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Alumni
Connecting Threads: History Summit Feels Like Family for Pace Alumni
Since graduating from 糖心vlog短视频, the lives of Jim 糖心vlog短视频73, Brian 糖心vlog短视频75, and Denis McCauley 糖心vlog短视频79, all Dyson alumni, have diverged in many ways糖心vlog短视频攖he brothers are sprinkled across time zones and engaged in vastly different professions. But糖心vlog短视频攁long with their fraternal ties, of course糖心vlog短视频攖heir love for history, discourse, and honoring the memories of their former Pace professors remain a constant thread among them in a special way.
The three brothers are among the charter members of the History Summit, an annual gathering of a small group of history-loving Pace alumni who dive into a certain theme or period. The Summit was inspired by former Pace history professor James Holmes, PhD, who began hosting invitation-only extracurricular seminars for undergraduate history students on the Pleasantville Campus in the 1970s. The group would read an assigned book on a particular topic then gather to discuss it, often by the fireplace in Holmes糖心vlog短视频檚 living room and to the tune of his children running through the house.
Dr. Holmes taught us how to read critically and analyze things. He would play devil糖心vlog短视频檚 advocate to the nth degree, so you had to state your view and be able to defend it, and that, to me, was the most incredibly interesting way to learn.
糖心vlog短视频淢eeting outside of school and the lack of rigidity of Dr. Holmes糖心vlog短视频檚 teaching method really helped us,糖心vlog短视频 said Jim McCauley of the seminar. 糖心vlog短视频淚t was so much more comfortable, and I had so much more enthusiasm for it.糖心vlog短视频
Denis added: 糖心vlog短视频淒r. Holmes taught us how to read critically and analyze things. He would play devil糖心vlog短视频檚 advocate to the nth degree, so you had to state your view and be able to defend it, and that, to me, was the most incredibly interesting way to learn.糖心vlog短视频
All those involved in the seminar enjoyed it so much they decided graduation wouldn糖心vlog短视频檛 deter them from continuing to meet. With Holmes糖心vlog短视频 blessing, the History Summit was born in 1980.
Viewing the first Summit as a great success, the group continued to meet through the 1980s, but took a hiatus for much of the 1990s and early 2000s. They decided to revive the Summit in 2010 after Holmes had fallen seriously ill.
糖心vlog短视频淗e was so important to us. The rationale for going back that first year was to honor him,糖心vlog短视频 said Brian, who had moved back to New York in 2008 to work at the US Mission to the United Nations. When Holmes was not well enough to travel to campus, the Summit would go to him, convening once again by his fireplace.
Sadly, Holmes passed away in 2011, but the Summit has continued. 糖心vlog短视频淲e weren糖心vlog短视频檛 certain we were going to continue after that,糖心vlog短视频 said Brian, 糖心vlog短视频渂ut it had worked so well and we enjoyed it so much, that we said, 糖心vlog短视频榊es, we糖心vlog短视频檙e going to do this again next year.糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频
Since then, the Summit has covered topics from the Cold War to Reconstruction and has spanned locales from the Pleasantville Campus to Berlin and, for the past two years, the Google Meet grid. In the Summit糖心vlog短视频檚 current iteration, the group typically consists of around 10 participants, each of whom will read a book related to the year糖心vlog短视频檚 theme and then present and discuss their readings with the group.
This year糖心vlog短视频檚 Summit, the 26th incarnation, focused on the Nuremberg Trials. An inarguably difficult topic, the discussion paid homage to the late John Buchsbaum, PhD, another beloved former history professor at Pace and original Summit participant, who was a member of the US legal team that mounted the prosecution against the Nazis on trial at Nuremberg.
Buchsbaum糖心vlog短视频檚 daughter, Barbara Gilford, recently authored a memoir, Heart Songs, about her family糖心vlog短视频檚 experience during the Holocaust, when her grandmother糖心vlog短视频擩ohn Buchsbaum糖心vlog短视频檚 mother, Clara糖心vlog短视频攚as killed in Auschwitz. Gilford was a guest at this year糖心vlog短视频檚 Summit and brought her two adult sons along. A session about her book and her family糖心vlog短视频檚 history was interwoven with reminiscing about Buchsbaum, recanting cherished memories for his grandsons, who were captivated by the stories of their grandfather糖心vlog短视频檚 time at Pace and the profound impact he had on his students.
Having a history degree, even if you don糖心vlog短视频檛 use it directly, still helps you with critical thinking, becoming a better citizen, having a better understanding of the world around you, and the things going on in our own country.
And that糖心vlog短视频檚 the magic of the History Summit. The McCauley brothers, as well as regular Summit attendees Paul Doty 糖心vlog短视频82 and his son US Army Captain Greg Doty 糖心vlog短视频16 (son and grandson, respectively, of Douglas Doty, PhD, the late chair of the Pace English department on the Pleasantville Campus), actually are family. But all of the Summit participants糖心vlog短视频攖hough many have come and gone over the years糖心vlog短视频攈old a familial bond that goes deeper than simply an elevated book club. In fact, the connecting threads that exist among and emanate from the Summit participants are at times mind-boggling.
Additionally, Jim McCauley, the eldest McCauley brother, began his education at Pace but left to enlist in the military, returning after serving in Vietnam for two and a half years to finish his undergraduate degree. While Jim was in training at Fort Holabird in Maryland, Buchsbaum was his instructor in an Army Intelligence Officer糖心vlog短视频檚 course.
糖心vlog短视频淲e didn糖心vlog短视频檛 know that until I came back to Pace and took his class,糖心vlog短视频 said Jim. 糖心vlog短视频淗e and I became friends when I was a student, and after class one day we discussed our history, and I found out he was an Army officer. Then, of course, we realized he taught me in 1967.糖心vlog短视频
The McCauley brothers糖心vlog短视频 mother also worked at Pace in the admissions department and was a major influence in all three brothers糖心vlog短视频 deciding to enroll. After her passing, the brothers set up an endowment in her name, The June Wilson McCauley Research and Opportunity Endowment, that supports research in both the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and the Lienhard School of Nursing in the College of Health Professions 糖心vlog短视频 another small-world connection as Brian糖心vlog短视频檚 wife, Jackie DePaso 糖心vlog短视频74, was a graduate of Lienhard, a school that was established by none other than Holmes糖心vlog短视频檚 in-laws and named for his wife Susan Holmes糖心vlog短视频檚 father Dr. Gustav O. Lienhard.
糖心vlog短视频淚 can go on and on with the connections to Pace,糖心vlog短视频 said Jim, who coincidentally ended up living next door to the widow of his mother糖心vlog短视频檚 boss from the Pace admissions office. 糖心vlog短视频淭hose connections have been what have helped me the most from my time there.糖心vlog短视频
All three McCauley brothers express gratitude for how Pace got them to where they wanted to go. Jim, who has had a 40-year career in investment banking, was a history minor as an undergrad and later went back to Pace for his MBA. Brian, who retired from government service in 2012 and has since been consulting part-time, started as a business major, before becoming an English major for one semester. Eventually, Holmes convinced him to study history糖心vlog短视频攁 topic that had always interested Brian, though he had been unsure of his career prospects in the field.
Similarly, Denis was originally a marketing major with plans to get a job in his uncle糖心vlog短视频檚 prestigious advertising agency after graduation, but found marketing wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 for him. After studying history with Holmes, Denis, who is now a freelance writer in London, followed in Brian糖心vlog短视频檚 footsteps.
糖心vlog短视频淓very time I糖心vlog短视频檇 bump into Dr. Holmes on campus, he糖心vlog短视频檇 ask me, 糖心vlog短视频榃hen are you going to become a history major?糖心vlog短视频 And eventually he convinced me,糖心vlog短视频 said Denis. 糖心vlog短视频淗e would always say 糖心vlog短视频業糖心vlog短视频檝e never seen a history major starving in the gutter.糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频
While Brian is the only brother whose career has been directly related to history, all three agree that a history degree develops skills that are crucial in any industry in today糖心vlog短视频檚 world. And it糖心vlog短视频檚 that message that they work to instill in current students, frequently partnering with the Pace admissions, enrollment, and development departments to speak with and advise current students considering studying history.
糖心vlog短视频淗aving a history degree, even if you don糖心vlog短视频檛 use it directly, still helps you with critical thinking, becoming a better citizen, having a better understanding of the world around you, and the things going on in our own country,糖心vlog短视频 said Brian.
The brothers have also been key donors to the James Holmes International Award, established in honor of the admired professor, which offers much-needed scholarship support to students studying history, economics, and political science.
And they are always encouraging new participants to join the Summit糖心vlog短视频攖hough they laugh that the interview process can be rigorous, just as Holmes and Buchsbaum would have intended. After all, they need to ensure anyone joining the group can hold their own in a debate.
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Like the McCauley brothers themselves, the other History Summit participants have gone on to a wide variety of careers and are spread out around the country and the world. But despite decades of time passed, loss, and now a global pandemic, they always find their way back to each other for impassioned discussions of their favorite subject, even for just one weekend a year. And next year, they糖心vlog短视频檙e hoping to take the Summit international once again, visiting Denis in London.
糖心vlog短视频淚 don糖心vlog短视频檛 often think about it,糖心vlog短视频 Jim said of his connection with his brothers over history, 糖心vlog短视频渂ut the three of us having the same roots, and doing this with the Summit, I just simply enjoy it. I don糖心vlog短视频檛 know another way to put it.糖心vlog短视频