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| Mary Lethert Wingerd |
I would guess the July 12 event has a good chance of getting the
room filled. Let's welcome Mary Lethert Wingerd who is on the faculty of
my alma mater: St. Cloud State University.
Good ol' SCSU has been in a "re-branding" phase. The frivolous
reputation (with partying) that I have alluded to from time to time is
being stomped out like a fading campfire. They've canceled Homecoming.
That seems drastic. But it only shows the resolve of President Earl H.
Potter III.
The St. Cloud State faculty includes Tony Hansen, a Morris High
graduate two years older than me. One of Tony's old compatriots is Del
Sarlette of Sarlettes Music. Another is Neil Thielke of Morris Community
Church. That class recently lost one of its members: Doug Pedersen.
Us boomers are getting grayer and we're in denial about having to
relinquish our influence to a younger generation. Just keep AARP strong.
Mary Wingerd has a Ph.D. from Duke University. She is the recipient
of the Minnesota Book Award for "North Country: the making of
Minnesota." She is associate professor of history at SCSU. Her office is
in Stewart Hall which was the home to mass communications, my major
when I traipsed across campus. The classrooms had manual typewriters.
Devices that allowed you to view your writing on a screen were just
getting introduced when I concluded my studies.
I could never have guessed how rapid the pace of change in
communications tech was going to be. After all those generations of 35mm
cameras, including such things as auto-focus, we're told to scrap all
that and start over with digital. Doesn't obsolescence stretch the
checkbook?
St. Cloud State still has a mass communications major. I'm sure
it's one of the "softer" majors. But hey, you get out of it what you put
into it.
Tony Hansen teaches meteorology. I'm sure that's demanding. I
wonder if he considers "climate change" a "hot potato" issue or if he
could share candidly about it. Somehow we're being made to think about
this in our torrid summer of 2012.
I have always felt a little uncomfortable hearing the belittling
comments from advocates of UMM toward institutions like St. Cloud State.
It's as if SCSU has a sort of "mongrel" quality - not as elite or
demanding. I would discourage such talk.
The State of Minnesota owns these state university campuses just
like it does the U of M. The State wants the public to be proud of all
of them. They may not be carbon copies of each other. But they all have a
role. It wouldn't be hard to put together a roster of outstanding
people who are products of St. Cloud State.
Legend has it the SCSU party image grew out of minor incidents at
one time that set the stage for non-students piling in and making
matters far worse than they otherwise would be. I'm sure President
Potter has worked with state officials to ameliorate this situation by
whatever means are needed.
The state wants SCSU to be a jewel in the same way our UMM is a
"jewel in the crown." Ultimately a college campus is just physical
property. The state can adjust the purpose for that property as it sees
fit. We saw that here in Morris when the old WCSA gave way to the
liberal arts UMM.
I now see the liberal arts threatened by the democratization of
information brought on by tech. But UMM might sail through those shoals
just fine. We'll see.
I wish SCSU well if for no other reason than it's at the geographic
center of Minnesota. It's attractive for a great many young people. St.
Cloud is a relatively large city with amenities. No need for a "movie
co-op" there. (Ouch!) I hope author Wingerd likes it there. Sometimes I
wonder if academic people really have their heart in their communities. I
think it's sad when they don't. You only live once and you might as
well like where you are.
Wingerd has written what has been called "a revisionist take on
early Minnesota history." Her "North Country" book "describes nearly two
centuries of cooperation, accommodation and peace among disparate
parties." More: "It probes the complex origins of Minnesota and the
relationships between indigenous peoples and European settlers."
Continuing, it probes "truths about Minnesota's formative years, truths
that have often been ignored in favor of legend and a far more benign
narrative of immigration, settlement and cultural exchange."
Wingerd's talk is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, at
the Morris Public Library. Chief Librarian Melissa Yauk would enjoy
seeing the room filled!
I'll be there. Shoot a wave, maybe.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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