Clark University - Clark News spring 2005
The company we keep
(spring 2005)
Richard Traina's book reviewed in the T&G
In a new book, President Emeritus Richard P. Traina showcases the remarkable Clark people who have changed our understanding of the world
A new book by Clark President Emeritus Richard P. Traina celebrates the University's tradition of cultivating innovative thinkers through a series of biographical essays and photographs. "Changing the World: Clark University's Pioneering People, 1887-2000," features the giants of the University's history who built Clark's reputation for challenging conventional wisdom and changing our understanding of the world.
The book includes profiles of such well-known Clark figures as G. Stanley Hall, Robert Goddard, Albert Michelson and Gregory Pincus, along with essays about some perhaps lesser-known but equally transformative individuals including: Miriam Van Waters, who led the reform of prisons and reformatories in the early 20th century; Margaret Morse Nice, who became one of the world's leading ornithologists and one of the founders of ethology; and Arnold Gesell, who so advanced our understanding of child development.
Elaine Cinelli, Clark's vice president for Public Affairs, recently spoke with President Traina about the book.
EC: You began talking about a book like this before you retired as president, what made you think that a book of this type would be worth the time and effort? In other words, why did you decide to write this book?
Traina: During my 16-year tenure as president, and my career as a historian, I learned more and more about the history of the University. When I studied American cultural history at the University of California at Berkeley more than 40 years ago, Clark was a topic of study for me, known then as a liberating or new breed university. So I arrived at Clark somewhat aware of its special place in higher- education history.
What became increasingly clear as I was here longer is that the pioneering spirit, the challenging convention character of Clark was no accident. The University began with that spirit, and it has endured. There have been many faculty members and alumni who have not only borne the spirit but who changed the way we see the world or the conditions under which we live. Toward the end of my presidency, when I began to speak to alumni and friends about these biographies, the response was extremely positive. I thought that by writing this book, I could help Clark alumni, faculty and students see that our pioneering spirit is grounded in our historical reality.
EC: How did you decide whom to include in the book? What criteria did you use for evaluating their work? Are there others you could have included?
Traina: Some people in the book essentially chose themselves—like Boas, Michelson, Goddard, and Pincus. But the names of other significant figures are not part of general cultural knowledge—like Carroll Davidson Wright, John Elderkin Bell, or Floyd Abner Ramsdell. My measure in every case was: did this person change the way we see the world or the conditions under which we live? The epilogue refers to many people about whom individual essays might have been written, and identifies others who might yet prove to be of considerable importance. I think I was being conservative in writing only 21 biographical essays.
EC: In the course of researching and writing the book, what did you discover that came as the biggest surprise to you?
Traina: The biggest and most gratifying surprise was the regularity with which experts in the widely varying fields referred to the people about whom I was writing as "pioneers"—using precisely that word. I was constantly struck by the significant impact people from this small university community have had in the world. The biggest challenge for me, and perhaps the main reason for taking so long to finish the book, concerned the great variety of fields about which I had to learn far more than I imagined I would, from child development to film criticism, from chemistry to sociology. Of course, that was a great personal benefit for me as well.
EC: Finally, and perhaps most importantly, what do you want your readers to take away from this work?
Traina: That's easy. I am hoping that a better understanding of Clark's exceptional pioneering tradition will ensure its continuity. It should be a major point of pride for everyone associated with Clark.
"Changing the World: Clark University's Pioneering People, 1887-2000," is now available from Clark's online store at www.clarku.edu/clarkstore. Traina will also give a lecture and book signing during Reunion weekend, May 20-22. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to scholarships for Clark students.
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