Eric graduated from UMSL with a BA degree in History in 2012 and an MA in History in 2019. Eric has had a fascination with history since he was a child. When Eric was growing he read a historical fiction book about the USS Arizona and sent a letter to the Pearl Harbor memorial. One of the historians at the site sent a care package full of historical books and some newspapers to him, sparking his interest in history. At UMSL Eric originally started as a communications major due to his interest in radio until he realized he didn’t like what he was doing and switched to a history major. He has been working at the National Archives for 11 years and helps people with research in the research rooms.Eric helps people by using his historical training to guide him to the answers or lack of answers. These can be as simple as why documents were recorded and organized in specific ways. One of his favorite quotes from learning at UMSL is “Don’t ever write anything you can’t prove.”. Eric also enjoys traveling to historic sites and taking photos at places like Gettysburg during the time of year they happened. He also enjoys driving his 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS.. Eric believes that history is not knowledge, but a process like science. He is always happy to meet and help students.
