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May 8, 2009

UCSC lecturer receives France's highest academic honor

By Scott Rappaport (831) 459-2496; srapp@ucsc.edu


(from left) Jonathan Beecher, professor of history; Gildas Hamel, lecturer in history; and Mark Traugott, professor of history and department chair--at a Humanities celebration that brought together nearly 70 students, faculty, and alumni who have studied French language, life, and culture at UCSC over the past three decades.

History lecturer Gildas Hamel has been awarded one of the French government’s highest academic honors, the Palmes Académiques, for his lifelong work teaching French language and culture.

He is the fifth faculty member from UCSC to receive the award, which confers the rank of Chevalier (knight), and is given to those who have advanced the cause of French culture, education, and the arts.

Christophe Musitelli, cultural attaché for the French Consulate General of San Francisco, presented Hamel with the award at a celebration of French Studies hosted by the UCSC Humanities Division and the History Department.

The event also honored longtime history professor Jonathan Beecher--who received the Palmes Académiques himself in 1998--for his preeminent scholarship and teaching at UCSC.

"It was an opportunity to recognize two faculty members who have been instrumental in the long-term success of French Studies on campus," said UCSC Dean of Humanities Georges Van Den Abbeele. "The event was a wonderful occasion to celebrate more than 30 years of student and faculty achievement."

Van Den Abbeele noted that the celebration brought together nearly 70 students, faculty, friends, colleagues, and alumni who have studied French language, life, and culture at UCSC over the past three decades.

The festivities included a roundtable discussion with the dean, Hamel, Beecher, cultural attaché Musitelli, and alumna Naomi Andrews (now a history lecturer at Santa Clara University), featuring a warm exchange of personal and professional anecdotes about French culture.

Hamel also offered a presentation on "Cider, Wine, and French Spirits," while Beecher spoke on the topic of "My France: (Very) Brief Reflections on Two Years at the Rue d'Ulm."

Previous UCSC faculty winners of the Palmes Académiques award include: David Orlando, languages lecturer emeritus (2004), Miriam Ellis, lecturer in French, (1999); Jonathan Beecher, professor of history (1998); and Hervé Le Mansec, lecturer in French (1993).



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