History
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History |
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Past Presidents The first twp meetings of the Society in 1948 and 1949 were “convened” by S. G. Brinkley, Emory University, and J. W. Norman, University of Florida. The first reference to "President" was in 1950.
1950 J. W. Norman, University of Florida 1951-1970 (No information available.) 1971 Sr. Vera Lane, Xavier University, New Orleans 1972 Robert Heslep, University of Georgia 1973 Robert Curran, University of Florida 1974 C. J. B. Macmillan, Florida State University 1975 Daniel DeNicola, Rollins College 1976 Robert R. Sherman, University of Florida 1977 Brenda Mapel, University of Alabama, Birmingham 1978 Richard Elliot, University of New Orleans 1979 Katherine Ernst, Georgia State University 1980 Rodney P. Riegle, Illinois State University 1981 Alanson Van Fleet, University of Tennessee 1982 Winston Bridges, Univ, of South Florida, Bayboro 1983 Charles Rudder, Auburn University 1984 Henry G. Marks, New Orleans School District 1985 Samuel D. Andrews, University of Florida 1986 Joseph W. Newman, University of South Alabama 1987 David Vold, University of Alabama 1988 Emanel I. Shargel, Florida State University 1989 Joseph DeVitis, State University of New York, Binghamton 1990 Erskine Dottin, University of West Florida 1991 Douglas Simpson, Texas Christian University 1992 Thomas A. Brindley, Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville 1993 Erwin Johanningmeier, University of South Florida 1994 Joe L. Green, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport 1995 James Kaminsky, Auburn University 1996 Jeffrey Roth, University of Florida 1997 Deron Boyles, Georgia State University 1998 James Garrison, Virginia Technological University 1999 Stephen Tomlinson, The University of Alabama 2000 Theresa Richardson, University of South Florida 2001 Susan Rouse, Kennesaw State University 2002 Delores Liston, Georgia Southern University 2003 Rick Lakes, Georgia State University 2004 Benjamin Baez, Georgia State University 2005 Deanna Michael, University of South Florida 2006 John Petrovic, The University of Alabama 2007 Randy Hewitt, University of Central Florida 2008 Eric Sheffield, Missouri State University 2009 Stephen Triche, Nicholls State University 2010 Andrew McKnight, University of Alabama, Birmingham 2011 Philip Kovacs, University of Alabama, Huntsville 2012 Becky Atkinson, The University of Alabama
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The Society held its first meeting (or “conference”) in Albany, Georgia, at the Hotel Gordon, on November 11-13, 1948. Earlier in 1948, S. G. Brinkley, Professor of Education at Emory University, and J. W. Norman, Dean Emeritus of Education at the University of Florida, and perhaps a few others, met in Albany to organize the Society as a regional division (IV) of the national Philosophy of Education Society. By the third meeting, in 1950, the name of the organization became what it is today, the “Southeastern Region,” and encompassed (according to the 1949 program) South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The geographic spread is much broader today. A map outline on the cover of the 1987 program shows ten states in the region, extending north to Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky, and west to Tennessee and Mississippi (and participants in the program, over the years, have come as well from as far away as Pennsylvania, Illinois, Maryland, Louisiana, and Missouri). In the absence of an organizational statement, the original (and ongoing) aims of the Society can be inferred from the early meetings. At the 1948 meeting it was said that philosophy considered education “from the point of view of values, consistency, and intelligent approach,” a “process of dealing with aims, methods, and curriculum of education critically, comprehensively, systematically, and responsibly.” Objectives for philosophy of education were “testing principles in the light of continuing experience”; making choices explicit within foreseeable consequences; making premises and values explicit; encouraging critical thinking and problem solving; emphasizing cooperative thinking and shared interests; and developing “the attitude of [working] cooperatively with people who differ.” In 1950, welcoming letters were received from philosophy of education stalwarts: John Dewey, William Heard Kilpatrick, H. Gordon Hullfish, and H. Bruce Raup. (Boyd Bode hosted the 1950 meeting at the University of Florida.) Dewey wrote: “work to keep open the channels of communication, to prevent ‘curtains’ of class interest or national interest, or any other, from shutting out light and preventing freedom of inquiry and expression.” Day and one half meetings, on a weekend, have been usual since the first meeting. Though the first meeting, and several meetings after that, was held in November, since at least the early 1960s (and perhaps earlier) they have been held regularly on the first weekend in February. Also from the first, and continuing today, meetings of the Society never have “settled” into a place, but have rotated from one state, community, and institution to another. In the early years, participants in the meetings did not read and respond to individual papers, as they do now, but “chatted” about important professional and disciplinary matters. In addition to discussions of Society objectives, there has been talk, from the beginning, about the role that a course in philosophy of education should have in teacher education programs. (Already in 1948 it was said that such programs were moving away from including philosophy!) Further, it was suggested that philosophy should not be confined to a specific part of the preparation program, but was concerned with the total field of education. And moral education usually has been a topic at the meetings. Students always have been welcome to participate in the meetings. (The record of the 1950 meeting says that “anyone interested and attending is automatically a full member.”) They have not been hesitant to speak up. In 1950 they were given the last word in appraising two moral positions—Dewey and the Idealist, and they said, “One does not have to choose between the . . . positions. Philosophies are tools to be used as needed in the achievement of ends. The conference has led to ‘confusion worse confounded.’ Terms have not been defined; the farther we have gone, the muddier the water has become.” In the subsequent half century since that time, hundreds of participants in the meeting have done their best to make the understanding and practice of education more clear.
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