Matthew Eng

Matthew Eng graduated from James Madison University in 2006 with a B.A. in History, and earned his M.A. in History from ODU in 2008. During his time in Norfolk, he began working as an educational intern and consultant for the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. In April 2010, he accepted a civil service position at HRNM, serving as Deputy Director of Education from 2013 to 2013. In November 2013, he became the Digital Content Developer of the Naval Historical Foundation in Washington, D.C. His research and writing focuses on the American Civil War, U.S. Navy propaganda and popular culture, and the role of African-Americans in the Navy, and he has contributed an article to The Civil War in Popular Culture: Memory and Meaning (University Press of Kentucky, 2013). Mr. Eng currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife Angela and daughter Zelda. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music in his new band, record collecting, and debating film theories to anyone who will listen.

What skills and intellectual experiences did you acquire in your (graduate) program at ODU that have served you well in your subsequent work? Which professors do you remember and why?

The two years I spent at ODU for graduate school proved integral to my subsequent career in museums and naval history. Although my undergraduate work in history at James Madison was fulfilling, it was ODU professors like Dr. Jersild, Dr. Lees, and others who taught me to think critically about my approach to history. Specifically, Dr. Jonathan Phillips (who I believe now is at Marine Corps University) helped formulate and strengthen my love for military history. He showed me how to move beyond the "names and dates" approach to history force-fed in high school and think critically about the various social, economic, and political factors surrounding a specific event. That viewpoint helped me formulate a strong argument for my thesis on the naval battle of Memphis during the American Civil War.

I also tend to become long winded in speaking AND in writing. ODU reminded me that less can certainly be more. In my current position as digital historian and webmaster for the Naval Historical Foundation, I've found that the most concise and to-the-point articles reach the widest audience. The many oral presentations I did at ODU helped me gain the confidence I needed for speaking in public, which I did on a daily basis as a museum educator at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. I continue to lecture to audiences whenever I get the chance. Communicating my love for history is a true joy of mine.

The biggest skill I learned at ODU was editing. As the digital editor of the Internal Journal of Naval History and the Foundation's Naval History Book Reviews, I constantly find myself reaching back into my graduate school days. It certainly keeps me on my toes and ensures that I don't have to dust of "my chops" as often. When I wrote a book chapter on the Civil War navies in public memory for the University of Kentucky Press back in 2013, I had to edit down my original work by 25 pages. The ODU history program quickly came into play, and I could meet the publisher's demands with plenty of time.

What is the primary function of the Naval Historical Foundation? What have you enjoyed about working there?

The Naval Historical Foundation's mission is to preserve and honor the legacy of those sailors who came before us through education, preservation, and commemoration. Working closely with the U.S. Navy, the Naval Historical Foundation ensures that naval history remains in the forefront of American thought. Along with offering nonprofit support to the National Museum of the United States Navy, we also host events, academic symposiums, and sponsor educational programs and lectures for the public. As the digital content developer, I write historical content for our main website, www.navyhistory.org, as well as maintain it and coordinate all our social media efforts. I also began a series of oral history videos and podcasts with Navy and Marine Corps Veterans and a podcast series, among other things.

I have enjoyed my time immensely at NHF. During my time here, I was fortunate to work with many interesting scholars and individuals in the field. In fact, working here has been a crash course in how best to deal with many of the academic "celebrities" I've come to enjoy throughout my career. NHF holds a yearly award for a lifetime achievement in naval history called the Knox Award (named after Commodore Dudley W. Knox (who helped create the Foundation in 1926). So, every year, I get to converse and interact with the giants in the field of naval history. This year, we inducted three individuals, all of which have written material I've used in my papers in undergrad and graduate school: Dr. Jon Sumida, Paul Stillwell, and Dr. Edward Marolda. It's nice to see a sense of camaraderie in naval history at these events. Working at NHF gave me the opportunity to talk with these men and women and receive solid advice for moving forward with my own career.

I'll never forget giving Senator John Warner a ride back to his house in Alexandria after an event and talking about my daughter with him. That was rather humorous. Or the time I was way early at an event and found myself sitting next to famed explorer Dr. Bob Ballard, who was also waiting. I had to fill up the time talking to him about ANYTHING but the Titanic, even if my wife is obsessed with Dr. Ballard and his work on the Titanic. In the end, I got him to talk about it a LITTLE BIT.

The opportunities for engaging with the public must be great in a city such as Washington, D.C. Are there dilemmas unique to the nation’s capital that influence your work there?

Certainly, you must make sure to be apolitical in what you write. In this town, careers come and go based on what they write to the public. With the Foundation, anything written is noticed almost automatically.

We also have to work within the confines of the strict system of DC government. For a recent grant we received from the National Park Service to digitize the Naval Documents of the American Revolution, we have to make sure all of our paperwork is in accordance with both the Federal Government and the D.C. government, as we are incorporated within the confines of the district's property. Again, there are always more hoops to jump through. It's just a matter of WHEN the jumping ends with D.C. bureaucracy.

Also, and I can't stress this enough - TRAFFIC. Enough said.

What are your favorite neighborhoods in DC?

So many to choose from! My wife and I love walking around Barrack's Row near the Navy Yard where I work and going to the outdoor market at Eastern Market on weekends. There are a lot of really amazing coffeeshops in Adams Morgan that we used to frequent before we had our daughter. Now, I think they are a little too hip for us parents. There is also an up and coming scene with the Petworth with some of the best food in town (Himitsu and Timber Pizza Company are incredible). Even though my wife works in a building right on the national mall, we still find time for a leisurely stroll there. Our daughter Zelda loves running on the grass in front of the Washington Monument.

Describe your work as the Digital Editor of the International Journal of Naval History.

I became the digital editor of the International Journal of Naval History in 2014. I work with a professor at the Naval War College, Dr. Charles Chadbourn, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the publication. IJNH is a peer-reviewed publication, so I work with Chuck and several other historians on the editorial board to ensure that each article is peer reviewed. Once that is complete, I then work with the authors on image selections before it goes up on the site. Oftentimes, I read through each article and follow up with my own selections of images from the Naval History and Heritage Command's photo archive section, conveniently located in the office above where NHF currently is located at the Washington Navy Yard.

What new books and topics have you explored since leaving ODU?

Of course, I happen to read a lot of naval history for my job. One of the perks of taking part in the book review program is getting a lot of free books! Besides naval history, I began re-exploring my love of space history, specifically the Apollo Program. I recently devoured Andrew Chaikin's Man on the Moon, and am currently working through a few other similar books.

Dr. Jersild's classes also piqued my interest in several offshoots of history like poetry. Every year, I reread the Oxford anthology of World War I poetry. Sassoon is still my favorite. When I was 26 I almost got a tattoo from a line of his famous poem "Haunted." It would have looked cool.

I gave a presentation in Virginia Beach early this year on the Coast Guard in film history. As a student of popular culture, it was a great opportunity to explore a different side of maritime history. I was intrigued from the start, and have since read a few monographs about Coast Guard history. It is something I would like to explore more in the future.

I also love theme park history. As an avid fan of Disney, it's hard not to. My kindle is currently loaded with several studies on Walt Disney and the history of the Imagineers. I'm waiting for a historian job to open there, which I would take even if it meant having to move to Florida.