| Journal of Nasim Moalem for HIST619D 2001/03/01
2001/04/15
I have uploaded a rough draft of Gordy biography. I decided to start writing on him first (prior to the institutional) because I am rather having fun piecing him together...it's interesting to see him come together as a person. I have read all of the annual reports for the period I am studying (which conveniently enough spans a great deal of Gordy's tenure) and while I relied on the Comptroller's comments to the Assembly, I tried to figure out the signficance of some of the things I was reading on the balance sheet page for each respective year. I have recorded the amount of money the state funded certain services and the amount it relied on federal relief--I want to see how that breaks down. Particularly interesting to me is how much the state gave to certain things that seemed to be more of a incentive for state money but they relied more on federal funds (i.e. funds for University of Maryland). I am, however, having somewhat of a delimma in writing the biography of Gordy trying to figure out what details to include and what to leave out...for example, a bit of hostility between Gordy and Lee should that be included or not? Clearly not all Comptroller's played nice with one another...
2001/03/29
I was having enormous trouble with my aol connection over the past week and a half so I hope this is readable.
My impressions of publichistory.org
Overall, a very useful introductory source to public history. The most important aspect of the website was the working definition of "public history". The website includes important information for those interested in public history--once its defined, there is evolution chronology of public history, institutions offering courses and degrees in it and then jobs in the field. The website also offers a valuable service by providing links to online resources as well as evaluating some of the ever-growing crop of public history websites.
What are some of the most effective parts of the site?
What I found particulary useful was,not only the working definition of public history, but the "reports from the field." The reports from professional public historians showed the different arenas that are in need of public historians as well as how each business/location uses public history. This part of the site takes public history outside its purely academic (institutional) context and shows how it is a burgeoning field.
Which components of the website are the weakest or least effective?
Although as a whole, I think the website is well-designed, I don't believe it is very reader friendly. For example, in the homepage, a bullet style format showing all the links would not only an easier read, but also easier for returning users to link directly to what they are looking for without having to read the script. The new and newsworthy section uses this type of bullet-style format which I believe is much more effective in increasing interest and traffic to the website and its various links. Additionally, I would take another look at the color scheme, particulary in the lower part of the webpage where the site is separated into the 3 distinct parts (general info, public history, publications). While blue on black looks dramatic and nice, I think its too hard to read. Also, while the pictures are visually nice, I don't really understand its connection to the specific page (ie. the picture on the syllabi page).
2001/03/25
2001/03/19
Spent 2 hours at the archives searching through the gov files. nothing found.
2001/03/15
Got all news articles by the baltimore news american on gordy. sifting through them now.
2001/03/01
Spent some time searching through the Maryland Room. They have a photograph collection of the Baltimore News American and I found multiple pictures of Gordy--his kickoff campaign for Governor, a few more pictures of him, as well as a picture of Mrs. Gordy. The staff at the Maryland Room was very helpful. They are going to go through their archives to see if they have any newspaper clippings regarding Gordy.
2001/02/28
Research is coming along much faster now, after hitting some dead ends within the Maryland library system. So far, have found more information on Gordy as a public figure, as well as his picture. The Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post both had obits, but the Washington Star did not.
2001/2/11
I'd like to research Comptroller William S. Gordy, Jr. I'd like to focus on him because he was Comptroller during the mid 1920s to late 30s. I particulary find this time fascinating because of the economic/political ramifications stemming from the Progressives of the 20s to the Depression of the 1930s and the government's reaction to social policy and the Board's crucial role in that.
Review of Wilner
Wilner, Alan M. The Maryland Board of Public Works: A History.
(Hall of Records Commission: Annapolis, MD) Wilner 1984.
The Maryland Board of Public Works, in all its many forms, has been for the most part a mysterious and not so well known aspect of the mechanism of daily state government. Yet, in The Maryland Board of Public Works: A History author Alan M. Wilner takes on the awesome responsibility of not only explaining the current Board and all of its responsibilities, but also the evolution of the Board, one that is intertwined with the social and political history of the state itself.
Wilner understands the complexity of his undertaking; one that he hopes will provide a “complete and definitive history of the board” (ix). His main method presents the story of the board within a grand narrative of the political history of Maryland. Wilner also manages to present the history in an interesting fashion, using documentation of specific transactions within the earlier years of the board and using more general interpretations for the modern board. This presentation lends itself to a much smoother read for the audience, one where the progression of the board’s responsibilities is seen as a natural evolution within the state’s political and social history.
Wilner introduces the state’s first board and the political climate surrounding its creation in the early-19th century. This board, a mere glimmer of what it will become in modern days, was in more ways a venture capital firm, where its role was to seek out new opportunities the state could finance to not only enhance the infrastructure within the state, but could also supplement the state’s coffers. Wilner investigates this early board; one developed in an era of what he refers to as a “mania for eternal improvements.” Through Assembly records, Wilner re-creates the configuration, actions and deliberations of not only the board, but also of the changes undergoing within the state dealing with transportation, regional interests, political interests, economic expansion and tax law.
Wilner’s treatment of the board continues in similar fashion as he explains the board’s re-emergence, as it were, in the State’s newly configured Constitution enacted in 1851. Under this new Constitution, elected members took their positions in the Commissioners of Public Works. The Commissioners were to represent state interests’ in public works. To achieve that end, the now elected Commissioners represented the 4 sections of the state and were elected in staggered terms. The Commissioners would not last for very long however, as a national and state crisis forced legislators to once again reconsider the State’s Constitution. The Constitutional Convention of 1864 created a new Board of Public Works, one that, unlike its predecessors, would be more interested in divesting the state of its sponsorship of various companies and investments. This new Board would consist of 3 members—the Governor, the Treasurer and the Comptroller. This new board would also be responsible for the “public works” delegated to it by the General Assembly. The very general nature of the term “public works” would mean that this board would increasingly take on more responsibility as the state’s needs and commitments to the public expanded. The economic crisis of the 1930s further expanded the role of government’s involvement in social programs and, in turn, further expanded the role of the Board. While the necessity of its existence may have come into question briefly in 1921 under the Griffenhagen report, the Board nonetheless marched forward as the state and nation were forced to deal with extraordinary events such as the Depression, the War, the Post War Boom, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Throughout the work, Wilner documents the actions and possible motivation of the Board and the General Assembly with meticulous detail. When it is possible and prudent, Wilner looks at how individual personalities affected the work of the Board and how that may have, in turn, affected the political landscape of the state. The Maryland Board of Public Works: A History is truly a valuable work. It goes a long way to explain and historicize the work of a very crucial and unique organization within the Maryland State Government.
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