
A special shoutout to Professor Nikolas Gardiakos, who has helped Sebastian throughout this entire process of ensuring that these podcasts are of the utmost quality. As mentioned in the outro of this podcast, please check out Professor Gardiakos’s (and Professor Meeghan Faulconer’s) podcast—Discussions on Writing and Rhetoric—at https://ucfdwr.podbean.com/
Check out Sebastian’s debut Florida Historical Quarterly Podcast, in which he spoke with Dr. Martin T. Olliff about his article in the Winter/Spring 2021 issue of the Florida Historical Quarterly. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq-podcast/44/
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Episode 27: Jim Stoddard, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and His Experiences Going Back to Education Post-Military Service
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Jim Stoddard, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran that served from 2003 to 2013. After his military service, Jim decided to continue his education at UCF. In 2016, he earned his bachelor’s degree in history and continued to push forward in his pursuit of education by earning his master’s degree in history in 2020. Jim is currently working towards his Ph.D. in UCF’s Text and Technology program, with his doctoral research focusing on memory and identity in the U.S. Marine Corps. In this podcast, UCF History Department’s 1st ever Veterans Alumni Roundtable Event was the basis of the conversation, with a specific focus on Jim’s personal journey going back to education post-military service.
To read (highly recommend) Jim’s Master’s Thesis that was talked about during the podcast, the link is down below:
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Episode 26: Dr. Frank Uekötter and Making Sense of the Juice: Florida Oranges and the Problems of Monoculture. Plus, a Sneak Peek of His Upcoming Book, The Vortex: An Environmental History of the Modern World
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Frank Uekötter, a Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, working on environmental issues, both past and present, in a global context. Their conversation primarily focused on Dr. Uekötter’s faculty talk event at UCF this past Monday (11/7), which was about the Florida citrus industry and issues of monoculture in this region, but also more broadly (starts at 16:06). This naturally led some portions of the conversation in the podcast to talk about themes and topics from his upcoming book The Vortex: An Environmental History of the Modern World—however the final segment of the podcast is dedicated solely to talking about his book, which will be coming out in February 2023 (starts at 1:01:02). Below you can find some links to Dr. Uekötter’s YouTube videos posted by the University of Birmingham to learn more about his research and his work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j72s4nCoMEw (A Global History of Monoculture)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSp6VyHuLlI (Making Food History)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UmtKexCO0A (Dr. Uekötter research interests)
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Episode 25: Dr. Jim Clark and a Crash Course History of Florida Politics Amidst the 2022 Florida Midterm Election
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Jim Clark, a professor of history here at the University of Central Florida. Their conversation centered on Dr. Clark’s 2014 book A Concise History of Florida, with specific attention to the chapters relating to the history of Florida politics, as the timing is appropriate since we are currently in midterm voting season in Florida, and having that historical background and understanding of Florida politics can enrich one’s experience going to the polls this voting season by being more aware and appreciative of those historical trajectories that got us into the present moment.
NOTE: At 32:25 Sebastian said, “5 days out from the general election day” without following that statement with “as of this recording”. As of the publication of this episode we are 4 days out from the general election day which is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Go vote now during early voting or on the day of the general election!
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Episode 24: Dr. Bob Beatty and “Play All Night! Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East”
Sebastian Garcia
The Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Bob Beatty, a double UCF History alum (B.A. 1994, M.A. 2002) and received his Ph.D. in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University in 2018. Dr. Beatty is currently the president of The Lyndhurst Group—a history, museum, and nonprofit consulting firm—and an instructor of Museum Studies and American History at Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Their conversation in this episode primarily focused on Dr. Beatty’s newly released book titled, Play All Night! Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East, and they were very much on theme with the Allman Brothers Band as they were “hittin’ the note” themselves in this conversation, and as a result they went over scheduled time (Dr. Beatty had to go to a book talk workshop at the UCF History Department after the recording)! Allman Brothers Band fans or not—this podcast is highly dynamic, entertaining, and educational, thus being worthy of its 2 hours and 20 minutes runtime!
Continue the discussion by following Dr. Beatty’s socials @LongLiveTheABB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!