By University Communications
A reception to recognize the FHSU Department of History and Philosophy’s first named professorship will take place April 10 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Schmidt Foundation Art and Design Hall Atrium. Hollie Marquess, lecturer of history, will be named the inaugural Dr. Leo Oliva Distinguished Professor of History.
“Hollie Marquess is uniquely qualified to fill this named professorship,” said Dr. David Macey, Dean of FHSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “Her exceptional commitment to her students, her innovative and engaging pedagogy, and her dedication to mentorship both inside and outside of the classroom exemplify the values that shaped Dr. Oliva’s career.”
This professorship honors Oliva’s legacy of transformative teaching and mentorship. An emeritus FHSU professor and historian, Oliva, who graduated from FHSU, earned a master’s degree in American history and a doctorate in American Studies at the University of Denver. He is the author of several books and many articles about Kansas and the frontier West, and he edited the Santa Fe Trail Association’s quarterly journal, Wagon Tracks, for 25 years.
Deep appreciation for the lifetime impact of Oliva inspired Glenn Walker, his former student, to provide funding for the creation of the Dr. Leo Oliva Distinguished Professorship of History.
“I was impressed that: one, he was a good teacher; two, he had very high standards; and three, he would help you get to those expectations,” Walker said, “That impressed me a great deal. He helped me to improve a lot.”
Walker underwent some “intellectual whipping” as a graduate student of Oliva’s, but Oliva’s efforts to help him grow as a historian made a true difference in his life.
Walker taught social studies for 22 years and served as a high school principal. He earned an M.S. from FHSU in 1975 and went on to complete a doctoral degree in Teaching and Leadership at the University of Kansas. Following his retirement from public education, he headed the secondary education program at Bethany College in Lindsborg.
Walker sought a means to honor a current professor at FHSU and discovered that a named professorship is one of the highest possible honors.
“I’m glad FHSU is honoring Dr. Oliva with this professorship,” he said. “It will bring Dr. Oliva some more credit. I want people to understand that he was appreciated.”
Marquess was selected for this named professorship through a competitive review process. A native of Plainville, she earned her B.A. and M.A. in history at FHSU. She has been a faculty member in the history program since 2016.
Marquess, who specializes in American history; women, gender, and sexuality; and the Midwest, has been published in “Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains” and the “Middle West Review.” In addition to mentoring 60 undergraduate students, Marquess hosts the Victor E. History Podcast, which gives FHSU history majors a platform for sharing their original research.
Marquess said being named the Dr. Leo Oliva Distinguished Professor of History is a great honor.
“I was a first-generation college student in the history program at FHSU, and I know firsthand how life-changing it is when someone invests in your success,” she said. “The professorship is an enormous honor, but it is also a remarkable gift that I will use to enhance the experiences of our students and better position them to succeed.”
Oliva, who fully embodies the teacher-scholar role, has left an incredible legacy at FHSU; Marquess said she is “delighted to get to play a role in carrying on that legacy through the Dr. Leo Oliva Professorship.”
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