2026 Buckley Scholar To Speak at Cooperstown Graduate Program
COOPERSTOWN—The Cooperstown Graduate Program and the Buckley Selection Committee have announced Dr. Ellen McHale as the 2026 Buckley Scholar. Dr. McHale will speak at CGP on Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. Her lecture is titled “Voices from the Racetrack: The Occupational Folklore of America’s Racing Stables.” This event is free and open to the public.
McHale will explore the occupational lives and lore of thoroughbred racetrack workers in the United States. This work resulted in the monograph, “Stable Views: Voices and Stories of the Thoroughbred Racetrack,” which was a finalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award in 2015. Her other research interests include responses to climate change, refugee and immigrant inclusion and adaptation, and the intersection between culture and the environment. She has written numerous articles and produced exhibits that reflect these interests.
McHale holds both a masters and a PhD in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently the executive director of New York Folklore, a statewide cultural services organization that has grown significantly under her leadership. She is also president of the board for Catskills Folk Connection and a board member for the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation. Prior to her work at New York Folklore, Dr. McHale worked as a public sector folklorist throughout the state. She has previously served as executive director of the Shaker Heritage Society and later as the director of the Schoharie County Historical Society.
The Bruce Buckley Lectureship is named in honor of Dr. Bruce Buckley, an accomplished folklorist and co-founder of the Cooperstown Graduate Program.
This lectureship celebrates Buckley’s contributions to the field by honoring a folklorist who has made significant contributions to fieldwork and the public’s understanding of folk culture. Current CGP students, faculty, alumni and the larger Cooperstown community are invited to attend.
The Cooperstown Graduate Program is located at 5853 State Route 80, just north of the Village of Cooperstown.
