History (from Greek ἱστορία - historia, meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation") is the study of the human past. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyze the sequence of events, and it sometimes attempts to investigate objectively the patterns of cause and effect that determine events. Historians debate the nature of history and its usefulness. This includes discussing the study of the discipline as an end in itself and as a way of providing "perspective" on the problems of the present. The stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources (such as the legends surrounding King Arthur) are usually classified as cultural heritage rather than the "disinterested investigation" needed by the discipline of history. Events of the past prior to written record are considered prehistory.

The above is a sterile, academic answer to what history is and what a historian is. But it does not answer the question I am most oft inquired about: Why? As in why are you a historian? Why do you study the past? Why is it more interesting to you than the present?

I have given the query much thought, and ironically, I believe the answer lies in the past itself. Two things drew me to history. The story my father told me of my 'origin' and the warm basking glow of the so called 'idiot box': television.

In the case of the first, my father (a man of infinitely strange humor) told me that 'he found me on a stump in a hollow where vultures had laid me. He felt sorry for me and took me home to raise as his own'. This infused me with a sense of wonder about my past, myths and legends, and ultimately, from where it all came.

Television, like so many of my generation, was my 'babysitter'. Dad worked, mom raised four children. That fascinating box was our connection to the world. And connected I was. Television is a near instantaneous portal to the past. The news (then delivered four times a day for 30 minutes a session only) came in spurts and was to be taken in solemnly and fully digested. It was as important as the meal placed on the table each evening. And from this electronic mentor, I learned of history as it unfolded.

I was born in Alabama, state rich in Southern heritage. Born barely after a young President gave his life in the service of others, I grew up in the Birmingham area watching history unfold in the form of civil rights protests and all the good and horrors that ensued: unity, justice, solidarity, side by side with police dogs, bombings, and fire hoses. Though still young, I watched the world transform in a time when men dared try to reach 'God' and walked on a pebble in the heavens. I remember my country tearing itself apart over a war in a distant, strange land and then pulling itself together in a mixture of shiny globes over a dance floor and rebellious youth bashing at guitars and calling themselves punks. The world was indeed a fascinating place.

And then it happened. Cable television, news and programming 24/7, MTV: The world in at my finger tips at any given moment. The past was lost to the instantaneous present and the moment to the here and now. And I stumbled. I lost my wonder of the world. I staggered through life like a stray dog looking for a meal and a place to call home. My life was a series of moments strung together over a seemingly endless period of time. Until one day it occurred to me that I had lost my way. The path I walked, was afar and astray from its original point. I came to the proverbial road that diverged, much like Robert Frost's fabled yellow wood. And I knew not which path to take. After some consideration it came to mind that the path less traveled, the one that considered the past, not necessarily the future, was the one for me. And so I walked the path known by most but truly pursued by few. I chose to retrace the steps of my past, to consider all that I had witnessed, and all that came before it. I chose to look deep and far into the wood, down that road and discover its secrets, its haunted coves, and glades. I chose to follow that vague and mysterious road known as history. And to my surprise, it has led me back to my future.

In pursuit of this path, I have engaged in undergraduate work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and graduate work at the University of Montevallo. I currently divide my time between Alabama & Georgia where I am part of the PhD program in the Department of History, and the MA program in the Department of Communications. At Georgia State University. Though my educational interests are numerous, my great loves are history, instruction, film, and art, and my work at Georgia State has allowed me the opportunity to pursue interests in these fields professionally as an historian and instructor, researcher, and artisan.