November 15, 2008

Louis Masur is a celebrated historian at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. His most recent book is Soiling Old Glory: The Story of a Photograph that Shocked America. He writes to say that he just finished teaching Watching the World Change to Trinity students:

“Taught your book again this past week -- even better the second time. We went two hours and still had more to say. With twenty minutes to go, I asked them to consider your book as a memoir, and that launched an engaging discussion of the personal and analytical, the autobiographical and historical.

"My students are all doing wonderful projects, and I've sent a number of them scurrying into Civil Rights photography, which cries out for a definitive treatment. I gave them [David] Margolick's piece on Will Counts' Eckford photograph [“Through a Lens, Darkly” from VanityFair.com, about the famous 1957 Little Rock high school photograph] as well as the work of Charles Moore and James Karales.


“…Anyhow, just thought in this season of glorious political renewal I'd say hi and let you know that I'll be teaching Watching the World Change for years to come.”