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Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments Many people have assisted this project, from its earliest stages as a seminar paper to dissertation, revision, and now publication . My dissertation advisor, Dr. Robert E. May, deserves credit for first encouraging me to look in the direction of Catholic volunteers in the U.S.-Mexican War, then shepherding the project as it morphed into dissertation. I am indebted to him for timely advice regarding editing, revision, and how to begin looking for a publisher. I also want to thank members of my dissertation committee who made several helpful suggestions , particularly Dr. Yvonne Pitts, who joined the committee as a very late substitution. I thank the helpful staffs of all of the research libraries and archives listed in my bibliography. Any scholar of the U.S.-Mexican War knows the widely scattered nature of its sources, and this was made evident by thousands of miles I put on my long-suffering minivan to visit repositories from Texas to Connecticut. I always was met with professionalism and cheerful assistance, but I must especially thank the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky, which supported my work with a Filson Fellowship, and the staff at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., particularly Dennis Edelin, who helped me to navigate the Mexican War pension files.I only dipped my toes into that rich and deep trove of sources, leaving plenty of work for the future. In that vein, I want to thank Dr. Scott Randolph, a graduate school friend of mine from Purdue University, who first suggested looking into the pension files in the first place. Others at Purdue have provided invaluable assistance as well. The excellent and very patient interlibrary loan staff at the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education Library tracked down materials expeditiously and efficiently. I requested some sources frequently enough that they simply ix x bought them for the library. I am very grateful for their persistence on multiple occasions, especially helping me to locate hard-to-find Catholic and ethnic newspapers. In addition, credit should also go to the library’s excellent humanities research librarian Dr. Lawrence Mykytiuk, who not only aided me on numerous occasions in finding materials, but also offered helpful critiques and friendly conversation, serving as a sounding board for ideas. Finally I would be remiss if I did not mention the timely financial assistance of the Purdue Research Foundation in the form of a summer fellowship to pursue my dissertation research. The staff at the University of Missouri Press has been friendly and professional throughout the whole project. John Brenner ably took my manuscript through the review and revisions process, always demonstrating willingness to clarify any questions that I had. Editor Sara Davis has been very kind in dealing with the confusion of a first-time book author, as has Lyn Smith from the marketing department. It has been a pleasure to work with all of them, as they made my first foray into publishing as stress-free as possible. Finally I want to thank my friends and family. From fellow graduate students at Purdue to fellow professors at Gustavus Adolphus College and now at Philadelphia Biblical University, I have been blessed with supportive and caring colleagues who have patiently listened to my endless Mexican War stories and offered helpful advice (I think especially of the dissertation reading group at Purdue and their suggestions for my eventual chapter on the Irish Jasper Greens). My best friend Jason Anderson, numerous relatives, and my parents, Dennis and Elizabeth Johnson, have all been a source of support and encouragement. I also owe thanks to my undergraduate professors at George Fox University, Kerry Irish and Caitlin Corning, for their modeling of how to be excellent Christian scholars and teachers. Last but not least, I can never sufficiently express my gratitude to my wife, Karen Johnson, for her loving care and understanding as I thought out loud, holed up to write, and left home for weeks at a time on research. She kept me from doing violence to my computer while trying to format chapters and notes, and she has been my true helpmeet throughout. We have been blessed with our daughter Kathryn Amanda, one year old now, who probably does not understand why her daddy reads so many odd things, but who will perhaps one day get to read these humble scribblings. I love both of you. Acknowledgments [54.163.14.144] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 10:21 GMT) Devotion to the Adopted Country ...