Monthly Archives: May 2011

To the Defense! (?)

Posted on May 31, 2011 by John Churchill

  Having custody of the tangible property of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is endlessly interesting. It’s amazing what will survive the passage of time, the stresses of moving from New York City to Williamsburg to “Q” Street to Massachusetts … Continue reading →

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Briefing Briefing

Posted on May 23, 2011 by John Churchill

  The other day I went to a briefing on Capitol Hill. It was sponsored by the National Humanities Alliance and the Association of American Universities, with support from the Congressional Humanities Caucus, chaired by David Price (D) of North … Continue reading →

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The Odyssey? Really?

Posted on May 16, 2011 by John Churchill

Yup. And pretty much the whole megillah, from Telemachus’s adolescent tentativeness to the tender scene at the end, when Zeus slows the dawn (at Athena’s suggestion) to permit Odysseus and Penelope a longer homecoming night. Who’d dare to put on … Continue reading →

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Dulce Et Decorum Non Est

Posted on May 9, 2011 by John Churchill

  Matthew Brady, Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 On May 2, 2011, Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust delivered the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Jefferson Lecture at the Kennedy Center. Much, though not all, of the particular substance of her … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Campuses

Posted on May 2, 2011 by John Churchill

It was a major, flagship state university; it was a small college. The sun shone brightly in the blue spring sky; gale-force winds inverted umbrellas and drove the petals off the cherry trees. The luncheon filled a gymnasium; the luncheon … Continue reading →

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