William B. Husband
Professor William B. Husband taught at OSU for over three decades. Professor Husband received his Ph.D. from Princeton. His teaching focused on the History of Russia. His specialized courses included Soviet History through Film, Society in Modern Russia, Stalin and Stalinism, Sex in Soviet Russia, Science and Society in Modern Russia, Women in Russia, and Christianity in Russia. He was a visiting scholar at Moscow State University, the Russian State Humanities University, the former Leningrad State University, and the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His research was supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright-Hays Foundation, the International Research and Exchanges Board, the Cotsen Library, the Oregon Council for the Humanities, and the Summer Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A native of El Paso, Professor Husband published on a wide variety of subjects, including Soviet perceptions of American foreign policy during the Cold War, Russian/Soviet children’s literature, peasant folkways, church-state relations in the USSR, civil society in Siberia in the 19th century, Russian factory conditions and labor relations, and the effect of glasnost on new textbooks for Soviet high school students in the 1980s. Before his passing in 2020, he published on Stalinist environmental policy and post-Soviet pornography.
Books by Professor William B. Husband
"Godless Communists”: Atheism in State and Society in Soviet Russia, 1917-1932
(Northern Illinois University Press, 2000)
The Human Tradition in Modern Russia
(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000)
Revolution in the Factory: The Birth of the Soviet Textile Industry, 1917-1920
(Oxford University Press, 1990)
James Blumenthal
A professor of Religion at Oregon State and renowned scholar of Buddhist philosophy, he was integral to the establishment of contemplative studies activities at OSU. As an educator, Jim’s goal was to introduce his students to other cultures and traditions, in hopes that open-mindedness would lead to a more peaceful world and more self-awareness. He taught courses in Indian and Tibetan intellectual history, as well as contemporary and historical Buddhist philosophy. He brought Buddhism experts and luminaries into his classrooms, and his generosity of spirit made him an important and well-loved mentor to his students.
Paul Farber
For over four decades, Paul Farber was a Professor of Modern Life Sciences and Intellectual History. His research examined the emergence of scientific disciplines such as ornithology, the naturalist tradition, and the development of evolutionary ethics. In addition, he promoted the use of history of science in teaching biology and held a joint appointment in the Department of Zoology.
Professor Farber studied zoology as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh and then received a master’s (1968) and a doctoral (1970) degree in history and philosophy of science at Indiana University. He began teaching at Oregon State in 1970. His visiting appointments included the University of Washington, Cambridge University, and Imperial College (London). Professor Farber served on the Council of the History of Science Society and was its President, was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the History of Biology, and was Secretary of Section L (History and Philosophy of Science) of the AAAS for eight years.
In addition to his superb scholarship and exemplary teaching, Paul will be remembered for his warm mentoring of many graduate students and junior faculty, his easy and gentle laughter, his seemingly insatiable curiosity, his keen discernment in navigating OSU’s administration and advocating for the history department and the humanities, and his irrepressible optimism that buoyed us all.
Kendall Staggs
Professor Kendall Staggs passed away in 2023. Professor Staggs attended Oklahoma State as an undergraduate earning a degree in economics, and the University of Iowa for his masters and PhD, which he received in 1991. The title of his dissertation is “"Millionaire Underdogs: The Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Politics of Imported Oil, 1921-1941." Professor Staggs began teaching at OSU in 1995. He taught sometimes up to 200 students per term in United States’ history survey classes. But most notably, Kendall taught the hugely popular class entitled “The History of Beer and Brewing.” This class distilled his decades of expertise in the topic. Kendall was not only a scholar of the international history of beer and brewing but a leader in the regional community. His stature was such that he was interviewed as part of OSU’s Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives Oral History Collection. In his own words: “In the past dozen years, I have served as the instructor and master of ceremonies for over fifty beer tasting events. I provide the beers and a packet of information concerning the history and the stories behind the breweries, the beer styles, and the beers themselves. The sessions are always informal; I usually introduce the beers and then answer any questions that come up. I play the part of Professor Beer, but the emphasis is on having fun, and everyone seems to have a great time at these beer tastings. … They afford me an opportunity to do the two things I enjoy doing most: teach people about great beer and enjoy my favorite beers in the world.”
