Bonet’s Path to a Master’s Degree: A Journey of Twists, Turns, and Timeless Stories
Chuck Bonet’s life has been anything but linear. So, it’s no surprise that his journey to earning a master’s degree in public history took a few unexpected turns. Set to graduate from UA Little Rock in December, Bonet’s journey has taken him from community college classrooms to archives filled with stories of Arkansas’s labor movement.
Born in Northern Ireland, Bonet moved to Seattle at an early age and has since lived in states across the U.S. Some might say he’s a New Yorker at heart since he’s also spent time in New York City with his father’s family but Bonet considers himself “from everywhere.” This flexibility and adaptability have marked his life, including his academic path.
After high school, Bonet dreamed of studying theater or film at New York University but chose to join the military instead. He spent time taking courses sporadically at junior colleges and took a 12-year hiatus from education. He returned and earned a bachelor’s degree in European history at the University of Washington-Tacoma.
“When I started up again, my initial goal at UW-T was to obtain a writing studies degree, but I discovered that the history path offered more flexibility and more interesting courses. Plus, I’d still be able to do a lot of writing,” Bonet said. “Once I completed my undergrad, I knew I wanted to continue along the history path in my graduate studies – I just wasn’t sure how.”
That decision eventually led him to UA Little Rock’s public history program, where Bonet found the perfect combination of academic rigor and career preparation.
“It allowed me to continue my studies in history while also making myself more attractive to future employers within the history field,” he explained.
At UA Little Rock, Bonet delved deep into Arkansas history, focusing his thesis on the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU). His research became, “Acts of Tyranny and Terror: Violence, Propaganda, and the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in 1930s Arkansas,” a podcast.
“When I stumbled across the microfilm reels of the STFU papers at the Butler Library and then read some more of the organization’s history, I knew immediately I had found my topic,” Bonet said. “Early on in the process, I realized I didn’t want to do a traditional academic paper so I instead settled on doing a multi-part history podcast.”
Bonet draws on the voices of historical figures to tell the story of labor struggles in the South. “The STFU is an important part of Arkansas history – full of rich characters, and I felt an episodic podcast would be the best way to present the material,” he said, explaining that many of the people involved in the STFU had written books, articles, letters, and memos. “This allowed for the story to be told primarily through their words. I think it added humanity and immediacy to the project.”
Here is an excerpt from the podcast:
Summer 1934. A group of sharecroppers, white and Black, gather at the Sunnyside schoolhouse. They have recently been evicted from their homes at the nearby Norcross Plantation. They are desperate. The situation has grown so dire for sharecroppers in the region that old racial divisions ingrained like scars seem to fall away as these men find themselves mired in the same wretched struggle. Something needs to be done. And so, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union is born.
Howard Kester offers a powerful depiction in his seminal work, “Revolt Among the Sharecroppers”:
“Just south of the little town of Tyronza, in Poinsett County, Arkansas, the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union had its beginning. In the early part of July 1934, twenty-seven white and black men, clad in overalls, gathered in a rickety and dingy little school house called Sunnyside. The school house was old and it had witnessed many strange sights but none so strange as the one being enacted between its four leaning walls that hot summer night. Dimly lighted kerosene lamps cast strange shadows upon the faces of the men as they talked. On rough-hewn benches sat white and colored men discussing their common problems in a spirit of mutual regard and understanding.”
For Bonet, balancing graduate school, a full-time job as a researcher for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, and family life hasn’t been easy. He credits his wife, Terry, and his children with providing crucial support.
“It’s been wonderful to share this journey with them,” he said. He also praised his mentor, Dr. Charles Romney, calling him the primary reason he came to UA Little Rock, adding that “his guidance has been invaluable.”
Bonet’s time in Arkansas also allowed him to rediscover his other passion—theater. Earlier this year, he joined the ensemble cast of a community theater production of “My Fair Lady” at the Argenta Contemporary Theatre in North Little Rock. It was his first role in about 30 years.
“It’s an experience I’ll never forget and I hope to do more community theatre productions around Little Rock,” he said.
As Bonet prepares to graduate, he reflects on his journey with pride. “As in the case of anything worth doing, it was challenging—very challenging at times,” he said. “However, I’ve discovered over the years that I really enjoy the academic world and the camaraderie that exists between fellow university students.”
Bonet described the overall experience as “wonderful.” “The connections and relationships made at UA Little Rock will no doubt benefit me personally and professionally,” he said.
Looking ahead, Bonet hopes to return to UA Little Rock in a professional capacity, ideally with the university’s Center for Arkansas History and Culture, where he worked as a graduate assistant. In the meantime, he encourages others to explore UA Little Rock.
“It’s a fantastic university with top-notch faculty in a highly underrated city,” he said.
From the twists and turns of his life to the deep dives of historical research, Chuck Bonet’s journey is a testament to the power of curiosity, resilience, and the love of a good story.
