KHS Names Patrick A. Lewis to New Post
The Kentucky Historical Society has named Patrick A. Lewis, Ph.D., as managing editor for scholarly resources and publications. This new post will focus the organization’s efforts to create and distribute new scholarship and Kentucky history, and establish Kentucky as a national leader in the fields of public history, higher education, digital humanities and scholarly publishing.
Lewis has served as project director for the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition since 2014 and as a member of the editorial staff of The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society since 2010. In his new role, he will oversee those publications and the existing KHS research fellows program, which funds about eight scholars each year to conduct research with KHS collections. “For many years, the Kentucky Historical Society has inspired, supported and published original research on important topics reaching into all 120 counties and beyond,” Lewis said. “The exciting part about this new position is the focus on creatively shaping that research into new formats that more people can access.”
“How historians teach and present their research plays a vital role in making yesterday relevant to people interested in a better tomorrow,” said Louise Jones, director of the Kentucky Historical Society’s Research Experience division, which includes scholarly resources and publications. “As such, part of Lewis’ responsibilities will be the development of new partnerships, programs and other activities that produce new Kentucky history scholarship.”
This will include bringing together librarians, scholars and community members to identify emerging trends and topics in Kentucky, regional and U.S. history. Encouraging the study of Kentucky history through KHS collections and programs is another aspect of his duties. Lewis is a native of Trigg County, Kentucky. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Transylvania University and his graduate degrees from the University of Kentucky. He wrote the book, “For Slavery and Union: Benjamin Buckner and Kentucky Loyalties in the Civil War,” as well as essays that have been published in Civil War History and The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society.
