History professor David Vaught’s name was added to the list of nearly 600 Distinguished Lecturers within the Organization of American Historians on Nov. 21.
The OAH is the largest professional society and has the mission of promoting teaching and presentation of American history, while also encouraging discussions between honorable historians and scholars alike.
A member of the OAH since 1988, Vaught is one of 21 new speakers appointed to the Distinguished Lecturers program. A&M history professor Walter Kamphoefner is also a participating speaker in the program.
“I am honored to be appointed an OAH Distinguished Lecturer,” Vaught said. “This is a milestone achievement for a U.S. historian.”
Specializing in American rural history, labor history and the history of American baseball, Vaught has done three prominent lectures for the OAH, each covering a dignified part of his research.
“David Vaught brings the perspective of a scholar and the love of a fan to his talks on the role of baseball in American history,” OAH executive director Katherine Finley said. “We are honored he is a part of our team.”
Vaught describes his new appointment as a backing for the research he has worked hard to distribute to the public and beyond.
“The appointment provides further evidence of my stature in the discipline and the widespread external recognition of my research and teaching,” Vaught said. “More importantly, it recognizes my efforts to appeal not only to an interdisciplinary audience of scholars but to the public as well.”
As an author of four books and the recipient of research funds through three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Vaught is an image of the kind of service the OAH strives to achieve, according to Finley.
“OAH’s Distinguished Lecturers provide a vital service to promoting the public awareness and understanding of the importance of American history,” Finley said. “We thank Professor Vaught for his service to this organization.”
Stressing the importance of American history to the public and scholars alike is a task that Vaught has labeled as essential, and he is extremely confident in the role baseball plays with this.
“History, in my mind, demands nothing less,” Vaught said. “And baseball provides the perfect vehicle.”