1. Could you briefly introduce yourself to the readers? I’m from Fairfax,Virginia, USA. The father of a Year 2 CIS student. I like to think, perhaps too much.
2. What’s your fondest memory from high school? This is classified information. The Wilson archives will open to the public 10 years after my death.
3. What drew you to settle down in Hong Kong and teach history? The first part of this question is easy. A very close friend who had been living and teaching in Hong Kong for many years convinced me to move here. I had never lived outside the US and felt that there may not be a better opportunity, particularly with a support network already established. For the second part, bear with me. I was “drawn” to study History as I wanted to understand the various historical references in the Philosophy books I was reading, and to understand the context that gave rise to certain literary movements. In some sense, I had to study History to understand what I really loved, which was Philosophy and Literature. In time I came to realize that History was as much about Philosophy and Literature as it was about events in the past. So, armed with the requisite degrees, I saw an advertisement for a History teacher, applied, 26
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and fortune was on my side. That was 11 years ago. I made the move to CIS 5 years ago because I had heard rumours, since verified empirically, that there were bright, dedicated students with the potential and desire to create History. I wanted a piece of that. It seems fortune does sometimes favor the brave.
4. If you could witness one historical moment, what would it be? As an observer, Christ’s crucifixion would be most sublime. If I could intervene, I would return to that fateful afternoon in the early 1980’s when my dad-he must have been drunk-- bought a lime green station-wagon. I would find a way to sabotage that moment.
5. Knowing that you recently obtained your PhD (congratulations!), what advice would you give students aiming to pursue one as well? Technically, it’s an EdD (Doctorate of Education), HKU makes distinctions between full-time and part-time doctoral candidates, and I was the latter. It’s a six year journey that takes a physical and emotional toll. I will never forget the “welcoming” seminar held with all of the first year students. The lecturer (imagine referring to yourself as a “lecturer”) asked us to look around, then to imagine half the people in the room disappeared. “Half of you will not make it through this programme,” he
