I had that plan, and the same double major. But the programs to which I applied took less than ten graduate students each, and my languages were not sufficient against the competition (okay Latin, weak German, no French Italian or classical Greek). I had superb history teachers at every level, but my world history teacher in 1963-4, deba…
I had that plan, and the same double major. But the programs to which I applied took less than ten graduate students each, and my languages were not sufficient against the competition (okay Latin, weak German, no French Italian or classical Greek). I had superb history teachers at every level, but my world history teacher in 1963-4, debate coach, mentor, surrogate mother and best friend was my inspiration in all things. She passed a few years ago, leaving an unfillable void in my life.
I was forced to go to my default choice after graduating from UCLA. Lawschool. It happened to be Harvard, and it was probably for the best. I had a very successful legal career, and was indirectly in the UCLA history department as a volunteer, the founding President of History Bruins, the community representative in one of the department’s rare but intense evaluation conferences, and supportive of my sponsor in the department, Peter Reill, until his retirement and then sudden demise, also a few years ago. History remains a compulsion, an addiction, for me.
My work-study in college from 69 to 73 on was for a professor who was compiling information on the right wing in the US (he'd already done LW). All before the internet, computers or any electronic aids. Browsed the library shelves daily for articles by Time, Newsweek, and others -all before they stopped being news sources - old newspapers, and books about and by the RW. Anyone else remember microfish? It was an education by itself.
Your last sentence, yup, that's me. But my tastes vary. For a good many years when I was thinking of the great American novel, I did research on literally a dozen countries from the 1600s on. Read a lot about countries that few history courses teach, such as Japan's shogun era (fell in love with Japanese art), the travels of explorers from Europe, to how people lived in those areas, to American slaves in the colonies - all over the world. When the novel idea got too unwieldy, I switched to WWII, and became immersed in Germany during the war and a few years after, toying with life in the German resistance stories.
And I donated dozens upon dozens of books that I hope the libraries appreciate getting. Still have several hundred to go. :-) Of course now, I can research nearly everything on line. :-) Still prefer books.
My Poli sci teacher was a friend and informal advisor to Walter Mondale. Not too Shabby to listen to someone that close to political history! Mondale was a fabulous person. Like Biden he probably didn't get the credit he deserved. But Mondale is credited the totally changing the role of VP. Unfortunately he is better known for losing 49 states to Reagan in 1984.
Reagan - the beginning of "celebrity" politicians, the beginning of government is bad (unless it helps the rich get richer), the beginning of putting optics above substance. Man has a lot to answer for. Hope he's in Purgatory, crying over the party he fathered.
And just think, what was once the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower has devolved into the party of Trump. It is the Theory of evolution in reverse.
You know...we all have seen the famous line delivered by Reagan at his debate with Mondale regarding their age difference and I've always appreciated that Mondale also laughed at Reagan's remark. Oh...I wish for times like those where there was still some civility left in politics.
I was primarily focused on European history from Ancient Greece and Rome to the present, and the history of science. In recent decades, I have read deeply and widely in our Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, and German history. I had a great course in Japanese history at UCLA which my present wife also took, though we did not meet until 20 years later. I have also read a fair amount in Japanese and Chinese history, and studied Mandarin for two years at UCLA Extension, becoming modestly proficient and able to speak with Chinese people we met on vacations to Europe.
Unfortunately, a rare and very debilitating ailment struck me in 2002. Destroying most of my hearing and my balance, so tonal languages don’t work for me. Heck, even English is garbled! But the written word is still superb. Thanks to my poor vision, I read almost entirely on my Kindle app where I can enlarge the print, but still love books more. I just find the small print too much of a strain. I do fondly remember researching amongst the seldom consulted treasures of the vast UCLA libraries. Indeed, on one of our last days in LA before moving to our present home in Sacramento, my wife, oldest daughter and I spent a day at the main undergraduate library at UCLA and wandered the campus reminiscing about our years there. As we downsize now, the one thing we are finding very difficult to part with is our rather large library. We may end up donating much of it, though interested recipients are diminishing in this electronic age. I feel blessed in many ways that we spent most of our life in a time when books and libraries were still the norm.
I'd forgotten about Greek and Roman history. I devoured library books about Greece and Rome, reading above my grade level when I was in grade school. Wanted to go to Greece and Rome. Life had other ideas. I used to spend days in the libraries nearest our home. In NYC, the library was only a few blocks away. When I was in HS in Binghamton, it was a walk of over a mile, no buses there, and I was still there almost every weekend.
Sorry about your health. My hearing is fine, but I don't listen to speeches - I read what was actually said. Which is why I couldn't figure out what was so bad about Biden's debate. He spoke English, Donald only spoke gibberish. Optics overrules actual words in today's world.
I started life Roman Catholic in the “old days”, so Latin was one of my earliest memories. I loved learning it in high school. An interest in ancient history came with all of that. As a Navy brat, I haunted base and hometown libraries wherever my Dad was stationed.
You are right about optics over content. As a competitive debater in high school and college, I learned the importance of both. Now, it’s all about perception and the show. Substance seems lost on a country whose people appear to have mass attention deficit disorder.
