Dr. William (Bill) Lovekamp

INTRODUCTION

Research & Creative Interests

Professor Lovekamp's research emphasis is disaster preparedness, recovery, and social vulnerability of diverse human populations. He also researches and publishes about cemeteries and the importance of maintaining and archiving cemeteries as a means of disaster planning. His research has been published in various outlets such as The International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, The Association of Gravestone Studies Quarterly, Markers, Midwest Open Air Museums Magazine, Teaching Sociology, Social Forces, Contemporary Sociology, American Journal of Sociology, Natural Hazards Observer, and The Journal of Criminal Justice Education.

He co-produced a documentary film in 2017 called "Nature's Fury and the Human Spirit: The Charleston and Mattoon Tornado 26 May, 1917" that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the May 26, 1917 Mattoon-Charleston (Coles County) Tornado. The documentary regularly airs on the local PBS television station, WEIU-TV.

He published a book in 2019 called "Cemeteries and the Life of a Smoky Mountain Community". "In one of the few studies to draw upon cemetery data to reconstruct the social organization, social change, and community composition of a specific area, this volume contributes to the growing body of sociohistorical examinations of Appalachia. The Authors herein reconstruct the Cades Cove community from circa 1818 to 1939, whose demise can be traced to the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. By supplementing a statistical analysis of Cades Cove's twenty-seven cemeteries, completed as a National Park Study (#GRSM-01120), with ethnographic examination, the authors reconstruct the community in detail to reveal previously overlooked social patterns and interactions, including insight into the death culture and death-lore of the Upland South. This work established cemeteries as a window into (proxies of) communities, demonstrating the relevance of socio-demographic data presented by statistical and other analyses of gravestones for Appalachian Studies, Regional Studies, Cemetery Studies, and Sociology and Anthropology." (Palgrave MacMillan Publisher book summary)

Publications

Books:

Foster, Gary S. and William E. Lovekamp. 2019. Cemeteries and the Life of a Smoky Mountain Community: Cades Cove Under Foot. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Thomas, Deborah S.K., Brenda D. Phillips, William E. Lovekamp & Alice Fothergill. 2013. Social Vulnerability to Disasters, 2nd edition, London: CRC Press.

Articles, Chapters, Reviews, Reports, and other Creative Works:

Foster, Gary S. & William E. Lovekamp. 2025. "Death on a 19th Century Homestead in the Upland South." Midwest Open Air Museums Magazine 46(3):24-28.

Lovekamp, William E. 2025. Review of “After Tragedy Strikes: Why Claims of Trauma and Loss Promote Public Outrage and Encourage Political Polarization” by Thomas D. Beamish. Social Forces 103(3):e11. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soae149

Foster, Gary S. & William E. Lovekamp. 2024. “Family Cemeteries of the Upland South as Time Journeys.”  pp. 53-73 in Geography of Time, Place, Movement and Networks, Volume 5, edited by Stanley D. Brunn. Springer Publishing.

Foster, Gary S, & William E. Lovekamp. 2022 “Cemeteries as Wildlife Habitats: Conservation and Management Issues.” Association for Gravestone Studies Quarterly, 42(3):10-12.

Haney, Timothy J. and William E. Lovekamp (Editors). 2019. Innovative Teaching Techniques and Practices in Hazards and Disaster Studies: II. (37). International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters.

Lovekamp, William E. 2019. “Foreword” pp. i-iii in The Sociology of Disaster: Fictional Explorations of Human Experiences, by Thomas E. Drabek. Routledge.

Soboroff, Shane D., William E. Lovekamp, and Robert B. Jenkot. 2019. Social Status and the Effects of Legal Concealed Firearms on College Campuses. Journal of Criminal Justice Education 30(3):376-388. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2018.1520270

Foster, Gary S. and William E. Lovekamp. 2018. “Identity Denied: Gravestones as Collectibles.” Association for Gravestone Studies Quarterly 42(3):23-29.

Haney, Timothy J. and William E. Lovekamp. 2018. “On the Margins, No More: Teaching and Learning as a Core Concern of Disaster Scholarship.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 36(3):208-219.

