Additional information
by Chuck Fager (Author)
The June 2017 Quaker History Roundtable was a project organized by Chuck Fager, a Quaker writer, researcher and activist, as a retirement "Bucket List" project. Fager has studied and written on Quaker history intermittently through a long career of other work, and he found working on Quaker history continually stimulating, enlightening, and often fun. But he noted that not much study has yet been done on the 20th century among Quakers - despite the fact that a LOT went on: wars, peace movements, chronic conflicts over doctrine and practice; insurgencies by women, persons of color and LGBTQs are all underway, and far from settled. And Fager felt that careful digging into these, even in a preliminary fashion, would be productive, enlightening and enjoyable. The range and depth of the papers in this book bear out this sense. Thus in 2016 he began sounding out scholars and other Quaker history geeks, suggested they do some work, then get together and share and discuss it; those in this book were interested enough to join in. Many thanks are due to the Earlham School of Religion for agreeing to host it, and cooperate on the arrangements. Fortunately, history geeks are relatively simple to arrange for, logistics-wise: they mostly talk and argue (er, discuss), then eat and talk & "discuss" some more. The topics selected by participants ranged widely, yet only scratched the surface of the vast subject matter. And the scholars here represent multiple generations and perspectives, though they are mindful that there are yet others are to be sought out as studies proceed. The presenters here include, with their topics: Kathy Adams, The controversial career of Willie Frye, a Carolina Quaker pastor-activist; Guy Aiken, on AFSC, Neutrality & Justice; Stephen Angell, on the reunification of Canadian Yearly Meeting after a century-plus of separation; Betsy Cazden, FWCC & Modernist theology: a Critique; Mary Craudereuff, Quaker Archives & Civil Rights & marginalized groups; Gwen Gosney Erickson, Defining Quaker history in the 20th Century; Doug Gwyn, on the first twenty years of Friends General Conference; H. Larry Ingle, A Quaker Elite vs Whittaker Chambers in a case that changed American history; Thomas Hamm, U.S. Young Friends groups and their 20th century impact; Emma Lapsansky, Quakers and 20th Century Intentional communities; Stephen McNeil: Quakers and the Japanese-Americans interned during World War Two; Isaac May, Quakers, Herbert Hoover & the 1928 Election; Lonnie Valentine, Quakers & Tax Resistance, 20th Century; Douglas Gwyn- An overview of FGC's first 20 years; Greg Hinshaw - The Collapse of Mainline Quakerism; And Notes for a Research agenda in 20th Century Quaker history
