Some of you may remember Steve from my April Fool’s joke last year. While he did not write my novels, he is in fact a historian and has written a doctoral dissertation, which looks at American’s relationship to China through the lens of the missionaries serving there in the 1950s. With permission, here’s an excerpt from it.
Mary Reed Dewar was preparing to speak to an assembly of high school students in Boston about her years in China. It was 1952 and the fear of Communism was palpable. It was her first speaking experience after spending three years under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). To make a good impression, she bought a new dress and had her hair done. Slightly nervous, she arrived at the school auditorium early. While waiting there, the usually outgoing missionary engaged some of the students in conversation. The students were surprised by her healthy and well-groomed appearance, apparently expecting someone either emaciated or wearing rags. Dewar, who by her own description was “stout”, hardly fit the bill. They pressed her to describe the hardships she experienced under the Communists, only to find that life, by her account, was not that bad. Although she disagreed with the CCP on a lot of issues, she thought life in China was better there than it had been under the Nationalist regime of Christian leader Chiang Kai-Shek. One of the school administrators walked in on the middle of this conversation and was aghast at her words. After asking Dewar to clarify her position, he canceled her speech.
My little brother, who has been taller than me since we were in high school, has just successfully defended that dissertation. Please give a hearty congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Stephen Kennedy Harrison.
I am very proud of him.
Very, very proud.
Congratulations to Dr. Harrison! And to his family as well!
Ooh, a fresh doctorate. It smells like poverty, passion, and annotated bibliographies.
Congratulations to The Doctor (which I assume will be Mary’s sole method of address from here forward), and I hope it leads to precisely the kind of appointment he enjoys.
He is, in fact, moving to Hong Kong next month to teach history at a university there.
Then I suppose there’s a touch of the bittersweet to the joyous event. Or, perhaps, you have a tremendous opportunity to visit HK.
Congratulations, Dr. Harrison!! Very well done!
Congratulations!
Congratulations…Doctor!
For many years, I considered going for a Ph.D. The further I got in academics, the more I realized just how tough it would be to take that step. I have a true respect for what you’ve accomplished. Wear your new title with pride.
On top of that, the dissertation actually looks like it would be fun to read. Nice work, and congratulations!
We need both My Favorite Bit and The Big Idea from Dr. H! Before he gets busy teaching and eating in HK.
Congratulations!
Congratulations, sir! You’ve accomplished that which I once deeply desired, until reality struck. Getting a doctorate? Ugh. That sounds like it takes discipline and intelligence and stuff. Phew!
Good thing there’s still room in America for the lowbrow! Anyway, now that you have a ton of free time, I’ve asked Mary to share her copy of The Broken Eye with you… just as soon as it comes out in the stores.
But seriously, congratulations.
Brent
A doctorate and a posting! How utterly cool. Congratulations to your brother and cheers to your family!
-SL
Congratulations, Doctor! (And your dissertation does sound like it would be an interesting read — no small feat, that.)
I suggest you get business cards that just say, “The Doctor.”
Then when people are confused by this, they’ll flip over the card and on the other side it would say, “It’s just the Doctor.”
Congratulations.
Congratulations, Doc Harrison! (I call all PhDs “Doc”)
Honor to you, Stephen of Harrison — and your House!
Congratulations! As someone who is close to wrapping up coursework and is eyeing my dissertation work approaching on the horizon, it’s a nice reminder to see that people do make it to the other side. Excellent work!!
Congratulations. Will the dissertation be published/ available to read? Can you tell us the title? My grandparents were missionaries in Korea and all the missionary kids (including my mother) from Korea and China went to boarding school together (In Pyongyang!) so I would really like to read this.
Congratulations! Well done! It sounds like a very interesting topic. Mary, ;let us know when he publishes it as a book so I can pick up a copy!
Thank you for all the congratulations! They are very much appreciated. I should actually be thanking you, because I recognize several authors who gave me something interesting and fun to read when I simply couldn’t look at history anymore. Fiction kept me sane while grad school was driving me crazy. Best wishes!
Congratulations, Sounds rather dry to me ears but then again history has never been my best topic. In any case congratulations are in order for a successful defense. To Dr. Harrison, Let your fortune flow.
Congratulations on all counts, and best of luck with the new job!