Haney, Timothy J. and William E. Lovekamp (Editors). 2018. Innovative Teaching Techniques and Practices in Hazards and Disaster Studies. (36)3. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters.

Lovekamp, William E. 2017. “1917 Coles County Tornado” curated exhibit, Booth Library North Narthex, Eastern Illinois University.

Lovekamp, William E. 2017. “1917 Coles County Tornado” curated exhibit, Coles County Historical Society Museum.

Craig, Cameron Douglas and William E. Lovekamp, with Heaven Richey, producers. 2017. “Nature’s Fury and the Human Spirit: The Charleston and Mattoon Tornado 26 May, 1917” Tempestas et Caelum Films.

Lovekamp, William E., Steven M. Di Naso, and Gary S. Foster. 2017. “Mapping Cades Cove Cemeteries.” Investigator’s Scientific Study Final Research Report #3. U.S. National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM-01120.

Lovekamp, William E. and Gary S. Foster. 2017. “A Sociological Reconstruction of Cades Cove Cemeteries.” Investigator’s Scientific Study Final Research Report #2. U.S. National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM-01120.

Lovekamp, William E., Gary S. Foster, and Steven Di Naso. 2017. “Inventory of Cades Cove Cemeteries.” Investigator’s Scientific Study Final Research Report #1. U.S. National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM-01120.

Lovekamp, William E., Shane D. Soboroff and Michael D. Gillespie. 2017. “Engaging Students in Survey Research Projects across Methods and Statistics Courses.” Teaching Sociology 45(1):65-72.

Foster, Gary S., William E. Lovekamp and Donald H. Holly, Jr. 2016. “The Old Kelley Cemetery: A Cold Case of Grave Concern.” Association for Gravestone Studies Quarterly 40(2):3-9.

Lovekamp, William E., Gary S. Foster and Steven M. Di Naso. 2016. “Protecting the Dead - Cemetery Preservation and Disaster Planning.” Natural Hazards Observer 40(6):4-9.

Foster, Gary S. & William E. Lovekamp. 2015. “Disasters and Cemeteries: A Clarion Call for Matters of Grave Urgency.” Association for Gravestone Studies Quarterly 39(3):14-19.

Foster, Gary S., William E. Lovekamp, Steven M. Di Naso & Grant Woods. 2015. “The Cast Iron Grave Cover: A Case of Mistaken Identity and Identity Found.” Markers 31:52-67.

Fordham, Maureen, William E. Lovekamp, Deborah S.K. Thomas and Brenda D. Phillips. 2013. “Understanding Social Vulnerability.” pp. 1-29 in Social Vulnerability to Disasters, 2nd edition, edited by D. S. K. Thomas, B. D. Phillips, W. E. Lovekamp & A. Fothergill. London: CRC Press.

Lovekamp, William E. 2013. Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for “Chapter 17: Social Change and Empowerment”, Social Vulnerability to Disasters, 2nd edition, edited by D. S. K. Thomas, B. D. Phillips, W. E. Lovekamp & A. Fothergill. London: CRC Press.

Lovekamp, William E. & Sudha Arlikatti. 2013. “Social Change and Empowerment.” pp. 447-472 in Social Vulnerability to Disasters, 2nd edition, edited by D. S. K. Thomas, B. D. Phillips, W. E. Lovekamp & A. Fothergill. London: CRC Press.

Lovekamp, William E. & Joseph E. Trainor. 2013. “30 Years of Dissertation Trends in Disaster Studies.” HazNet 5(1):11-14.

Lovekamp, William E. & Sara K. McMahon. 2011. “I Have a Snickers Bar in the Trunk of My Car: Student Narratives of Disaster Risk, Fear, Preparedness, and Reflections on Union University.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 29(2):132-148.

Lovekamp, William E. 2010. “Promoting Empowerment: Social Change in Disasters.” pp. 367-381 in Social Vulnerability to Disasters, edited by Brenda D. Phillips, Deborah Thomas, Alice Fothergill & Lynn Blinn-Pike. London: CRC Press.

Lovekamp, William E. 2009. Review of "Response to Disaster: Fact versus Fiction and Its Perpetuation." 3rd Edition, Henry W. Fischer, III. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 27(1):96-98.

