Boston: The Speakers

{(Final night in Boston at dinner with Team Hobbes)l-r Josh Murtaugh, me, Cara Phillips, Laura Forde, Mary Angelo, and Rique Ochoa}
0.When I first received my itenerary in the mail a few months ago I was shocked at the long days. I was hoping for more excursions, alas it didn't happen. Our mornings were taken in the classroom. Let me add, this is after a hearty breakfast in the cafeteria.

Of all meals, I think breakfast works best cafeteria style. Choices of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, french toast, potatoes, bagels, muffins, grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat, fruit, and yogurt, with any possible morning drink you can think of. So yeah I liked breakfast. Lunch and dinner were fair, but by the end of my stay it had a negative effect on my stomach, else it was the seafood, I am still unsure, the fried seafood platter at Durgin Park, may have been the cause. Dinners never quite did it for me though. Back to my original thought, I am not sure if it is the variety or the fact that you can eat all the stuff together and it works, it just does. I will miss the breakfast line.

The first three days were filled with lecture from Professor John Patrick of Indiana Univeristy. Here is my description of him I wrote during class:
Fraught with limited eyesight he looked as though he was directing an orchestra as his hands and arms flailed making his points. Story after story; asides, additional points, and anecdotes. Overall he had great info and while the stories were great his off tangents made his lectures fractured at times. Patrick is the storied grandfather ready to slip into the past at a given moment.

We had three days of Patrick, which was probably one too many. The last day his stories were too off point meaning his lecture was all over the place.

Our next lecturer was Paul Finkelman. Here is my description: Finkelman came across scholarly; bespectacled, slightly balding, neatly trimmed beard, slight accent with a somewhat gravely/hoarse voice. All eyes and ears focused on him as he said he wanted to trouble us. A spirited discussion ensued as he made a point about he polarization of the US pointing to evangelical christians. A not so subtle attempt to get everyone thinking. In my mind he was clearly the best of the lecturers.

We then had Harvey Silverglate a local 1st amendment lawyer who looked more like he would be getting into the trash than a top notch lawyer. I imagine he likes the image. I found this pic from his site, when he came and spoke he wore almost the same outfit, save his tie was much worse. The pic explains more than I ever could. Here is a pic:

He was an okay speaker who knew a whole lot about 1st amendment cases. I doubt I could afford him though.

Sandra Stotsky was our next lecturer. I am going to try to be as kind as I can be here. She has done so much for education and is such a great person I know I need to have respect for her, but a speaker she is not. Her eyes gazed all over the place and usually ended up looking upwards. She was the only lecturer I didn't really follow, in fact I was bored. I won't say anymore, if I do I won't be as kind.

Roger Desrossiers spoke at the final dinner and did a great job. I had the pleasure of talking with him one night for a few hours. He is a tremendous person. In an interesting aside he talked about the 70's drug culture and the problems in teaching as well as dealing with problems as a result of the Supreme Court decision on Tinker. Administrators became gunshy and didn't crack down on kids for fear of being overruled in court. I was asked if the Tinker decision gave more power to students, I quoted Roger who had a big smile. Me and Roger pic: