MORE THAN YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ME
I am a Professor of
History, Emeritus ("Emeritus"
is Latin for "Retired Old Guy") at
Northeastern Illinois
University, in Chicago, where I
began teaching when Moses was a kid. From July 1, 2000, until June 30,
2005, I was Chair of the Department of History. On July 1, 2005, I was
morphed into the Acting Dean of the Graduate College, and retired from
the University effective January 1, 2006.
Before going over to the Dark Side of Academia (aka "administration"), I
spent the first half of my career as a number-crunching social historian
and semi-theorist. My most detailed work in this area is Religion in
the City of Angels: American Protestant Culture and Urbanization, Los
Angeles 1850-1930 (Ann Arbor:UMI Research Press 1979), which has been
mercifully remaindered. My most frequently cited work from this
quasi-sociological period is "Protestant Voluntary Associations and the
Making of Victorian America," American Quarterly (December 1975).
I presently define myself as an intellectual historian and
semi-theologian, and am currently working on three quite different projects
in American religious history. For summaries of these projects, follow
this link
EDUCATION: Yeah. I've got some of that. Let's see. There's a piece of
paper here just under one of the cats.. Oh yeah. Says I've got one of them
Doctor of Philosophy thingies from the University of
California at Los Angeles.
(You sports fans probably know it
better as
but underneath the hoopla of athletics there is a
great university in Westwood, in spite of the fact that they let me
in). This photo of Josiah Royce Hall summarizes my memories of those
idyllic days, so long ago, filled with intellectual excitement and
social engagement, fueled by the energy of youth which is now a
fading memory. SIGH! Now, where was I?. . . .Oh, Now I remember.
You can find more detailed and boring stuff in the
Curriculum Vitae. My selected publications and papers,
however, do not include a record of some of the most exciting scholarly
ventures I've encountered. That which easily comes to public attention is
but a fraction of a scholar's effort, and I have included a sort of
summary of my most frustating and fascinating
research project.
Every once in a while somebody thinks I have something worth listening
to, and I get to go to Springfield (what a treat!) and sound like a wise
old guy before some committee. I've included a summary of my testimony
before the Illinois State Senate Education Committee on
Cult Activities on Campus. This took place in the
Spring of 1994. Yeah, I know; that was a long time ago. I said "once
in a while somebody thinks I have something worth listening to." I
didn't say "often."
So, tell me about you.
If
you've made it this far on this home page, you've heard more than enough
about me.