On Friday, April 28, I had really nothing planned in particular. But sometimes unplanned days are the best of them all. I woke up early enough to catch a class. Yes, two years removed from college and I’m making it a point to wake up for a class. I know how odd that must sound. Josh and his wife had to head about 30 minutes towards Kansas City, so his friend Seth, a colleague at Signs of Life Bookstore accompanied me to a class they had been telling me about.
The class is taught by a female English professor and the entire semester is on the works of C.S. Lewis. This professor has been teaching this class for years, and apparently it’s one of the most popular classes on campus. Seth had sat in on this class before and when we walked in several other students said, “hey Seth.” Apparently these students frequent Signs of Life bookstore because Seth is about my age and never graduated from college or attended KU. He and his wife are expecting their first child as well in the next few months.
Anyway, the CS Lewis class was excellent. We spent about 50 minutes discussing a chapter from Lewis’ The Abolition of Man. I had read this book about 2 years ago, and it is superb. This class discussion reminded me that I really should read it again, because after two years at ISI, I would probably get even more out of this book now.
Once class was over, we went to meet an ISI Faculty Associate in the political science department. Apparently this professor gives lectures on Eric Voeglin and Russell Kirk, not just in class, but also at the Signs of Life bookstore! We got into some really interesting discussions for about 30 or 40 minutes and he told me that, based on some of my interests and some of my more recent ideas about this notion of “progress”, I should definitely read some Voeglin. (note to self)
Once this meeting was over, Seth and I headed to the student union so that I could buy myself a KU bumper stickers and postcard (my tradition for the past year when I visit campuses) and also so we could grab a bite to eat. My mind was being stimulated all day long as Seth and I got into great discussions which stemmed from the CS Lewis class to the meeting with the political science professor to our conversations on the ideas of Tom Wolfe’s book about the current social status on college campuses, I Am Charlotte Simmons.
Seth then took me over to see the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, which is on the KU campus. It’s almost like a mini-presidential library for a guy who was never President (but perhaps should have been). When we walked in and started looking at the museum (which walks you through Dole’s life), a man greeted us and told us he was the Director of the Institute. Somewhere along the line, Seth told him I was a “big fan of Bob Dole” and that I was in town representing the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. His mouth dropped. He said he was a member of ISI in the 1970s while a student at Vanderbilt University. We got to talking.
Seth and I told him all about Signs of Life bookstore, the CS Lewis class and the political sciene professor. His response: “I’ve lived in Lawrence for several years now and I didn’t know there were any other conservatives – you seem to have found them all in one day. ” Yes, welcome to the world of the ISI missionary. Somehow I find the remants of conservatism and connect them. He told us all about the Dole Institute and said we could bring in ISI lectures and debates and use the setting of the building as a host site anytime. We sat down with him in his office for about 30 minutes and then spent nearly another hour touring the museum and learning more about Bob Dole’s extraordinary life.
After we left the KU campus, we stopped into 2 bookstores on Massachussetts Street in downtown Lawrence. The first was an anarchist bookstore (I forget the name, but it smelled). I think the smell made me queezy. Then we went over to another bookstore (I think it’s called “Vagabonds”). It had lots of rare books and I found two to go home with. The first was a “first print edition” of Witness by Whittaker Chambers. WOW! Then, I found the 1899 Census of Cuba put together and printed by the US Military government in 1900. WOW! Altogether, I spent $32 between the two of them. Rare finds in Kansas, and these were things that suited my interests completely. Then again, I guess the whole day was a bunch of rare finds.
I have to be completely in debt to Seth for spending his entire Friday with me and taking me around town. His generosity demonstrates the absolute kindness and friendliness of the people of Kansas.
Later that evening, after dinner with Josh, Carol, and two of their friends, Josh and I drove about 30 minutes east to Overland Park to see Maggie Mosher. Maggie was a recipient of an ISI Simon Fellowship the year before and her and I had reacquainted briefly in Indianapolis. When I saw here there, I had remembered that she lived in Kansas and told her I’d be out there the next week. Josh, Maggie, and I spent several hours talking. Josh received an honorable mention in this year’s Simon Fellowship award, so it was great to introduce them. These are truly great people and I am simply honored to be in their presence. Once again, rare finds. The day seemed to have a theme. Some days you wake up not knowing what to expect and by the end of the day, you are simply truly amazed. And, you feel truly blessed.