We thank and congratulate the Burdman family for establishing a lasting fellowship that will benefit YSU students for years into the future. We, at the CJHS, are particularly proud. Bonnie Deutsch Burdman is a longtime member of our Community Advisory Committee. She and her fellow committee members help the CJHS reach and serve the public in the greater Youngstown area. The CJHS owes its existence to the generosity of our donors.

Read more, here.

“The YSU Foundation received a $250,000 gift to create a fellowship for the James P. Tressel Institute for Leadership and Teamwork at Youngstown State University.

The contribution was made by Lee and Bonnie Burdman and their children, Korey, Taylor and Lexi.

The Burdman Family Fellowship will provide a financial literacy peer mentor for undergraduate and graduate students at YSU. Financial literacy is one of the seven badges students earn, leading them to a certificate for completing the Tressel Institute program. Lee and Bonnie were also among the leading benefactors for establishing the James P. Tressel Endowed Chair in Leadership at YSU in January.

The program is designed to prepare and empower YSU students to direct organizations and guide individuals to succeed in their given endeavors.”
— Mahoning Matters. Read more here.

The CJHS joins with the rest of the YSU community in mourning the passing of Dr. Michael Jerryson. Michael was a beloved colleague, a gifted and popular teacher, and a superb researcher and writer. He embodied the conviction that scholars have an important role to play in society. We will miss him and will strive to honor his memory.

You can read more about Michael on his website: www.michaeljerryson.com.

Following a private burial, a service open to all will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 17 at Foxfield Preserve, 9877 Alabama Ave. SW, Wilmot, OH 44689. Unvaccinated guests are asked to wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be sent to Venmo account @InMemory-ofMichael.

Read this touching obituary to learn more about Michael and his work.

Jess Hardin at Mahoning Matters published this touching remembrance, which focuses on reflections by Michael’s colleagues and students. Thank you.

Youngstown State University circulated this obituary:

06/09/2021, 2:30 – 4:15 pm ET (online)
Sponsored Panel: Working-Class Studies Association Conference 2021
Divide and Work: Ethnicity, Gender, and Race in the Organization, Definition, and Structuring of Labor*

• Susan Breitzer, “Trades, Unions, and Combating Working-Class Antisemitism in Early Twentieth Century Chicago” (Independent Scholar)
• Samantha A. Smith, “Harold Minsky, ‘Family-Style’ Burlesque, and Showgirls: Or, Labor as it Relates to Entrepreneurs and Working-Artists in Las Vegas” (Michigan State University)
• Timothy Libretti, “Understanding Supremacist Thought in the U.S.: Confronting the Cultural Underpinnings of Hierarchical Thought in U.S. Class Society” (Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL)
• Jacob Labendz, Moderator/Respondent (Director, YSU Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies)

This is our first post. We’ve updated the rest of the site. We’ll begin posting regularly, as we approach Fall 2021.

Fill out the form on the right-hand side of this page to receive our email updates and announcements.

— Jacob Ari Labendz, Director