By Faith Miletello | Reporter
Some of the most epic love stories are found on the pages of history books, and Phi Alpha Theta hosted its Valentine’s Day book sale to share those tales with Baylor’s campus.
“We are the history honors society. It is a national organization,” Kauffman senior Stephen Gentzel said. “We try to promote history and the academic life, so part of what we do is work with our professors, and majority of the books are donated by professors.”
Gentzel said many of the members are history majors, minors and also professors. Joining the honor society makes you a lifelong member, he said . Some students join because of an interest in history; the society only requires members to have four history credits.
The event was held in the lobby of Tidwell Bible Building, and books were all priced cheaply for students’ convenience. The sale was dubbed #LoveHistory in honor of Valentine’s Day, according to the group’s Facebook page.
“The sale was to raise money for Phi Alpha Theta,” Kleinburg said. “We like to use this as our main fundraiser to fund our spring cookout and our student-led initiatives across campus, like sending a student to an academic conference.”
Lampasas senior Emily Kleinburg shared her favorite historical love story, the relationship between Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
“His love for Mumtaz was legendary,” Kleinburg said. “Unfortunately, she died giving birth to their 14th child, and he was in an insane amount of grief. He commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum to her memory.”
Gentzel also mentioned his appreciation for the love story of George and Martha Washington. The Adams’ relationship was also “pretty sweet,” Grentzel said.
Those who purchased books from the sale received a memoir of history to enjoy and helped support the history society.