Lovekamp, William E. 2008. “Gender and Disaster: A Synthesis of Flood Research in Bangladesh.” pp. 99-116 in Women and Disasters: From Theory to Practice, edited by Brenda D. Phillips & Betty Hearn Morrow. Philadelphia: Xlibris.

Lovekamp, William E. 2008. Review of "The Sociology of Katrina: Perspectives on a Modern Catastrophe" by David L. Brunsma, David Overfelt, & J. Steven Picou. Contemporary Sociology 37(3):260-261.

Lovekamp, William E. & Michelle L. Tate. 2008. “College Student Disaster Preparedness.” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 26(2):70-90.

Lovekamp, William E. 2005. Review of "Heads Above Water" by Alice Fothergill. American Journal of Sociology 111(4):1259-1260.

Education & Training

Ph.D., Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (2006)
M.A., Western Illinois University (1998)
B.A., Illinois College (1996)

Awards

2025                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2023                 Hanner Teaching Excellence Award, EIU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

2022                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2020                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2018                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2017                 Coles County Historical Society Contribution Award

2016                 Faculty Marshal at Fall Commencement Ceremony, EIU School of Continuing Education.

2016                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2016                 EIU Distinguished Honors Faculty Award

2014                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2012                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

2010                 President’s Service Award, International Research Committee on Disasters, International Sociological Association.

2010                 EIU Achievement and Contribution Award for Service

Disaster Related Certifications and Training

American Red Cross CPR (Adult, Child & Infant) certification, American Red Cross AED certification, American Red Cross First Aid certification, American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle Training, American Red Cross Damage Assessment Training, American Red Cross Mass Care Training, American Red Cross Shelter Operations Training,

Conference Presentations

Lovekamp, William E. & Barbra D. Wylie. 2026. “Continuity of Service in Senior Nutrition Programs

during a Pandemic”. Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.

Lovekamp, William E. & Wade P. Smith. 2025. “Reconciling New Technologies and Old Ideologies in

Modern Sport: Evidence from the Field of Bass Fishing”. Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Lovekamp, William E. 2023. “Welcome and Opening Remarks (as ISA RC39 Past-President)”. Natural

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop Researchers Meeting. Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. 2022. “Family Cemeteries of the Upland South as Time Journeys”. Illinois

Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Eastern Illinois University.

Lovekamp, William E. 2022. “Welcome and Opening Remarks (as ISA RC39 President)”. Natural

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop Researchers Meeting. Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. 2021. “Welcome and Opening Remarks (as ISA RC39 President)”. Natural

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop Researchers Meeting. Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. 2020. “Welcome and Opening Remarks (as ISA RC39 President)”. Natural

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop Researchers Meeting. Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. 2019. “Welcome and Opening Remarks (as ISA RC39 President)”. Natural

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop Researchers Meeting. Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. 2019. “Using Documentary Film to Educate about Hazards and Disasters”.

Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Lovekamp, William E. 2018. “Nature’s Fury and the Human Spirit” documentary presentation. Illinois

Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Millikin University.

Lovekamp, William E. 2018. “Community and School-Based Applications of an Historic Disaster Event”

International Sociological Association’s World Congress of Sociology. Toronto, Canada.

Soboroff, Shane D., William E. Lovekamp, and Robert B. Jenkot. 2018. “Social Status and the Effects of

Legal Concealed Firearms on College Campuses” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting,

Minneapolis, MN.

Lovekamp, William E. 2018. “Nature’s Fury and the Human Spirit” documentary presentation and panel.

Midwest Sociological Society’s Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.

Lovekamp, William E. 2017. “Nature’s Fury and the Human Spirit” documentary presentation. Illinois

Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Millikin University.

Lovekamp, William E. 2017. “Inclusion and Empowerment in Disaster Risk Reduction” panelist. Natural

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop. Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. and Gary S. Foster. 2017. “A Sociological Reconstruction of a Smoky Mountain Community through Its Cemeteries” Midwest Sociological Society’s Annual Meeting. Milwaukee WI.

