Dr. Joseph Laker came to Wheeling Jesuit in 1974. He received his Ph. D. in History (1975) from Indiana University. While he is the Asian specialist at the University and teaches a variety of courses on the various civilizations of Asia, he also teaches courses on Europe and American history. Dr. Laker's love of beer stretches as far as doctoral dissertation on entrepreneurship and the development of the Japanese beer industry.

Teaching Responsibilities:  HIS 110: The Twentieth Century  HIS 120: Historical Methods HIS 219:  Traditional East Asia HIS/INS 221: Japan Since 1800 HIS/INS 222: China Since 1800 HIS/INS 223: India and Southeast Asia HIS/INS 224: Southeast Asia HIS 486/INS 484: Senior Seminar in History GB 550:  Entreprenurial Development of the United States

Dr. Donna Simpson came to Wheeling Jesuit in 1990. She received her Ph. D. in History (1988) from the University of Maryland.  Since coming to Wheeling Jesuit in 1990, her  research interests have focused on the history of women in the Middle Ages. Dr. Simpson is a member of the Women's Studies Advisory Committee.  Teaching Responsibilities:

HIS 110: The Twentieth Century      HIS 120: Historical Methods HIS 216: The Ancient World HIS 220: Women in History HIS 324: The Medieval World HIS 340:  England I HIS 341:  England II HIS 345: Modern France

Dr. Leslie Liedel came to Wheeling Jesuit in 1999. She received her Ph. D. in History (1998) from Kent State University. Professor Liedel's research interests include the study of American Catholicism and the role of nineteenth-century women religious in the United States.She is currently the moderator for the WJU Society for Women. Dr. Liedel and her husband,Andy, welcomed their first child in April, 2004. Favorite definition of history:  "Life must be lived forward, but understood backward" -Kierkegaard

Teaching Responsibilities:  HIS 110: The Twentieth Century HIS 120: Historical Methods HIS 211: History of the American People I HIS 212: History of the American People II HIS 320: Immigration, Ethnicity, and the American Experience HIS 302: African American History and Culture HIS 301: Catholicism in America:  History and Culture  HIS 361: Social Movements in the 1960s   Major Publications:   "Property and Power: Women Religious Defend Their Rights in Nineteenth-Century Cleveland," Ohio History, Fall 2003. "Indomitable Nuns and an Unruly Bishop: Property Rights and Women Religious' Defense Against the Arbitrary Use of  Power in Nineteenth-Century Cleveland," Catholic Historical Review, July 2000.

Dr. Daniel Weimer, Assistant Professor

Teaching Responsibilities: HIS 110 - Twentieth Century HIS 120 - Historical Methods HIS 212 - History of American People II HIS 316 - Rise of the U.S.

Dr. John Wack came to Wheeling Jesuit in 1968. He received his Ph. D. in History (1967) from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Wack spends much of his time in the B-Room and in front of his computer screen.  He retired from full time teaching in 1999 but will continue teaching his incredibly popular course on the American Civil War and a section of the freshman research methods course.  He sometimes accepts exceptional students into these classes.

Teaching Responsibilities: HIS 120: Historical Methods HIS 315: The American Civil War

Dr. Jeff Rutherford came to Wheeling Jesuit in the fall semester of 2008. He received his Ph. D. in History (2007) from the University of Texas.  He specializes in modern German history with research focus on the German Army, German Army combat, and German Army occupation duties in the Soviet Union during the Second World War.  He is interested in military history, Europe during the "Age of Ideologies" and comparative ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Teaching Responsibilities:  HIS 110: The Twentieth Century  HIS 120: Historical Methods HIS 352: The Western Tradition from 1650  HIS 217: The Holocaust HIS 384: Readings Seminar on Contemporary Genocide