The 2006 Norman Neuerburg Award
This year the
award is being given
to a very talented duo, ROSE MARIE
BEEBE and ROBERT SENKEWICZ. One is a history professor; the other a
Spanish professor, both at Santa Clara University. For the many
papers they have presented at CMSA conferences over the years, they are
best remembered as a team. I was told it would be inappropriate to
present one of them an award without equally awarding the other.
You cannot talk
to any authority
in the field of Spanish-Mexican Period
of California History who do not mention the innovative work done by
this team. They have broken so much new ground it seems every authority
points to a different one of their many accomplishments.
One person
emphasized about our
two that they broke new ground by
moving beyond stereotyping padres and seeing them as individuals each
with their own personality. They analyzed the problems inexperienced
Dominicans faced in Baja California, as well as tensions among the
Franciscans.
Other people
emphasize the
creation of the Boletín, a unique scholarly
publication of the highest quality. I can remember when the idea for
the Boletín
was
first
presented to the CMSA Board at the Santa Cruz conference in 2003;
within two years CMSA had a new first-rate publication.
Other
authorities emphasize their California
the Land of Promise and Despair. This book provided
a book of
readings on the Spanish and Mexican Periods of California History, a
period previously relatively neglected by California historians.
Still others
are impressed by the
fact their works are not simply
translations but are always augmented with extensive commentary and
annotations that provide insightful historical context for the reader.
Others point to
their feat of
producing four major works within a
decade:
The
History of Alta California: A
Memoir of Mexican California byAntonio María Osio, 1996;
California
the Land of Promise and
Despair: Chronicles of Early California 1815-1848, 2000;
Guide
to Manuscripts Concerning Baja
California in the Collection of the Bancroft Library, 2002,
and
Testimonios:
Early California through
the Eyes of Women, 1815-1848,
scheduled to be published by
Heyday Press this year. Absolutely everyone that
knows their work comments on their unbelievable energy!
As
if this is not enough, in 1997,
Rose Marie organized CMSA's
Conference in Loreto, Baja California Norte. In addition, Rose Marie
served as President of the CMSA, during which, in 2002, she and Bob
organized a second conference in Mexico, this time in La Paz, Baja
California Sur, an excellent conference attended by members and
scholars from both sides of the border. As professors at Santa Clara
University the pair mentors students, graciously devote time to comment
on the manuscripts of professional colleagues, and find time to build
bridges with scholars with different perspectives in other disciplines
and nations. --Bill Fairbanks