WT Authors to Be Hailed at April 17 Reception

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Five West Texas A&M University faculty members will be celebrated April 17 for the publication of books they authored or edited.

The Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts & Humanities will host a public reception for the authors and editors at 7 p.m. April 17 in the Geneva Schaeffer Room in Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St. in Amarillo.

The reception will celebrate Dr. Daniel Bloom, associate professor of philosophy; Dr. Min Wha Han, assistant professor of communication studies; Dr. Kimberly Beck Hieb, associate professor of musicology; Dr. Brian M. Ingrassia, associate professor of history; and Dr. Amy Von Lintel, professor of art history.

The faculty members represent five of the College’s schools or departments, respectively: the Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages; the Department of Communication; the School of Music; the Department of History; and the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance.

“In the humanities, writing books is often the apex of scholarly achievement,” said Dr. Bonnie Roos, professor of English and the College’s research director. “We are privileged here in WT’s College of Fine Arts and Humanities to be able to work with so many accomplished colleagues.”

The most recent of the books is Von Lintel’s “Art at the Crossroads: The Surprising Aesthetics of the Texas Panhandle,” which was released in March through Texas Tech University Press. It focuses on four areas: the concept of decay at the very heart of Amarillo-area art; a new look at the famous case of the Georgia O’Keeffe fakes found in a Panhandle garage; the first art historical study on the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Amarillo; and the hidden but foundational aesthetics of aviation in and around Amarillo.

“The book is not a traditional academic study but instead a collection of art stories I have discovered since moving to the region in 2010, a move to take the job teaching at WT,” Von Lintel said. “So, in a way, it’s a great summary of my 15 years of making a home here—a home that deeply inspires me and continues to fascinate me.”

Han’s “Displacement, Mobility and Diversity in Korea,” released earlier this year, is an interdisciplinary collection that investigates various forms of displacement and resonance in Korean communities.

“I launched this project when I first joined WT (in 2021),” Han said. “I am extremely grateful to be part of the Department of Communication, which has been a warm academic home. Financial support from the department and research funds that I received from the WTAMU Foundation served as invaluable resources to make this book happen.”

Hieb’s “The Amarillo Symphony: The First 100 Years” was published in October as part of the celebration of the Amarillo Symphony’s centennial. It is the first published history of the Symphony and one of a very small number of histories of regional orchestras to be documented.

Hieb is working on creating lessons that use the book as a textbook with support from the Texas Preservation Trust Fund, which also helped support the book’s publishing.

“The book draws on many local resources held in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the Amarillo Public Library and the Amarillo Symphony archives,” Hieb said. “It was so fun to work on a project of such local significance, and the editorial team at Mission Point Press did a wonderful job bringing the beautiful book to life.”

Ingrassia’s “Speed Capital: Indianapolis Auto Racing and the Making of Modern America,” was published in February 2024 by the University of Illinois Press. It traces the origins of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and connects its rise to the growth of the United States’ automobile culture.

Ingrassia began his research in 2007 as a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, several years before arriving at WT in 2015.

“It feels very gratifying to finally see it out in the world. I was especially grateful to see the book reviewed in the Wall Street Journal last May, about a week before the Indy 500,” Ingrassia said. “There aren’t very many books about the history of Indianapolis, and there is very little serious historical scholarship about auto racing. Hopefully, my book will generate new research on this understudied field and help us better understand Americans’ love affair with cars.”

Bloom edited “Knowing and Being in Ancient Philosophy” with Miriam Byrd, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Texas–Arlington; and Laurence Bloom, senior lecturer at Rhodes University and Daniel Bloom’s brother. It was published in summer 2022.

“All contributions were made in honor of Dr. Edward Halper, my mentor and major professor from the University of Georgia,” Bloom said. “The essays are divided into two parts:  epistemology and metaphysics, or the relation between knowing and being; and ethics, or goodness as knowing how to be. It was rewarding getting to work with all the various scholars, and I was excited to be able to contribute to something honoring Ed Halper. Plus, I co-wrote the introduction with my brother—the first material we had ever written together.”

As a Regional Research University, support of excellence in research and scholarship is a key maxim of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: An April 17 reception will celebrate West Texas A&M University faculty members and authors Dr. Daniel Bloom, from left, Dr. Amy Von Lintel, Dr. Kimberly Beck Hieb,Dr. Min Wha Han and Dr. Brian M. Ingrassia.

—WT—