[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/cruise2.jpg” caption=”Pictured from left, history students Heather Nelson, Tabitha Marshall, Erika Dyck and Wendy Churchill were recognized recently for their extraordinary success in building a sense of professionalism and community among history graduate students. “]The Department of History and the Wilson Centre for Canadian History celebrated the accomplishments of its history graduate students on June 1 by hosting a dinner cruise on the Waterfront Trust's newly-inaugurated Hamilton Harbour Queen.

Departmental chair Virginia Aksan and graduate director Michael Gauvreau praised the many students who have been awarded external awards, published articles, and otherwise contributed to the culture of research excellence within the department. They recognized four students – Heather Nelson, Tabitha Marshall, Erika Dyck and Wendy Churchill – for their extraordinary success in building a sense of professionalism and community among history graduate students.

Special thanks were offered to history doctoral students Laurie Jacklin and Shawn Day, for championing and organizing this special celebration.

Current and incoming graduate students wined and dined with the Wilson Professor and other members of the history department, local high school history teachers, dean of humanities Nasrin Ramieh,
acting associate dean of graduate studies Bernice Kaczysnki, and vice-president research Mamdouh Shoukri. The Department also was joined by professor Neville Thompson of the University of Western Ontario. Red Wilson sent his regrets from Germany.

The program aboard the Hamilton Harbour Queen is designed to entertain, inform and educate the public about the harbour and its history. For this cruise, McMaster's Nancy Bouchier and
Ken Cruikshank contributed to that program by offering a live narration of the harbour, its landmarks and its inhabitants, based on research for their forthcoming book.