I had that plan, and the same double major. But the programs to which I applied took less than ten graduate students each, and my languages were not sufficient against the competition (okay Latin, weak German, no French Italian or classical Greek). I had superb history teachers at every level, but my world history teacher in 1963-4, debate coach, mentor, surrogate mother and best friend was my inspiration in all things. She passed a few years ago, leaving an unfillable void in my life.
I was forced to go to my default choice after graduating from UCLA. Lawschool. It happened to be Harvard, and it was probably for the best. I had a very successful legal career, and was indirectly in the UCLA history department as a volunteer, the founding President of History Bruins, the community representative in one of the department’s rare but intense evaluation conferences, and supportive of my sponsor in the department, Peter Reill, until his retirement and then sudden demise, also a few years ago. History remains a compulsion, an addiction, for me.
My work-study in college from 69 to 73 on was for a professor who was compiling information on the right wing in the US (he'd already done LW). All before the internet, computers or any electronic aids. Browsed the library shelves daily for articles by Time, Newsweek, and others -all before they stopped being news sources - old newspapers, and books about and by the RW. Anyone else remember microfish? It was an education by itself.
Your last sentence, yup, that's me. But my tastes vary. For a good many years when I was thinking of the great American novel, I did research on literally a dozen countries from the 1600s on. Read a lot about countries that few history courses teach, such as Japan's shogun era (fell in love with Japanese art), the travels of explorers from Europe, to how people lived in those areas, to American slaves in the colonies - all over the world. When the novel idea got too unwieldy, I switched to WWII, and became immersed in Germany during the war and a few years after, toying with life in the German resistance stories.
And I donated dozens upon dozens of books that I hope the libraries appreciate getting. Still have several hundred to go. :-) Of course now, I can research nearly everything on line. :-) Still prefer books.
My Poli sci teacher was a friend and informal advisor to Walter Mondale. Not too Shabby to listen to someone that close to political history! Mondale was a fabulous person. Like Biden he probably didn't get the credit he deserved. But Mondale is credited the totally changing the role of VP. Unfortunately he is better known for losing 49 states to Reagan in 1984.
Reagan - the beginning of "celebrity" politicians, the beginning of government is bad (unless it helps the rich get richer), the beginning of putting optics above substance. Man has a lot to answer for. Hope he's in Purgatory, crying over the party he fathered.
And just think, what was once the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower has devolved into the party of Trump. It is the Theory of evolution in reverse.
Can't disagree, much as I want to.
This isn't exactly encouraging: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-humans-getting-intellectually-and-emotionally-stupid-121924658/
Thanks Eva. That picture of Dumb and Dumber says a lot! I'm sure a good actor like Jeff Daniels cringes at the thought he was in that movie.
You know...we all have seen the famous line delivered by Reagan at his debate with Mondale regarding their age difference and I've always appreciated that Mondale also laughed at Reagan's remark. Oh...I wish for times like those where there was still some civility left in politics.
And humor
I was primarily focused on European history from Ancient Greece and Rome to the present, and the history of science. In recent decades, I have read deeply and widely in our Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, and German history. I had a great course in Japanese history at UCLA which my present wife also took, though we did not meet until 20 years later. I have also read a fair amount in Japanese and Chinese history, and studied Mandarin for two years at UCLA Extension, becoming modestly proficient and able to speak with Chinese people we met on vacations to Europe.
Unfortunately, a rare and very debilitating ailment struck me in 2002. Destroying most of my hearing and my balance, so tonal languages don’t work for me. Heck, even English is garbled! But the written word is still superb. Thanks to my poor vision, I read almost entirely on my Kindle app where I can enlarge the print, but still love books more. I just find the small print too much of a strain. I do fondly remember researching amongst the seldom consulted treasures of the vast UCLA libraries. Indeed, on one of our last days in LA before moving to our present home in Sacramento, my wife, oldest daughter and I spent a day at the main undergraduate library at UCLA and wandered the campus reminiscing about our years there. As we downsize now, the one thing we are finding very difficult to part with is our rather large library. We may end up donating much of it, though interested recipients are diminishing in this electronic age. I feel blessed in many ways that we spent most of our life in a time when books and libraries were still the norm.
I'd forgotten about Greek and Roman history. I devoured library books about Greece and Rome, reading above my grade level when I was in grade school. Wanted to go to Greece and Rome. Life had other ideas. I used to spend days in the libraries nearest our home. In NYC, the library was only a few blocks away. When I was in HS in Binghamton, it was a walk of over a mile, no buses there, and I was still there almost every weekend.
Sorry about your health. My hearing is fine, but I don't listen to speeches - I read what was actually said. Which is why I couldn't figure out what was so bad about Biden's debate. He spoke English, Donald only spoke gibberish. Optics overrules actual words in today's world.
I started life Roman Catholic in the “old days”, so Latin was one of my earliest memories. I loved learning it in high school. An interest in ancient history came with all of that. As a Navy brat, I haunted base and hometown libraries wherever my Dad was stationed.
You are right about optics over content. As a competitive debater in high school and college, I learned the importance of both. Now, it’s all about perception and the show. Substance seems lost on a country whose people appear to have mass attention deficit disorder.
" Now, it’s all about perception and the show. Substance seems lost on a country whose people appear to have mass attention deficit disorder."
Sadly have to agree.