History Majors Honored by Stonehill College

The Department of History recently honored two members of the Class of 2024 for their scholarship and commitment to academic excellence.

2024 Thomas C. Clarke Award

Tanner Walling ’24 received the 2024 Thomas C. Clarke Award. Named after a longtime professor in the history and religious studies departments, the award recognizes a graduating history major who demonstrates a commitment to the study of history, the principles of a liberal arts education, and the mission and values of Stonehill College. 

In addition to serving as secretary of Stonehill’s History Society, Walling was part of Student Alumni Association and Moreau Student Ministry. The recent graduate also worked in Admission as a student ambassador, served as an executive board member of the Lux et Spes Society, and was a web and social media intern with the MacPháidín Library.

“From his first semester, Tanner demonstrated a curiosity about the past and an ability to communicate his ideas with clarity and eloquence. His academic accomplishments and service to the college stood out even among a senior class that comprised one of the strongest cohorts of History majors the department has had in the last decade,” said Professor of History Shane Maddock, Walling’s thesis advisor.

2024 Peter R. D’Agostino Prize for Excellence in History

Oliver Hobson ’24 was named the recipient of the 2024 Peter R. D’Agostino Prize for Excellence in History. This honor is given annually to a history major determined by faculty to have written the best senior thesis. The award was established in in memory of a professor from Stonehill’s history and religious studies departments who passed away in 2005. 

Hobson’s thesis examines debates over slavery at the Constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787. In the work, the student demonstrates that anti-slavery delegates succeeded in excluding language from the Constitution that would have provided clear sanction for the enslavement of human beings. The project was advised by John Rodrigue, the Lawrence and Theresa Salameno Professor of History at Stonehill College.

“Oliver’s thesis is a model of historical writing,” Rodrigue said. “He entered a complicated scholarly debate over the essential nature of the U.S. Constitution—and thus over the founding of the United States itself. In doing so, he demonstrated a nuanced understanding of challenging primary-source material, a keen appreciation of a rich historical literature, and an admirable ability to maintain scholarly objectivity in dealing with difficult subject matter.”