Kerry A. Trask (born October 17, 1941) is an American historian and author. Trask has worked as a history professor at the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc for more than thirty years. Trask was also the Democratic candidate for the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
from the 25th District in the 2010 general election.
Career
Kerry Trask was born in
Orillia
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, to Victor Arnold and Lillian Trask. He worked his way through college in steel foundries, dairy farms, and as a ranger with the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests. Trask earned his B.A. in American History, from
Hamline University
Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline ...
in
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
About U-W Manitowoc, Faculty and Staff, S-V
' , ''University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
'', accessed January 21, 2011. He went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
,
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
.
[ Shortly after earning his Ph.D. in American History, Trask joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc.][
During his 36 years at the UW Manitowoc, Trask served as history professor, History Department chair for all 13 ]University of Wisconsin Colleges The University of Wisconsin Colleges, established in 1971 was a unit of the University of Wisconsin System composed of 13 local two-year campuses and one online campus, University of Wisconsin Colleges Online. These campuses offered a liberal arts ...
, interim dean for the University of Wisconsin Sheboygan, chair of the Appeals and Grievances Committee for the UW Colleges, a member of the Board of Advisors to the UW System’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity. He was also a member of the AFL-CIO Academic Rights and Freedom Committee. He was named professor emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of history at the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc, and is a fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters,[Wisconsin Academy announces 2008 Fellows]
", (Press release
A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...
), ''Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters'', May 27, 2008, accessed January 20, 2011. and a scholar-advisor to the Black Earth Institute.[Fellowship Program: Scholar-Advisor]
", ''Black Earth Institute'', accessed January 20, 2011.
Among other books Trask wrote ''Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America''.[Trask, Kerry A. ''Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America'', New York, Henry Holt: 2007, ().] He has also had his work published in magazines and scholarly publications including '' The Wisconsin Magazine of History'',[Trask, Kerry A.]
Making a Fire Within: The Writing of a Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin
, ''Wisconsin Magazine of History
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...
'' Volume 82, number 4, Summer 1999, accessed January 20, 2011. The American Historical Review
''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...
,[Trask, Kerry A. ]
James Marten. The Children's Civil War
', (book review
__NOTOC__
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit.
A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or scholarly revie ...
), ''The American Historical Review
''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...
''
Volume 104, Number 5
December 1999, accessed January 21, 2011. and ''The William and Mary Quarterly'',[Schweitzer, Mary McKinney, et al. ''Reviewed work(s): Paxton: A Study of Community Structure and Mobility in the Colonial Pennsylvania Backcountry by George W. Franz'',]
JSTOR
, Third Series, Vol. 48, No. 1, January 1991, pp. 132-134, Trask review on p. 132. among others. He is the reviews editor for ''Voyageur: Northeastern Wisconsin’s Historical Review''.
", ''Voyageur: Northeast Wisconsin's Historical Review'', University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
, accessed January 20, 2011. In addition, Trask has done work with Wisconsin Public Television
PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...
. In 2009 he was a consultant and on-film commentator for ''Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Manitowoc and Two Rivers''.[Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Manitowoc-Two Rivers]
( transcript), ''Wisconsin Public Television
PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...
'' - ''Wisconsin Stories'', accessed January 19, 2011. Two years prior he was featured as an on-film commentator for ''The Black Hawk War'', an episode of Wisconsin Public Television’s weekly program, ''In Wisconsin''.[In Wisconsin Transcript #000533]
( transcript), ''Wisconsin Public Television
PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a state network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It c ...
'' - ''In Wisconsin'', May 15, 2007, accessed January 19, 2011.
His work has been awarded in several different forums. In 2006, he received the Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa
The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI), a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, serves as the official historical repository for the State of Iowa and also provides grants, public education, and outreach about Iowa history a ...
for ''Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America''.[Recipients of the Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award]
, ''Iowa Center for the Book'' - State Library of Iowa, accessed January 19, 2011. The same year he was named a Library Resident Fellow with the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
.[Library Resident Fellows - 2009-2005]
, ''American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
'', accessed January 19, 2011.
State assembly campaign
Trask ran as the Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
in the 25th District race for Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
in the November 2010 general election.[ He was defeated in that race by ]Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate Bob Ziegelbauer. Ziegelbauer won with 50% of the vote (9697 votes), while Trask managed 33% of the vote (6458). The Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
candidate, Andrew Wisniewski, collected 17% of the votes.[You Decide 2010: Election Results from Around Wisconsin]
, ''WNFL
WNFL (1440 AM) is an American all-sports radio station located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The station is locally owned and operated by Midwest Communications, which owns six other stations in Northeast Wisconsin. WNFL simulcasts the programming of ...
'', November 3, 2010, accessed January 19, 2011.
Selected publications
Books
*''In the Pursuit of Shadows: Massachusetts Millennialism and the Seven Years' War''
*''Fire Within: A Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin'' ( Kent State UP, 1995)
*''Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America'' (Henry Holt, 2006)
References
External links
Trask discusses ''Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America''
at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trask, Kerry
Hamline University alumni
University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni
University of Wisconsin–Manitowoc faculty
Wisconsin Democrats
Writers from Wisconsin
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
1941 births
Living people
People from Orillia
American male non-fiction writers