Today's schedule was different in that our meeting was held on Capitol Hill. Today was the annual meeting of the James Madison Memorial Foundation's Board Meeting. The Board, co-chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), is made up of distinguished judges and university professors. We met in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, in a large hearing room. After some pictures with the Board, we got a chance to offer our thoughts and questions on the Foundation, the Fellowship, and civic education in general. They were truly thrilled to hear what we had to say.
Everyone in the Fellowship has a love for what we are studying. I get excited talking about Constitutional Theory. Until this institute however, my thoughts about the Fellowship were centered around an ulterior motive. In North Carolina, currently the only way I will get a raise in my paycheck is to attain my Masters Degree. In a sense, I see this Fellowship as a means to an end. It was only when I arrived on campus and met this great group of teachers and friends that I truly began to see this for more than that. But it was today that it became very personal. I heard other Fellows thank the Board for the opportunity to engage themselves in the program. We heard Jim discuss how he was the first in his family to graduate from college, and this fellowship has allowed him to continue his education. We heard from several who are sacrificing much more than I am through this program. Many of them are studying at Ashland University, spending summers a week or more at a time to get their credits because they have no university close by that they can study the constitutional history as they want. Today, the impact of this program hit me with such force as to render me speechless.
I have had many of my colleagues share with me that they like this blog. A couple have said that it articulated what they were thinking about the experience. Some say they have shared the link with family and friends to keep them updated. If the comments are true, they are greatly appreciated. If they are just saying it to be nice, I will take that too.
Today, I say thanks to all of them for showing and articulating for me the importance and impact of this program. I cherish that as much as any knowledge and friendship I will leave here with.
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Following the meeting and our lecture on Religion during the Revolutionary time period, I decided to pop into my Senator's office with the slightest hope that she might be in and I could take a quick minute to meet her. I did not contact Representative Kissell, Senator Hagan or Senator Burr prior to the trip, mainly because I was not exactly sure of the schedule that we would be keeping. I am kicking myself for not even trying. I did send emails this past Monday, but with their busy schedules and a week off next week, I'm not holding my breath. But today, as we walked to the meeting room, I walked past Senator Hagan's office, and decided that I would just try. It never hurts to ask. When I went to her office, I explained to one of the staffers, and was told she was in a meeting. He told me to stop back by later if I wanted, and there may be an opportunity. So after indulging my sweet tea craving at a Bojangles in Union Station and taking a stroll across the Capitol grounds, I headed back to Hagan's office. Unfortunately, I did not get to see her, as she was heading to the Capitol. I thanked them, and then headed to the Russell Building to see if Senator Burr was in. I struck out there too, although I did walk by Senator John Kerry's office, who is right beside Burr. His office is immaculate. I then made my way to the Metro back to DuPont Circle. This morning as we headed to the Metro from Georgetown, I realized how close we were to Embassy Row. So I decided to walk from DuPont Circle. Embassy Row is a great place to walk or drive through. I saw the Embassies for Turkey, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Niger, Madagascar, South Korea, among others. I resisted the urge to walk into each one so that I could say I was officially on foreign territory. About 40 minutes later I arrived back to the room to rest and change. I was just getting settled in to start back on my paper when the fire alarm went off. I just wanted to stay in my room, but I thought I'd better be on the safe side, so I headed down the stairs and out of the building. Apparently some kid pulled the alarm on the 4th floor, inconveniencing the rest of us. So the day has been go-go-go.
Fortunately, I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on this paper. Mainly some editing and rewording left, maybe some rewriting depending on what Dr. Dreisbach thinks of the paper.
MEET THE FELLOWS: Steve Cromack is a Junior Fellow from Boston, Massachusetts. He is a student at Boston College University, and among the smartest people I know. His ability to talk about any number of subjects without making you think he is a know-it-all is a valuable tool. He told us that his perfect schedule once he is in the classroom would include 4 different preps. Many of us have tried to talk him out of it based on the practicality and our experiences. But talking to him has made me realized how much of a realist/cynic I have become in the last seven years. The excitement I see in him reminds me of my first year. I hope he keeps that spirit, and infects his students with that same passion.
TOMORROW: Normal class and finalizing the paper. Then hopefully some stress free relaxation.
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