At long last, the conference program! (And some new hotel information)

We are very happy to share with you the program for September’s conference:

Liberty’s Daughters and Sons: 

Celebrating the Legacy of Mary Beth Norton

The tremendous enthusiasm for Mary Beth generated an extraordinary array of paper proposals, and we’ve been able to put together what we humbly think is a fantastic schedule of panels involving scholars from all over the country.

The schedule of events is below. You can also view and download a copy of the program by clicking here: Liberty’s Daughters and Sons: Celebrating the Legacy of Mary Beth Norton

Lodging in Ithaca: for those of you who have yet to reserve a hotel for the conference weekend, we have booked a block of 15 rooms (single or double occupancy) at the Best Western East Hill Plaza. The conference rate is $149 a night, but you must book by late August. To make a reservation, call the hotel directly at 607-272-6100 and mention the “Mary Beth Norton conference” in order to get the room rate of $149 per night. The block of rooms expires on August 27th, one month before the event. The Best Western East Hill Plaza offers (among other amenities) a free on-demand shuttle that will pick guests up at the airport and arrange for their transportation around town.

We anticipate the block of rooms going quickly, so don’t delay! Another option for finding a hotel in Ithaca is the “lodging” search provide by the VisitIthaca website.

We look forward to seeing you in September!

View this document on Scribd

Introducing the Mary Beth Norton Undergraduate Research Fund!

We are thrilled to begin 2012 with some very exciting news: with the help of the Cornell History Department and the Office of Alumni Affairs, we’ve established an undergraduate scholarship fund in honor of Mary Beth.

Titled “The Mary Beth Norton Undergraduate Research Fund,” the scholarship will be granted once a year to a deserving undergraduate history major conducting research. We created the fund with the intention of honoring Mary Beth’s extraordinary commitment to undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

The scholarship will be funded entirely through donations, and we are hoping that many of you will help us establish this important tribute to Mary Beth.

You can donate to the fund online, by going to https://www.giving.cornell.edu/give/?gifttype=5. 

Be sure to write “The Mary Beth Norton Undergraduate Research Award in History, fund #0008435″ in the box labelled “Other designation or special instructions.” You can also click the “In honor of” box and write in Mary Beth’s name, but this is not absolutely necessary because Cornell will assume that all gifts made to this fund will be in her honor.

If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to “The Mary Beth Norton Undergraduate Research Award in History,” fund #0008435. You can send your contributution to

Cornell University

Box 223623

Pittsburgh, PA

15251-2623

All contributions are tax-deductible. More information on discretionary funds at Cornell University can be found at http://as.cornell.edu/alumni/campaign/annual.cfm.

We are so grateful to you all for your enthusiasm and support for the conference and for this fund. Thank you for helping us make this tribute to Mary Beth a reality!

Planning Ahead: Hotels and Other Tips

The conference is still a year away, but it’s never too early to start planning!

GETTING TO ITHACA

By plane: Delta, US Airways, and Continental fly to Ithaca’s Tompkins Regional Airport. There are a number of great flight deals listed on their website: http://flyithaca.com/

By train and bus: Cornell University has a great website listing a variety of transportation options: http://www.cornell.edu/visiting/ithaca/directions_bus_train.cfm

HOTELS
For those of you coming into town from elsewhere for the big event, we recommend the following three hotels.

The William Henry Miller Inn
This hotel is a bit pricy (around $195 per night), but it was so highly recommended to us by experienced conference organizers at Cornell that both Susanah and I will be staying there. Breakfast is apparently fantastic and included in the price of the room, and there is a decadent dessert buffet in the evenings that is also part of the package. The owners seem like lovely people, and the location is great with a bus stop for the campus-bound #10 around the corner.
If you’re interested in staying here, book soon! They’ve only got 9 rooms and co-owner Lynette says that they fill up fast, so don’t delay. Their phone number is 607.256.4553, and they’re waiting to hear from you.

THE INN ON COLUMBIA
Our Cornell insiders also recommend the Inn on Columbia. Their rooms regularly start at $175, so they are only slightly cheaper the Miller Inn. They are located just minutes from The Commons, Ithaca’s downtown shopping area, so if you want easy access to some window shopping and people-watching this might be a good bet. Their phone number is 607.272.0204.

HILTON GARDEN INN
The third hotel recommendation from our trusted source was the Hilton Garden Inn. The prices seem to be roughly comparable to the two smaller hotels above (starting around $169 per night), and it is also located very close to downtown Ithaca. Their phone number is 607.277.8900.

If none of these options sound like what you’re looking for, there are plenty of other hotels and inns in and around Ithaca to choose from. Travelocity, Kayak, and Hotwire are my go-to sites when I want to find a good deal, and I’m sure there are many more out there.

TRANSPORTATION IN ITHACA
There is no need to rent a car when you arrive, unless you plan on doing some out-of-town exploring or staying far from downtown Ithaca. The airport is only 4 miles from the city, and you can catch a cab or a bus to your hotel without great expense. The Cornell University transportation website provides plenty of helpful information: http://www.cornell.edu/visiting/ithaca/directions_air.cfm

Catching a bus up to campus from downtown Ithaca won’t be a problem (there are many shuttles, or you can brave the steep hill and walk up!), or you can catch a ride with someone who has a vehicle.

Save The Date! September 28-29, 2012

We hope you will be able to join us for a conference in honor of the one and only Mary Beth Norton, to be held at the A.D. White House on Cornell’s beautiful campus on Friday, September 28th and Saturday, September 29th, 2012.

On Friday, September 28th, participants will gather at the A.D. White House for a series of sessions inspired by distinct aspects of Professor Norton’s scholarship and teaching. That evening, attendees will continue the celebration at a catered reception at the Johnson Art Museum. The conference will conclude with a morning roundtable and brunch on Saturday, September 29th. If you are interested in contributing a brief paper to one of the sessions, please email Molly at mwarsh@tamu.edu or Susanah at ssromney@gmail.com.

The conference is being organized by two of Professor Norton’s former students (and now historians), Susanah Shaw Romney, PhD ’00, and Molly Warsh, BA’99. The event has received generous support from Cornell’s History Department; Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Society for the Humanities; and numerous other on-campus and off-campus entities.

We are still working out the details and will use this site to keep you posted as more information becomes available.

We hope to see you in September 2012!

–Molly & Susanah