Byrne Hall

Byrne Hall
The Academy building was turned over to DePaul University, and renamed Byrne Hall. Bygone DePaul | Special Collections & Archives

Introduction

About the DePaul Emeritus Society

DePaul University values its ongoing connections with its faculty and staff retirees, as it values their past contributions to the university’s mission. The DePaul University Emeritus Society was founded in 2008 with the merger of the Staff Emeritus Society and the Emeritus Professors Association. The Society is sponsored by the University’s Office of Mission and Values.

The purpose of the DePaul Emeritus Society is to provide a means for ongoing connection, communication, and socialization between the university and its emeritus faculty and staff, and between individual retirees whose professional lives were for so many years dedicated to university service.

Photos, events, and information of interest to members of the DePaul Emeritus Society will be posted to this blog. Please take a look, add your comment, offer to be an "author" or just enjoy.

Monday, June 21, 2021

Book Club June 2

 Most members of the DES Book Club enjoyed McCullough’s detailed, wide-ranging account of Americans in Paris from the 1830s to the close of the nineteenth century.  Many readers commented on McCullough’s easy, graceful style; they were impressed also by his thorough research and his use of sources like letters and diaries to illuminate the individual lives of his American subjects.  And of course they were impressed by the range of fields this work covers—medicine, technology, art, literature, and the many Americans who were transformed by their studies in Paris. In particular, the accounts of artists were vivid and compelling.  A few readers felt that the work covered too much detail, so the effect was scattered; they felt McCullough had assembled material without achieving a unified narrative with an “arc” or controlling idea.  But in general there was admiration for McCullough’s achievement and his ability to convey the energy and wonder of these encounters with Paris.  We all agreed that the paperback would benefit from better maps, especially to encourage an understanding of the extensive changes in Paris during these years. 

At the close of the meeting, Nancy Rospenda reminded everyone to send her any contributions to the newsletter—especially accounts of how we spent the year of the pandemic.  Contributions should reach her by June 30 for the next issue of the newsletter.


Our next book will be The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. Our next meeting will be August 4 at 11 am, Central Daylight Time. The zoom link opens at 10:30 to permit everyone time to connect and say hello. If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn DeGraff or Helen Marlborough.

We enjoy catching up with our former colleagues and enjoy welcoming new members to the group. Zoom meetings have provided a great way for us to connect virtually during this time.



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