Lovekamp, William E., Michael D. Gillespie and Shane D. Soboroff. 2016. “Demonstrating the

Continuity of Research: The Design, Collection and Analysis of Student-Centered Survey Data

across Methods and Statistics Courses” Midwest Sociological Society’s Annual Meeting.

Chicago IL.

Foster, Gary S., William E. Lovekamp and Steven M. Di Naso. 2016. “Cades Cove Disclosed: An

Empirical Reconstruction of Community via Its Cemeteries” Great Smoky Mountains National Park Science Colloquium. Gatlinburg, TN.

Lovekamp, William E. 2014. “Disaster Sociology as Service to Community” Illinois Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Eastern Illinois University.

Lovekamp, William E., Gary S. Foster, Steven M. Di Naso and Vincent P. Gutowski. 2014. “Etched in Stone: Preservation of Cemeteries and Cultural Identity” International Sociological Association’s World Congress of Sociology. Yokohama, Japan.

Lovekamp, William E., Gary S. Foster, Steven M. Di Naso and Vincent P. Gutowski. 2013. “Cemetery Preservation as Disaster Preparedness” Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop Researchers Meeting, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E., Gary S. Foster, Steven M. Di Naso, Vincent P. Gutowski and Douglas R. McClintic. 2012. Historical Cemetery Preservation in Cades Cove, Tennessee: An Integrative Application of DGPS, GIS, and High Definition            Scanning. Illinois GIS Association Fall Conference.

“U.S. Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance” 2012. Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. and Joseph E. Trainor. 2011. “Dissertation Trends in Contemporary

Disaster Science” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Las Vegas, NV.

“U.S. Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance” 2011. Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Lovekamp, William E. and Joseph E. Trainor. 2011. “Dissertation Trends in Contemporary

            (1980-Present) Disaster Science” FEMA 14^th Annual Emergency Management Higher

Education Conference. Emmetsburg, MD.

Eckert, Craig M, William E. Lovekamp, Jill K. Buchar and Rachel M. King. 2011. “Can a Community Assessment Survey Affect Public Policy? An Empirical Assessment” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.

Lovekamp, William E. 2010. “The History and Growth of Disaster Research” International Sociological Association’s World Congress of Sociology, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Lovekamp, William E. 2010. “Dissertation Trends in Disaster Research” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Lovekamp, William E., Robert B. Jenkot and S.J. Creek. 2010. “Campus Threats and Social Control: The Concealed Carry on Campus Movement” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Arlikatti, Sudha, Niki Dash, Elaine Enarson, William Lovekamp, & Kris Peterson, 2009. “Gender and Disaster Network” Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder.

Zaman, Katie, Kathryn B. Ward, William E. Lovekamp & Kristi Brownfield. 2009. “Women, Work & Flooding in Bangladesh” Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Madison, WI.

Lovekamp, William E. and Robert B. Jenkot. 2009. “Campus Threats and Social Control:

The Concealed Carry on Campus Movement” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Des Moines, IA.

Lovekamp, William E. and Kathryn B. Ward. 2008. “Women Urban Workers & 2004 Floods in Dhaka, Bangladesh” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Boston, MA.

Lovekamp, William E. and Sara K. McMahon. 2008. “Disaster Fear and Preparedness: Student Voices” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting. St. Louis, MO.

Lovekamp, William E. and Michelle L. Tate. 2007. “College Student Disaster Preparedness.” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.

Lovekamp, William E. 2004. “Patterns of Preparedness and Response: A Comparison of

the 1987 Whittier Narrows, 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge Earthquakes.” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Kansas City, MO.

Lovekamp, William E. 203. “Gender, Race, and Social Class Variations in Disaster Preparation in Earthquake Stricken Communities.” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.

Lovekamp, William E. 2002. “Gender and Disaster: A Synthesis of Flooding in Bangladesh.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.

Lovekamp, William E. and John G. Boulahanis. 2001. “Herrin Italian Cultural Heritage Project.” Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting. St. Louis, MO.

Lovekamp, William E. 2000. “Democratization of Golf: A Sociology of Culture Approach.” Midwest

Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL.

Funding & Grants

2016     Alpha Kappa Delta Fellowship Recipient, Teaching and Learning Workshop, Midwest      Sociological Society’s Annual Meeting, Chicago IL. ($500)

2014     “Parker Pioneer Burial Ground Historic Preservation and Mapping Initiative.” EIU

            Faculty Development Partnership Grant (w/ Steven M. Di Naso; $750)

2012     Lovekamp, William E. and Gary S. Foster. Cemetery and Gravestone Inventory of Cades Cove. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Study # GRSM-01120, Permit # GRSM-2012-SCI-1120. Start Date July 20, 2012 – End Date December 31, 2016.

2010     Early Research Support Grant Recipient, EIU. ($350)

2009     Early Research Support Grant Recipient, EIU. ($250)

2008     Early Research Support Grant Recipient, EIU. ($300)

2007     Early Research Support Grant Recipient, EIU. ($500)

2007     Principle Investigator, “Fear and Preparedness: Student Views.” Council on

            Faculty Research Grant, EIU. ($637.50)

2006     Early Research Support Grant Recipient, EIU. ($500)

2000     “Herrin Italian Heritage Project.” Grant funded by the Office of Research Development & Administration, SIU.

Frequently Taught Courses

Courses Taught

Introductory Sociology, Classical Theory, Community Studies, Current Issues in Sociology, Disasters, Gender, Popular Culture, Poverty, Professional Seminar, Race & Ethnic Relations, Research Methods, Social Problems (Honors), Social Movements & Activism, Senior Seminar in Social Movements, Statistics.

Professional Affiliations

Professional Service

2025-2026        Member, Workshop Advisory Board, “Safeguarding Texas's Inland Rural

Heritage: Collaborative Strategies for Resilience Against Natural Hazards.” Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center and the Center for Heritage Conservation, College of Architecture, Texas A & M University.

2024-                Member, Professional Development Committee, Midwest Sociological Society.

2023-                Associate Editor, International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, SAGE Publications.

2018-2023        President, International Research Committee on Sociology of Disasters (ISA RC-39), International Sociological Association.

2018-                SURGE (Minority Scholars from Under-Represented Groups in Engineering and the Social Sciences) Capacity in Disasters mentor.

2017-2019        Member, Nominations and Elections Committee, Midwest Sociological Society.

2016-2018        Program Coordinator, International Research Committee on Sociology of Disasters (ISA RC-39), International Sociological Association’s World Congress of Sociology, Toronto, Canada, 2018.

2016-2017        Panel Reviewer, Capacity Building Grants competition - Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

2013-2018        Secretary/Treasurer, International Research Committee on Sociology of Disasters (RC-39), International Sociological Association.

2012-2013        Member, Program Committee, Midwest Sociological Society.

2010-                Editorial Board Member, Sociopedia.isa, Journal of the International Sociological Association.

2009-2011        Co-Facilitator (with Elaine Enarson), U.S. Gender & Disaster Resilience Alliance.

2009-2012        Member, Prince Dissertation Award Committee, International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Sociology of Disasters (ISA RC39).

2009-2011        Chair, Prince Dissertation Award Committee, International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Sociology of Disasters (ISA RC39).

2010-2012        Chair, Sociological Practice Committee, Midwest Sociological Society.

2009-2012        Member, Sociological Practice Committee, Midwest Sociological Society.

Alpha Kappa Delta, American Sociological Association, Gender and Disaster Network, Illinois GIS Association, U.S. Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance, Natural Hazard Mitigation Association, International Research Committee on Disasters, International Sociological Association, Mid-South Sociological Association, Midwest Sociological Society.

Community

2024-                Coles County Historical Society Board Member.

2005-2020        American Red Cross Advisory Council, Coles/Clark Counties, IL.

2005-                American Red Cross Disaster Action Team Leader, Coles/Clark Counties, IL.

2005-2010        Co-chair, American Red Cross Disaster Action Team, Coles/Clark Counties, IL.

2007-2010        Board of Directors, HOPE of East-Central Illinois.

2007-2011        Children’s Advisory Committee, HOPE of East-Central Illinois.

2011-2017        Board of Directors, Mid-Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters.