Post on 01-Jan-2016
transcript
Janet and Aldo were in Philadelphia, for the first
time.
We went for the annual convention of the American
Sociological Association. It was their centennial, and we figured we might not be
around for the next ..
Both of us together attended only a small number of sessions. The opening plenary was conducted by the very dignified ASA President, Troy Duster.
Its focus topic was the Tsunami and its impact on the peace in Aceh, Indonesia. Some of Aldo’s colleagues had worked there in relief logistics, but this was the first sociological account we heard.
While Aldo was
captive session
after session to
dimly lit hotel
rooms, Janet
savored the city’s
rich museums
and murals.
Just as Philadelphia instigated the development of black sociology – W.E.B. DuBois wrote “The Philadelphia Negro” here - , it recognized black artists earlier than elsewhere.
[See painting next slide]
There were several other
famous paintings on
show, including one that
appears time and again in
medical history books, and also
some creative works in other
categories of art – sculpture,
glass, even this rattan chair
filled with an exotic fan.
The Centennial filled me with pride for the sociological
profession. But I turned very
emotional when, in a technical
workshop, I found it was taught by
the son of my Ph.D. supervisor of 20 years back, then in Germany.
Here was this young man, whom
I had known as a toddler, brilliant
like his late father!
My first time on the “spouse track” at a conference gave me an opportunity to try out my “new hair” and new stamina. My pedometer registered 14,000 steps or so per day, and I was filled with gratitude for my returning health and growing confidence in the future.