The Professor Ch. 09

She was flustered by my abruptness but I was rattled at the moment. I finally got my mail and there was the committee envelope. I ran up two flights of stairs and sat on a bench on the quad to read the contents. Evie was right there were two documents to sign. Plus I needed to be there in thirty minutes in the Liberal Arts building -- Room 406. I also needed to calm down. I desperately wanted to see Lissia but she'd still be administering that final.

I blew out a chest full of air trying to calm down when my favorite history professor, Dr. James Hall Hunter came strolling up to the bench where I was, "Steven! Hail good fellow!"

He was a delight to be around, a very literate and kind professor of Medieval European History -- his summer home was in Provence, France. I stood, "Dr. Hunter it's good to see you sir!"

He shook my hand and sat down on the bench and patted it for me to sit, "Now I'm going to this committee review of your academic record along with Dr. Martin (John Quincy). Since he's your faculty advisor for history; he asked me to join him to vouchsafe your academic bona fides if that is okay with you young man."

I breathed out heavily, "Oh yes sir, I am delighted. I just found out about this meeting and am a bit bumfuzzled sir."

He smiled and patted my arm, "You have several strong professors in your corner. Drs. Marshal and Wright from Humanities; of course the most important ones are Drs. Hunter and Martin from History; then there's Drs. Calvert and Quinones from mathematics plus the academic dean for undergraduate and for graduate studies -- Dean Woolard and Dean Kaplan. LTC Calwell should be there too," he summarized. "You're a very accomplished young man -- you'll do just fine Steven...just fine. Come on let's walk over toward that Bolshevik building and prepare ourselves for the onslaught of tedium shall we?" He whistled as we walked, "By the way my daughter Sandra was in Pino's yesterday, Pino said you were having dinner with a most beautiful young woman. You need to tell me about her real soon. You bring her to dinner with Estelle and me - we want to meet her."

My ears were ringing. Dadgummit Pino had to go and talk -- well it's my fault for picking Pino's.

"Well what do you think?" he asked.

"Wha...oh I'm so sorry Dr. Hunter I guess I'm a bit rattled," I choked out my words.

"Too bad you don't drink, I have some Courvoisier in my desk," he grinned his impish little boy grin, "Wouldn't that make it interesting?"

When we got to room 406 there was a gathering of academic eagles to include Lissia. My heart started pounding as she walked over to where Dr. Hunter and I were standing. She extended her hand to the much revered elder of the history department, "Dr. Hunter how are you doing. How is your lovely wife Estelle?"

He took her extended hand and kissed it, "Mademoiselle you are too beautiful for a handshake and too charming to be single."

"Dr. Hunter it's you who is too charming," she smiled. She turned her attention to me, "So Mr. Edwards I guess this is D-Day for you isn't it?" She winked and walked away.

Dr. Hunter looked at me, "Why is your face so red Steven...ohhh maybe this is the mystery woman." He was on to something he just didn't know how close he was...

LTC Calwell arrived on the minute, "Gentlemen, Mr. Edwards if you'll follow us in please?"

Dean Kaplan called everyone to order, "Okay the reason we're here is to give our decision to Mr. Steven Edwards for his request to continue as a BS -- MS student in the dual degree program here at the university. Mr. Edwards we'll introduce ourselves but you know most of us. We'll each ask you a few questions. After we've had a chance to inquire about you personally; we'll have you leave the room; we'll review our impressions among ourselves and then we'll decide if you will be accepted into the program. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

Each committee member introduced himself or herself and the questions started with Dr. Kaplan, "You're very well-dressed. You look like a frat-rat - do you need a scholarship?"

"Dean Kaplan I have worked very hard to be here at the university. I take anywhere from 19-21 semester hours each semester; I work three, four sometimes five part-time jobs just to pay for school. My Dad is retired Army who's dying of cancer, my Mom stays home to look after my Dad. The scholarship and the dual degree program will give me an academic advantage sooner rather than later to be productive in society and in the workplace," I answered.

Then sarcastically, "But an ROTC scholarship? You scored 1325 on your SAT and were valedictorian in high school -- why the military -- isn't that the place were people go who can't do anything else?"

"Some say that those who can - do and those who can't - teach. My Dad served to save this nation and the world from tyranny. As John Stuart Mill once wrote in "The Contest in America," for Fraser's Magazine, February 1862 that, "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." I stared at him as the room got deathly quiet, "Would you send your very best and strongest into battle or the second, third or fourth best if your very existence was hanging in the balance sir?" He nodded and looked to Dean Woolard.

"Steven if we allow you into this program which MS would you pursue and why?" he probed.

"The mathematics degree sir. Understanding history gives us some idea of what the future looks like because of how we act, think and work; given those parameters we can therefore model what our future may be in the economy, in health, in our ability to produce quality goods and services so it fits an entire range of disciples even to the point of actuarial sciences that allows us the strength of forecast ability," I told him.

"But why history?" he pushed it.

"The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is nothing new under the sun therefore what we fail to remember in our history we will very likely repeat as mistakes over and over again," I told him.

Dr. James Hall Hunter, Dr. John Quincy Martin, Dr. Adele Calvert and Dr. Rafael Quinones were professors of mine and when asked by the Deans what questions they had of me they deferred. Dr. Martin, raconteur and instigator of many heated discussions in the 'study of the American West' laughed, "Dean Kaplan the four of us have had the pleasure of Mr. Edwards as a student, he was never late to class, never absent, never misspelled a word, always participated actively in every discussion and was never satisfied with his work -- his restless enthusiasm to learn is only matched by his persistence in achievement -- I think most of us here have had their lawns mowed and hedges trimmed or barns cleaned out by Mr. Edwards who doesn't find it beneath his dignity to work hard to pay for his education and to get the best education he can. He will challenge you to think away from your normative and set a new baseline for teaching disciplined students."

I was watching Evie and Lissia who had yet to speak. Dr. Kaplan turned to Dr. Marshal, "So Dr. Marshal as a sociologist what do you have to ask Mr. Edwards?"

"Hello Mr. Edwards."

"Hello Dr. Marshal."

"Mr. Edwards how do you feel about racism?" she pushed it hard.

"Racism by definition is the presumptive superiority held in thought, word and deed, by one race in superiority to another. It is presumptive and self-righteous. God created us equally only God is superior," I calmly stated my case. She had thrown me a softball.

"So Mr. Edwards what is it when a white person acts out of hatred toward a colored person?" she pushed it again.

"It's bigotry Dr. Marshal. Hatred is a vile prejudice that is destroying our nation one ugly word or act at a time when we need to one Nation under God," I nodded.

"Mr. Edwards I'm Dr. Wright." She spoke brusquely.

"Good afternoon Dr. Wright," I smiled to her watching her eyes carefully.

"So you believe that you and I are peers?" she was going to be tricky.

"Not yet ma'am. Your peers are joining you in my review this afternoon. Maybe one day after I have earned a Ph.D. in mathematics I will be your peer ma'am. But what I am is yet to be determined and that's why this dual education is so important to me," I spoke plainly.

She smiled, her eyes crinkled at the corners. I could feel my heart warming as she smiled so softly to me, "Thank you Mr. Edwards."

I nodded, "It is my pleasure Dr. Wright." I could feel ten pairs of eyes on me. I felt very conspicuous as though everyone in the room knew how I felt about Lissia.

Dr. Kaplan interrupted my consciousness, "Mr. Edwards where do you get your wisdom?"

"I listen to my elders, I really don't have their wisdom yet sir," I answered.

"You quoted Mill precisely. Aren't you worried that if you go to war you'll be killed or maimed when there is so much work to do right here to right so many social wrongs?" Dr. Kaplan pushed his point.

"Dr. Kaplan our nation has allies, one of which is the government of South Vietnam, whom we have said that we will help. There are young men and women there whom the Bolsheviks do not want to succeed and be productive, learn at the university level, professors like yourselves whom they will murder, doctors, lawyers and religious leaders whose very existence is in jeopardy while we talk among ourselves. Your work is here righting the societal wrongs -- my work is preserving liberty sir wherever it is."

"They haven't known liberty..."

"All the more reason that they should then isn't it sir? Thomas Jefferson argued with John Adams during the Constitutional Convention, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots," I answered.

"It seems your professors of history have taught you to remember history Mr. Edwards. Thank you. If you'll step outside we'll discuss your circumstance and give you our decision," Dr. Kaplan concluded.

I stood, "Thank you Doctors and colonel."

I found a bench down the corridor and took a seat wondering where this was going. They talked for a while about thirty minutes when finally Dr. Hunter came out to get me, "Steven," he waved to me to come to him. He took my arm and patted me on the back.

Lissia's beautiful smile was the first thing I saw, I didn't care what happened at that point, my heart just melted as I fumbled my way to my seat while she dropped her eyes so as not to give herself away.

"Mr. Edwards it wasn't unanimous that you be granted a dual degree opportunity. I don't like sending young men to war so I voted against it but I was outvoted. Clearly you're a great student, well-read and not without courage under close scrutiny. You're approved for the program but it is conditional on your G.R.E. scores. Understood?"

I was ecstatic, "Yes sir. I'm scheduled for the G.R.E. in two weeks sir."

"This review is adjourned," declared Dr. Kaplan. He came over and shook my hand as did the other professors and my new commander. Evie and Lissia came over , Lissia was beaming as she held her hand to me, "Congratulations Mr. Edwards you are a very impressive young man and such a credit to your parents." Evie rolled her eyes and Dr. Hunter whispered, "I'm right aren't I?"

I walked out with him, "Steven if I had a son in the Army I would want him to serve in your command. Dr. Wright is a beautiful woman isn't she Steven?"

"Yes sir she is," I confessed.

"You've never lied to me have you Steven?"

"No sir and I don't intend to," I admitted.

"I won't ask you if Dr. Wright is your girlfriend but I am very perceptive and she was watching you with a lover's eyes. I've never know her to be so charitable to an undergrad. If she's not your woman she surely should be son," he patted my back and walked away.

My brain was exhausted and I still had work to do. I heard voices behind me and the familiar clicking of heels and then, "Mr. Edwards?" My heart froze. This time it was different I wasn't worried about another verbal attack I really wanted to feel Lissia's arms around me and I wanted to hold her.

I turned around, "Yes Dr. Wright?"

Evie was with her as they got closer I could see the devilish look in Evie's eyes, "I think Dr. Wright need her grass cut." She cackled and walked away just howling.

Lissia was radiant, "Oh Steven you were so wonderful in there. You handled Dr. Kaplan like a parent handles an obstreperous child." She was standing as closely as she dared, whispering, "Can you come over this afternoon?"

You could cut the heartbeats in mid air our desire for one another was so powerful and provocative, "What time?"

"I'm leaving now," she stated quickly.

"I need to get my things from the carrel. I'll be right behind you," I told her.

"Not too long baby...okay?" Her words were so softly spoken they felt like a lingering kiss.