History professor receives Pope Pius XI Award

NEW PALTZ — The Society of Catholic Social Sciences has conferred the Pope Pius XI award on Dr. Donald J D’Elia, professor of history at The State University of New York at New Paltz. The award, named after the Roman Pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1922 – 1939, is given to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the understanding of Catholic social doctrine.

Dr. D’Elia has taught at SUNY New Paltz for more than three decades. He also has taught at Penn State University, Bloomsburg State University, Marist College and served as an adjunct in the Graduate School of New York University.

The author and co-author of many books on American history, Dr. D’Elia’s “Dr. Benjamin Rush: Philosopher of the American Revolution,” published by the American Philosophical Society in 1974, is a standard in the field of American Revolution scholarship. The book was described as “magnificent” in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” and was cited for its importance by the Institute for Early American History and Culture in its “Bicentennial Bibliography of the American Revolution” (1976). The Library of the History of Ideas has selected his work as among the “best of the essays on the American Enlightenment” to have appeared in the prestigious “Journal of the History of Ideas.”

Dr. D’Elia was cited by Governor Mario Cuomo in 1984, for his “many years of dedicated service to the humanities.” He is listed in Marquis “Who’s Who in America” (East), “Who’s Who Among Italian Americans,” “American Catholic Who’s Who,” and other reference works.

Dr. Stephen M. Krason, President of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, spoke for the board of directors in conferring the award on Dr. D’Elia. “Dr. Donald J. D’Elia is one of the preeminent Catholic historians and historians of the founding era in the United States today. We are pleased to bestow upon him long overdue recognition for his accomplishments,” said Krason.