|
ONEONTA, N.Y. --
History Professor
William M. Simons of the SUNY College at Oneonta is the editor of a new
collection of essays entitled The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and
American Culture, 2007-2008, released recently by McFarland and Company
Publishers. The work is the ninth in the Cooperstown Symposium series, the
last six of which have been edited by Dr. Simons.
The 16 essays in the book are grouped thematically into six sections,
entitled "Cultural Perspectives on the Game," "Literary Baseball," "Baseball
at the Movies," "Minority Standard Bearers," "New Leagues," and "The
Business of Baseball." Written by baseball scholars from colleges and
universities across the country, the essays were originally presented as
papers at the 2007 and 2008 symposia at the National Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum.
Dr. Simons wrote the introduction to the volume and contributed an essay
entitled "The Israel Baseball League and the Jewish Diaspora." The essay is
based on his research and observations of the American-backed baseball
league in Israel, which folded after one season in 2007. Despite the
league's financial failure, Dr. Simons sees the league as having had a
"positive social and cultural impact."
A member of the SUNY Oneonta faculty since 1977, Dr. Simons has directed
the past four Cooperstown symposia. He has served as chair of the History
Department and received the 2002 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in
Teaching. A recipient of the 1992 Meckler Award for baseball writing and
research, he has written extensively on baseball, sports history, and sports
as a reflection of society. His articles have appeared in The National
Pastime: A Review of Baseball History, the Journal of Sports History,
and several previous volumes of the Cooperstown Symposium collection.
|
