David McCullough
The Fate of Academia – { #aft } from Kevin Jones on Vimeo.
My mother-in-law treated me, my wife Kelly and eldest son, Bryson, to a nice dinner and then a lecture given by David McCullough, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning history author. He and is sweet wife sat two tables away from us at dinner. When they got up to leave, my son jumped up and mentioned an interview he had had recently. David was interviewed by my mother-in-law’s sister (a little more perspective, my wife’s aunt) for the Harvard Business Review. Before the interview she asked Bryson if he had a question for Mr. McCullough (because Bryson loves history and had read some of his books) and he gave her a few. A few days after the interview Bryson received a letter from David thanking him for his question. He was on cloud nine. And now that he was able to meet him – you should have seen him! They both came over and met us all and we had a very pleasant, yet brief discussion as he was leaving to the lecture.
Then the lecture itself was absolutely amazing. You don’t hear people talk like he does every day (a sad commentary as it were). It was one of those that when you walk out you not only feel like a better person than when you entered, but you wanted to continue to be even more than you are.
Why do I tell you all this? THAT was education. THAT created change – for all four of us. My wife and son and daughter have been studying the founding fathers and the making of America this year. They have learned a lot of wonderful things. But this was an experience. And experience is the best teacher.
(re: the pict at the beginning of the video. “Just Yank” a little dental floss and ora gel can cure any loose tooth.)
