The School of Liberal Arts is thrilled to name History Professor Linda Pollock as the inaugural Mouton and Leatrice Bickham Memorial Chair in European History, a position announced earlier this year and endowed by the estate of Gaylord Bickham (A&S ‘56). Pollock, a historian of early modern England, calls the position an incredible honor, and an exciting moment for the field of European History at Tulane.

Originally from Edinburgh, Pollock graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a joint honors MA in Medieval History and Psychology. Though she had once planned to pursue educational psychology, an opportunity for a doctoral fellowship on the history of childhood led her down a path that secured her desire to be a historian — first to Cambridge and then to the Tulane History Department in 1988, where she has been a professor ever since. “I have never regretted being a professor,” she says, laughing about her somewhat unconventional path. “I have always thought it was a privilege to be a professor and to work on a college campus and teach college students.”

Her work still incorporates aspects of psychology, from studying the history of childhood to the history of emotions and morality in her recently published book, Affective Authority: Passions, Morality and Governance in Early Modern England (Boydell & Brewer, 2025). An author of four books and numerous articles, Pollock teaches courses on social and cultural history in 17th-century England, wider Europe, and beyond. Twice she has served as chair of the Tulane History Department.

It was during her second appointment as department chair, from 2013-2016, when Pollock had the opportunity to meet donor and alumnus Gaylord Bickham. She and a small group from the university drove to Franklinton, Louisiana to have lunch with Bickham, tour his impressive home library, and chat about Tulane, history, and so much more.

At the time, she knew Bickham was considering a gift to Tulane, but didn’t know it would have a geographical designation. “I was delighted to find out he really wanted it to be in European History,” says Pollock.

Gaylord M. Bickham
(A&S ’56)

After the visit to Franklinton, Pollock and Bickham stayed in touch, with Pollock sending the reader and history buff new publications from History Department faculty over the years. Pollock remembers Bickham as a gracious host and a great conversationalist. A lifelong resident of Franklinton, and owner and manager of the Bickham Oil Company, Bickham majored in history while at Tulane and maintained a love of the department throughout his life. He also had a passion for travel, from his frequent visits to New Orleans and its classic Creole restaurants to his forays in Europe, exploring London and Paris.

“For European History to have such a chair is a tremendous boost to everyone who works in this field, and cements European History as a value [at Tulane],” says Pollock, underscoring her excitement for this first-time role. Previously the John Barr Christie Professor in History, she now passes that role along to her colleague Brian DeMare, a scholar of modern Chinese history.

With the new position, Pollock will continue to teach courses such as “Household, Gender, and Sexuality in Early Modern Europe,” “Pain and Torture throughout History,” “Living with Feelings Interdisciplinary Honors Colloquium,” and a service-learning course on the history of parks and green spaces. She is also embarking on new research, poring over the letters of merchants in Glasgow and London to learn about 17th-century trading industries. She will also continue to mentor junior faculty, alongside research and publication, which she deems an important value for a chair.

Bickham named the endowed chair after his parents, Mouton and Leatrice Bickham, and Pollock remarks on their very French-sounding names. “An endowed chair allows donors to feel a stronger connection to the university,” she adds. “The designation must have meant something to him and to his heritage.”

A second gift from the Bickham estate bequeathed $1 million to establish the Gaylord Mouton Bickham (A&S ’56) Scholarship in Liberal Arts, providing financial support for undergraduates pursuing majors within the school of liberal arts.

Pollock began her new position as chair on July 1.

​​To the average student, a class named “Queer Creativity” may raise some questions: What’s the point? How would I be graded? How would this help me in my post-graduation career? ​​

​Nevertheless, the title​ drew in a group of ​eight​ Tulane students​ ​ready to take a risk and learn about their innate ability to create. ​The course’s creator, ​Georgi Gardine​r,​ is a first-year professor at Tulane, teaching in the departments of Philosophy and Gender & Sexuality Studies (GESS). In "Queer Creativity," ​Professor Gardiner ​asked us to take a closer look at ourselves, question why we do what we do, and make conscious decisions to find creative meaning and experiences in our lives. Throughout​ a semester of side quests, container facilitations, and a puppet birthday party, we were able to truly understand what it means to live life authentically and with purpose​ —​ even as students​ set up to live the life society structures for ​us​.

The penultimate project of the class was an art showcase demonstrating our proudest works throughout the semester. The objective of this showcase was to create interactive art displays or games that tie in ​the ​lessons we learned and experiences we shared in a way that ​was approachable and enjoyable for others. Each student brought in ​one to two​ displays​,​ which were all diverse in subject matter and material​ — ​a dollhouse with DIY paper dolls, watercolor journals, ​Frankenstein word-building​ activities​, tarot readings, mix-and-match your own GESS major/minor, and more! This event took place in the ​Lavin-Bernick Center (​LBC​)​ for a total of two hours and engaged with passers-by for a fun and eventful “Creativity Fest​.​”​

For each student enrolled, it was also expected that they host a “thing” once during the semester. Though originally a daunting task with a mysterious feel to it, ​the ​“thing” had to be a creative project that you felt familiar ​enough​ with ​to ​share with your peers.

For me, that was my passion for the circus arts. ​There was one day​ in which we decided to take advantage of the beautiful New Orleans weather and ​have class ​outside​.​ I​ decided to bring​ a bag full of juggling balls, hula-hoops, scarves, and so much more. ​The class was able to learn my “thing”​ and experiment on their own ​with ​recess-inspired play. Though it may seem pointless, ​Professor Gardiner ​made it clear that with every experience in our class came meaning. This “thing” taught me how to approach container facilitation and enhanced my experience teaching through creative means. This concept of significance through play became a foundational aspect of the class.

This class wasn’t a typical lecture class but instead involved learning different skills and ways of thinking that included guest speakers and trips around and off Tulane’s campus. Notable excursions included trips to the Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane’s MakerSpace, an art showcase in the Howard Tilton Memorial Library, and an outdoor retreat in Audubon Park. These trips not only ​incorporated​ lessons from our class but helped us become more familiar with the resources available to us on Tulane’s campus. My favorite trip was to the MakerSpace​,​ where we laser cut our ​“life stories” into an abstract line​.​ Our class was also featured in campus events like "Sex Week​,​" where we talked about language and language forming centered around relationships.

​​I initially thought the class would consist of​ drawing and painting, but it was nothing like that at all. Instead, we learned invaluable life skills, like learning to be aware of ourselves and our place within our ecosystems, working through burnout, critically analyzing the words we use​ —​ their impacts and origins​ —​ and more. Our class ​left the course having built​ a container and community that we know we can rely on whenever we need help. One student, in a comment about taking the class, said that it is “not like any class I've taken before. You use your brain in entirely new ways!” Another student ​shared ​that they “never had a class so encouraging or that taught such applicable skills!” All around, the students in "Queer ​C​reativity" gained an incredible amount of love over the course of the semester for our peers, the class, and for ​Professor Gardiner​.

Funding for art exhibition materials and other creative materials used throughout the course was made possible by a grant from the Newcomb Institute. The course also benefitted from a grant from the Skau Art and Music Fund, which brings Arts Writing workshops to Tulane undergraduate classes, including the Queer Creativity course.

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​​Creativity Fest participants joke as they make paper dolls during the 2-hour event, which was hosted by students in the "Queer Creativity" course..

This Pride month, the Office of Academic Excellence and Opportunity (OAEO) offered members of the Tulane community a free LGBT history tour in the French Quarter. If that wasn’t exciting enough, they also provided a lunch and keynote speech from School of Liberal Arts History PhD candidate Bobby Fieseler, the acclaimed author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation and a Tulane Mellon Fellow. I was immediately interested in attending when the event was announced, but the tour and discussions exceeded my expectations.

We started by meeting as a group at the front of campus. OAEO gave us gift bags with pride shirts, electric fans, and snacks; the energy was immediately welcoming and fun. When we got to the French Quarter, we split up into groups for the walking tour. I was lucky enough to be in a group with Frank Perez, a local gay legend and director of the LGBT Archives of Louisiana. As Fieseler said at the lunch, “Frank somehow has everyone’s phone number and knows everything about gay history in New Orleans.” Our tour started at the Jackson Square statue, where Perez pointed out that precolonial New Orleans (“Bulbancha”) was incredibly queer and non-heteronormative. As our tour continued through the French Quarter, Frank told us about the first lesbian and gay Mardi Gras krewes like Ishtar, trans trailblazers like Courtney Sharp, tragic hate crimes like the murder of Fernando Rios, and perseverance from the entire local LGBT population in places like Oz and Cafe Lafitte in Exile. The entire group was captivated by Perez’s storytelling and the weight of these moments.

After the walking tour, we went to Muriel’s for a delicious, air-conditioned lunch. After the bread was brought out, Fieseler started his talk on the Up Stairs Lounge tragedy. He explained the atmosphere of the lounge in vivid detail, calling it “loving, multipurpose, beautiful,” and “the real-life gay version of Cheers.” He sang the Up Stairs Lounge’s unofficial anthem: “United we stand, divided we fall. And if our backs should ever be against the wall, we'll be together, together, you and I.” He gave us an equally vivid description of the brutal murder of the 32 people in the fire. The speech was candid, hard-hitting, and emotional. Several people in the room were crying. Fieseler emphasized that at the time of the tragedy, news and publications surrounding the event were scarce and often negative. He spoke about how many loved ones of the deceased would not claim their children, because they were found at a gay bar. Several people in the room were brought to tears by the recounting".

Fieseler authored the resolution that the New Orleans City Council passed in 2022 as an apology for the treatment of the Up Stairs Lounge victims nearly 50 years ago. The resolution is an example of the value history plays in present times. “By publishing and piecing together histories like this, we become very powerful…You change the way that history is remembered,” Fieseler said. After the speech, the crowd gave a standing ovation. During the Q&A, audience members asked sobering questions about the current state of affairs, the more recent Pulse Nightclub tragedy in 2016, and stories from the fire victims’ children. Not willing to end on a low note, Fieseler led the crowd in a chant: “Queer! Books! Queer! Books! Queer! Books!” Everyone laughed, relieved at the positive spin.

Participants received a free copy of Fieseler’s book, Tinderbox, on the way out of the restaurant. Georgie Gardiner, an associate professor in Philosophy, told me how much she appreciated seeing the “ecology of learning at Tulane” in action and felt it was an honor to have Fieseler at Tulane. I left with a new appreciation for history as a field, but especially with the importance of sharing queer histories. The story of the Up Stairs Lounge is tragic and difficult to hear, but it is important to honor the lives lost and learn from the past.

Additional information about Perez, Fiesler, the Up Stairs Lounge, and local LGBT history can be found on their websites.

Pride decor in the French Quarter.