Territorial Bloggings

Go read The Man Who Invented Mars.

I blog about this for two simple reasons: First, out of respect for Professor David Strauss. I took a class (American History II) from him at Kalamazoo College back in (IIRC) Spring Quarter 1989. He wasn’t my advisor as a History major (my guy was Dr. David Barclay), but Strauss was very good nonetheless. And he was obsessed, in the academic sense, with Percival Lowell. Dr. Strauss was a top-notch scholar, and I was blessed to have been able to study under him (as well as Drs. Barclay, Wickstrom, and Moritz!)

The second reason is slightly more self-serving. As a Senior History major, I was chosen to be a Senior Fellow, and was awarded a stipend for completing some work during my fellowship. That work was basic research grunt work on Dr. Strauss’ book, Percival Lowell: The Culture and Science of a Boston Brahmin. So, I learned quite a bit about good old Percy during that Winter Quarter of 1989. And I’ve always felt a little twinge of pride whenever I’ve read about Lowell or Strauss’ book in the years since.

-ghp