To promote increased scholarly awareness and use of the rich materials available in the Clark Special Collections Branch of the McDermott Library, The Friends established and funds a program of Clark-Yudkin Research Fellowships named for Lt. Gen. A.P. Clark and Maj. Gen. Richard A. Yudkin.

Research grants are expected to be in the range of $1000 to $15,000. The amount of a given grant will be determined by the relevance of the research proposal to the holdings of the Clark Special Collections Branch, the merits and significance of the project, and the applicant's scholarly qualifications. The recipient will be expected to complete his or her fellowship research within a period of one year from the date of the award.

Expected output of the Clark-Yudkin Research Fellowship will be a scholarly book, thesis, or a paper worthy of publication in a scholarly journal and possibly of a presentation to an audience of colleagues and cadets at the Academy. The Friends also request a single copy of any subsequent publication (article, thesis, or book) that may result. Further, the recipient will be expected to submit a two-to-four page written report and summary of research findings, which may be published in The Friends newsletter. 

Some recent fellows and their topics include Dr. Catherine Newell, investigating how dreams of space flight became a part of American culture during the nineteenth century, Dr. Sharon Raynor, studying African-American graduates who were members of Vietnam Era classes at the Academy, and Dr. Samuel Baker, writing on the Academy’s part in Desegregating College Football, 1945 – 1975.

The works of these and other Clark-Yudkin Fellows reflect the remarkable breadth of scholarly materials available in the McDermott Library and promote awareness of these materials among civilian and military researchers.

These fellowships are funded entirely by The Friends.

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Ruwell & Dr. Newell

Dr. Raynor

Dr. Baker (Left)

How Do I Apply for a Fellowship?

Download the
Instructions and Application

Research Fellow Scholarship

2023

Holly Harris, PhD Student from SMU’s Moody School of Graduate & Advanced Studies was our most recent recipient of the Clark-Yudkin Research Fellowship. Examining thousands of pages from diaries, reports, maps, legal procedures, books, and letters, she was able to gather remarkable information to address the gaps in the airmen’s POW experience on the eastern front in 1945 as noted in the report, right

2021

2nd Lieutenant Timothy (Michael) DeFazio completed his Master's Thesis: For Cause and Countries – Initial, Sustaining, and Combat Motivation in the RAF Eagles Squadrons, 1940-1942.

Peter Rayls published a portion of his research in the Summer/Fall 2021 issue of the Royal Canadian Air Force Journal titled “To Bring About the Ultimate Transition”: The USAAF’s 1944-45 Scheme to Re-Equip RCAF Bomber Squadrons for Service in the Pacific.

2019

Capt. David Loska published both an article and a book on Maj. Gen. Hugh J. Knerr. The Air University Press published the larger output of that research: The memoirs of Maj Gen Hugh J. Knerr, which he titled The Vital Era. Acknowledgements and thanks to the Clark Special Collections and The Friends of the AFA Library are on pages vii and ix. The smaller output was an article published in Air Power History, Volume 66, Issue 3, Fall 2019.

2015

Mr. Patrick J. Charles, a historian with Air Force Special Operations Command and the 2013 recipient of a Clark-Yudkin Research Fellowship, published an article based on his fellowship research in the Air Commando Journal titled Finding History: How Captain Cortez Enloe’s Journal Sheds Light on the History of the World War II Air Commandos and Operation THURSDAY.