Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of History Charles Byron Blackburn (May 29, 1931-), was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated from South Side High School in 1949 and attended Ball State Teachers College in Muncie, receiving his B.S. degree in history and physical education in 1955. He taught for twelve years in the Indiana secondary schools, spending four years as chair of his department, before receiving his M.A. degree in history (1967) and Ph.D. degree (1969) in American history from Ball State University. Dr. Blackburn is married to Sandra L. Deal. He has four children from a previous marriage: Michael (September 4, 1952-), David (July 26, 1956-), Cynthia (August 6, 1957-), and Rebecca (January 10, 1959-). In 1969, Dr. Blackburn joined the faculty of Appalachian's Department of History as an associate professor. He received tenure in 1971, and, in 1973, a joint appointment as associate professor in the Department of Secondary Education. He was also a member of the graduate faculty and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1991. During his academic career, Dr. Blackburn was a participant in the Triple-T Program. He also was involved with the North Carolina Council of the Social Studies. In 1973, Blackburn was named associate editor of the North Carolina Journal for the Social Studies and assumed the position of editor in 1976. As an ex-officio member of the executive board he became deeply involved in the work of the council, planning the council's state conference for social studies teachers, working closely with the Social Studies Division of the State Department of Public Instruction, upgrading the professional quality of the journal, and developing the council's newsletter. In addition, as a founding member and first president of the North Carolina Society of College Professors in the Social Sciences, he contributed greatly to this professional organization's growth. In 1975, Blackburn was invited to participate in a faculty development project in Cairo, Egypt, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Moreover, in coordination with the State Department of Public Instruction, he devised a new program for teacher certification in history/social studies to comply with a newly mandated basic education plan. Blackburn served as the history/social studies liaison for the re-evaluation of Appalachian's teacher education program during the 1984-85 school year and completed a Handbook for Teacher Preparation. He was also academic coordinator for the Admissions Partnership Program. Dr. Blackburn was also professionally affiliated with the following organizations: the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, Phi Alpha Theta, the Southern Historical Association, and the Council on Religion and International Affairs. Although he retired from the university in 1996, Dr. Blackburn continued to teach part-time in the Department of History. He was awarded emeritus status by the Board of Trustees in December 1996. Sources: Appalachian State University files. -Dr. Richard D. Howe
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