Hello!
My name is Eddie Glass, a second-year Masters student in History here at Temple University. My undergraduate degree, earned in 2018 from Allegheny College, was political science, although my career path since has diverged from that original idea. I have always had an intense interest in history, having started as a kid with one of my dad’s old Civil War books and moving on to more complex topics as I grew older. While I spent much of my early post-BA years working for nonprofit organizations in my home of NYC, in 2023 I made the choice to swap vocations and pursue a career in a field I was most interested in: History. Since then, I have worked as a Visitor Engagement Associate (or tour guide) at the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City. I hope to continue this career direction, and I’m confident that a full understanding of the theory and practice of oral history
My particular historical interest at the moment is in naval history, particularly regarding developments in doctrine, technology, and the treatment of naval personnel over the course of the 19th and 20th Centuries. That said, my experience with professional history-making has been limited to my time at Temple – while important for my political science degree, I had few chances to really dig into history while working at a volunteer clearinghouse for half a decade. With my shift in career, I’m hoping to turn my passion into not just a job, but an investment in my own future.
My career goals are somewhat up in the air at this point, but my current trajectory seems to lead me towards public history and museum administration. As mentioned, I currently work at the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City, and I hope to further pursue a job either there or at another historical institution upon my graduation. MOAR is of particular interest to me, not just as it is my job, but also because my project for Dr. Bruggeman’s Managing History class last semester was a history of MOAR’s predecessor – the Valley Forge Historical Society and its accompanying museum. While my experience with recording oral history is limited to practically nonexistent, I look forward to learning about its methods, theories, and best practices in this class while completing the project I started with Dr. Bruggeman.
I look forward to getting started!