  Kumler honored by UNT by Jed Stockton Sherman Democrat staff writer Grayson County College history instructor Dr. Donna Kumler was recognized recently at Honor's Day
at the University of North Texas when she was named as the 1995-96
recipient of the Arts and Sciences Dean's Achievement in the Arts,
Humanities or Social Sciences. The award is given annually to the outstanding dissertation submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences during the academic year. The honor was for her doctorial dissertation entitled. "They Have Gone from Sherman: The Courthouse Riot of 1930 and its impact in the Black Professional Class." More than 60 years after the event of 1930, the incident still attracts the attention of local historians and other scholars. Drawing upon years of original research and extensive and often exclusive interviews, Dr. Kumler's dissertation is now considered the definitive work on the riot itself and the impact of the episode on the local black community. The study describes the development of a thriving black business and professional community in Sherman culminating in the years 1920-30, followed by decades when black professionals chose not to restore their professional community because of the atmosphere followed by the 1930 riot. Dr. Kumler has spoken widely on various aspects of the information discovered in her research and is available to address interested groups on this subject and on other topics relating to Southern history and the history of Sherman and Grayson County. At GCC, Dr. Kumler teaches United States and Texas history classes. She has served as the coordinator of the college's Presidential Scholars program and is a past president of the GCC Faculty Association. In January, she was chosen by the GCC faculty as Distinguished Instructor. A native of Sherman and graduate of Sherman High School, Dr. Kumler received both her bachelor's degree and master's degree at Austin College. This past December she received her Ph.D in history from the University of North Texas. She is married to Sherman native Ronald Kumler. Their son, Brandon, is a student at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, and daughter, Katie, is a student at Wakefield Elementary School. Dr. Kumler serves on the Board of the Sherman Public Library and is a member of the Sherman ISD Blue Ribbon Committee for Multicultural Issues. She is active in the First Pentecostal Church where she plays in the orchestra, sings in the choir and teaches adult Sunday school class. She has been a fulltime history instructor at Grayson County College since 1987.  Biography Index Grayson County College History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |