This photo was taken at Berkeley this past June. There is nothing like being able to state for the record you actually visited the places you teach about in class. The Free Speech Movement of 1964 is indeed special. I encourage anyone interested in this topic to view my YOUTUBE posting of this lecture given at Berkeley on June 15, 2017.
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This photo was taken in June 2016 of famed OXFORD STREET in London. It is Europe’s busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as of 2012 had approximately 300 shops. It forms part of a shopping district in the West End of London, along with other streets including Covent Garden, Bond Street, and Piccadilly. You can travel to and from using the famed double-decker bus, London black cab, or the Underground. In this photo, the Union Jack flags are a nice touch to an already historic and scenic setting.
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There is a saying, “you are the company you KEEP.” I can say without any reservation my conference trips are made complete by the presence of my daughter Courtney. She is the perfect travel buddy. We both enjoy sightseeing, historical venues, and hanging out people watching. There is nothing like a cup of coffee, a bagel and good book to start my day off while on the road. It is my hope we have many many more in the decades to come. See you in Paris 2019 CDUB.
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If there is one thing that sets off a positive impression is the act of dressing the part. I have a collection of tweed coats courtesy of the local Salvation Army that more than helps me in this vain. Dress the part, be the part as I always say. Let your students see a role model and an example of what is to be and should be by your words, actions, and dress. No need to talk about my collection of khaki pants and sweater vests.
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There is a saying, “to teach is to learn twice.” I try to take this important adage to heart each time I teach. I consider it a honor and privilege to be a university professor. I have an opportunity to engage, enrich, and inspire young minds on a daily basis. I try very hard to not only speak to a body of learners each lecture, but also to tell unique and interesting stories that reach into the souls and minds of each individual student. I try to be original and authentic with each lecture and leave my students wanting more until the next time we meet.
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Nothing like an academic road trip to get my head back on straight. I visited Columbia University and New York University while researching for my dissertation on President US Grant. I stayed at the New Yorker in Manhattan and had a blast. The TICK TOCK is open 24/7.
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This photo was taken this past month in Beijing, China. I cannot thank my host Renmin University enough for all the hospitallity shown to me as well as thirteen other scholars from around the globe. The conference on the future of globalism was second to none in so many ways: organization, information shared, food, and of course hospitality. I look forward to my next trip to China to further examine this fascinating country on a academic and scholarly level.
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I finally completed my dissertation in November 2019. I celebrated this great accomplishment by traveling to New York City to drop off a copy at Grant’s Tomb. It is hard to believe that three years of research and writing is finally over. I am going to take a few weeks off and go back at it. I will travelling in June to New York for a conference on the future of the Green Revolution at St. John’s University in Queens. I would like to thank all my dissertation readers as well as my committee for aiding me in this important endeavor. Dr. John P. Williams sure sounds good to me.
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I am currently working on a historical non-fiction account of George Orwell’s time on Jura. The typewriter you see is an original. This is same typewriter he used to work on his novels. In his lifetime he wrote nine novels and countless articles and book reviews. This wonderful device actually works. I love hearing the banging of the keys. I was thinking I should light a cigarette in honor of him and let the aroma fill the room. We owe a debt of gratitude to Orwell for his novel 1984 published in 1949. This dystopian social science fiction novel is not only a classic but eerie since it forecasts such much of what is going in today’s world. I would love to know what Orwell would think about things today and how they turned out, for better or for worse.
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