Author Archives: georgelamplugh

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About georgelamplugh

I retired in 2010 after nearly four decades of teaching History at the "prep school" level with a PhD. My new "job" was to finish the book manuscript I'd been working on, in summers only, since 1996. As things turned out, not only did I complete that book, but I also put together a collection of my essays--published and unpublished--on Georgia history. Both volumes were published in the summer of 2015. I continue to work on other writing projects, including a collection of essays on the Blues and, of course, my blog.

The Little Course That Did–Introduction to History, a Semester Elective for 9th and 10th Graders (History Lesson Plans, 4)

Posted on February 14, 2014 by georgelamplugh

[Note:  Over two decades ago, I was asked to create a one-semester elective History course open to 9th and 10th graders.  It didn’t seem to matter what area(s) of History it covered, so long as the course was rigorous, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Retirement, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Voice of the Urban Blues–Bobby “Blue” Bland,1930-2013 (Blues Stories, 13)

Posted on February 1, 2014 by georgelamplugh

A Review of Charles Farley, Soul of the Man: Bobby “Blue” Bland. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2011. Throughout his long career, Bobby Bland was introduced as “the world’s greatest blues singer,” and, according to biographer Charles Farley, this was … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Jim Crow, B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Civil Rights Movement, Delta Blues, History, Research, Retirement, Southern History, The Blues, Uncategorized, Urban Blues | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Reflecting in History’s Mirror (History Lesson Plans, 3)

Posted on January 7, 2014 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: In a previous post, I introduced the “Lecture-Discussion” conundrum, the pedagogical approach favored by the prep school history department that had hired me. What did “Lecture-Discussion” mean, as a way to impart information to adolescents? I firmly believed, as … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Civil Rights Movement, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Work, prep school teaching with a PhD, Retirement, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

B.B. King, “King of the Blues” (Blues Stories, 12)

Posted on January 1, 2014 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE:  There is a generic career arc for many twentieth-century Blues performers: a poverty-stricken background in the Jim Crow South, especially the Mississippi Delta; “escape” to the “land of opportunity” somewhere in the North or Midwest; early career success, followed … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, B.B. King, Books, Civil Rights Movement, Delta Blues, Historical Reflection, History, Interdisciplinary Work, John Lee Hooker, Research, Retirement, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, Teaching, The Blues, Urban Blues | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

2013 in review

Posted on December 31, 2013 by georgelamplugh

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Lecture-Discussion Conundrum (History Lesson Plans, 2)

Posted on December 16, 2013 by georgelamplugh

By the time I signed on to teach History at a prep school, I had spent five years learning to be a college professor; in my new job, I was expected to be a teacher. I was informed by my … Continue reading →

Posted in "Education Courses", American History, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, History graduate school, prep school teaching with a PhD, Research, Retirement, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Teaching Prep School With a PhD, 2–Survival Skills

Posted on December 1, 2013 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: In 1973, I earned a PhD in American History. Then, given the grim realities of the job market for a would-be college professor, I made a leap in the dark, signing on at a “prep school” until “something better … Continue reading →

Posted in "Education Courses", American History, Current Events, History, History graduate school, prep school teaching with a PhD, Research, Retirement, Teaching | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

“The Thrill of the Hunt”: Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (1917-2007), On History

Posted on November 15, 2013 by georgelamplugh

[Note: One of the things I tried to do while editor of the History Department Newsletter (1999-2000; 2006-2010) was to keep my colleagues informed of the passing of various noted historians. Usually, I could find an obituary in a historical … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Cold War, History, History graduate school, Research, Retirement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mississippi John Hurt, The Yoda of the Blues (Blues Stories, 11)

Posted on November 1, 2013 by georgelamplugh

A Review of Philip R. Ratcliffe, Mississippi John Hurt: His Life, His Times, His Blues. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2011. This entry in the University Press of Mississippi’s “American Made Music” series is very interesting, for several reasons. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Jim Crow, Big Bill Broonzy, Civil Rights Movement, Delta Blues, History, John Lee Hooker, Mississippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters, Son House, Southern History, The Blues | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Teaching History “Backwards” (History Lesson Plans, 1)

Posted on October 15, 2013 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: Sometimes teaching ideas come from odd sources. In 2007, for example, I asked the principals of our elementary, junior high, and high schools to reflect in the columns of Atlanta’s Finest Prep School’s (AFPS’s) History Department newsletter on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Jim Crow, American History, Books, Civil Rights Movement, History, Research, Southern History, Taylor Branch, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments