Research Papers
"An Interview with": John W. Williams
What do you do?
I am an assistant professor at Principia College. I teach in both the Political Science and the Mass Communication departments. Over the 16 years I have worked at Principia, I have served in a number of capacities, including being chair of both departments, head of the Social Science Unit, and head of college's assessment activities.
Tell us a little about your childhood.
I was born near Heidelberg, Germany, where my parents were stationed during the occupation of Germany following the Second World War. I went to intermediate school (1963-1965) in New Delhi, India, where my father was Assistant Army Attache with the U.S. Embassy. One of the coolest trips was when my mother and I flew to Nepal in 1964.
I went to junior and senior high school (1967-1972) in Bangkok, Thailand, where my father was a senior advisor to the Royal Thai Army. We traveled all over Asia, including Malaysia, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Laos, India, and Japan.
What was one of your favorite activities growing up?
Being a Boy Scout. I was a member of the Bharat Scouts (of India), the Thai Boy Scouts, and the Boy Scouts of America. I went to four national jamborees--two in India, one in Japan, and one in the United States. My father was very proud when I earned my Eagle Scout award. However, it was the hiking, camping and traveling that was the most fun. We would spend 30 day each year outdoors, usually in the back country of Thailand.
Do you have any favorite sports?
Well, my favorite grown-up sport is American politics. Here are some of my contests:
Campaign manager for Jersey County Circuit Judge, Primary - won
Campaign manager for Jersey County Circuit Judge, General - won
Campaign manager for Mayor of Godfrey - won
Campaign co-manager for Mayor of Godfrey - won
Campaign manager for Mayor of Alton - lost
Campaign advisor for Mayor of Alton - won
Campaign advisor for State's Attorney - won
I love my country and I love participating in its activities. Most of all, I enjoy when communities come together - a parade, a fair, a cookout, a festival, a fund-raising event.
What is your favorite job?
My favorite job is teaching. I have taught, among other things, Macroeconomics, Law (business law, constitutional law, international law, legal process), Mass communications (news writing, introduction to mass comm), International relations and comparative politics (such as Russian and Asian politics), Political science (especially in American government), History (China, Vietnam), and Sociology (peace studies). I would like to learn to teach comparative religions.
Do you like to travel?
I sure do. I like to travel, particularly in Asia. Here are some of the trips I have taken recently:
China - 1987, 1993, 1995, 1996 (twice), 1998
Tibet - 1993, 1996 (twice)
Xinjiang - 1996 (twice)
Hong Kong - 1987, 1993, 1994, 1998
Vietnam - 1992, 1993 (twice), 1994, 1998
Cambodia - 1992
Laos - 1992
Thailand - 1992
Mongolia - 1995, 1996, 1998
I have also traveled to Russia and Hungary in recent years.
Who is your best friend?
My best friend is Judy Blackburn. I first met her in 1975 after I came back from a trip to Southeast Asia. She is from Texas. We have been married for nearly 22 years.
What are some of your favorite things in China and Mongolia?
My favorite "things" can be captured in the feeling of being on-location. Here are just a few of them.
standing in a quiet corner of the Forbidden City, imaging life under the emperors
listening with awe to the reverberations of the cannons in Tienanmien Square when a visiting head of state is greeted
gazing at the exquisite beauty in the colors and shapes of the Temple of Heaven
wandering the silent cavern which used to be the secret airbase and is now the national aviation museum, filled with famous aicraft
fingering the textures of Peking opera costumes in antique shops
welcoming the cherry blossoms of a Beijing spring
wandering the department stores, looking for curiosities, such a mismarked Matchbox toys
hearing horses long before they come into view across the Mongolian steppes
soaking up the crisp colors in the bright Mongolian sunlight
at the zoo, watching the parents of Beijing love their children
the best cashew chicken in the world, at Beijing Polytechnic University (also the corn and pine nuts, and the Sichuan beef, and the....)
listening to Mongolian throat-singing (also the classical orchestra of the drama theater)
riding, hesitantly, Mongolian ponies across the rugged hills
walking the Moslem quarter of Xian, living the history of the Sillk Road
standing on the Great Wall (on the road to Chengde) as the sun rises
enjoying the comfort of the soft sleeper train
kneeling to catch the light and angles of the stupas of Karakorum
seeing five hundred years of history in the face of a Mongolian friend
being dumbfounded when a monk's only words of English are "Michael Jordan"
as the sun rises on a chilly fresh spring day, sitting on a hilltop in Chengde, watching my students on a distant hill as they climb "baseball bat rock"
having a "Walls" ice cream bar...anywhere in China
The secret, I think, is willingness to let yourself be moved. When the temperature and humidity are just right, at home, I vividly remember specific times and places in my childhood. I can remember the very moment when I grasped the beauty and ultimate peace of our world. It was not at particularly beautiful spot - only a hot and dusty gravel road in rural Thailand - but it was a moment of awe. I wish lots of these moments for you.
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