[Peace-discuss] Farewell, and Greetings from Evergreen

[John Baldridge]

Greetings, All,

   I lived in C-U for a brief, but important time from 2001-2004. During 
that time, I was active in AWARE and a part of the local activist 
community.  I served as president of the Champaign County UN Association 
and helped to organize a community forum on the Iraq/Afghanistan Wars 
that was eventually sponsored by WILL at the Champaign Library.  I 
cherish my memories of this all-too-short time as a part of this 
community, during which I participated in the local Irish folk music 
scene as part of the band, Banish Misfortune.  Long live the Iron Post!

   I left Champaign to pursue (and successfully earn) a PhD in Geography 
at the University of Arizona.  I am now a continuing faculty member at 
The Evergreen State College, where I was pleasantly surprised to 
discover that some of my colleagues have much deeper connections to the 
C-U community.  These include Lori Blewitt and Arun Chandra, both of 
whom continue to inspire me in my work as a teacher here.  Ironically, 
it was only after I joined the Evergreen faculty that I met Susan 
Parenti on one of her visits here.

   During my time in C-U, I was not officially affiliated with the 
academic community of the university, but I was welcomed and encouraged 
by many people to join in the work of building a strong network of 
people "across significant differences."  The open-mindedness and 
positive attitude I experienced in C-U helped motivate me to become the 
person I am today, and I have many people to thank for their help in 
leading me to the role I have as an Evergreen professor--far too many to 
thank individually!

   But, among the local CU organizations and their members that I want 
to thank, in particular, are the following:

     School for Designing a Society (for demonstrating that real 
education can be done differently)
     AWARE (for giving me a home when I was losing my sh*t over the war)
     UNACC (for accepting me as a leader and organizer, so that I could 
learn how to do these things)
     The Baha'i Community (for supporting the work of the UNA--and 
drafting me to be its president)
     Pi Omega (the Champaign "workers' frat," for giving me a decent 
nickname:  "McFly")
     The Irish Music Scene (for being so vibrant and allowing me to join it)

Anyway, I am resigning from this email list because I rarely read the 
messages, and I am now thoroughly embroiled in the local politics of 
Olympia and of Evergreen.  In fact, I am currently on the bargaining 
committee for the faculty union at Evergreen, as we negotiate a new 
contract.   While I care about what is happening in CU, the truth is 
that I rarely read these messages, and they add a lot to the messages 
from my local community that storm my email box every day.  So, I've 
decided to unsubscribe, some 10 year after I left.

   I know that, in some ways, this announcement of my departure might be 
read as some sort of egotistical "play," to attract attention. However, 
my intention is simply to express my deep appreciation for the support I 
received all those years ago, to "name names" of the groups that helped 
me to get where I am, and to offer my thanks.

    Thank you, everyone, and I hope that my work out here in the Pacific 
Northwest will contribute to real social justice for all of us!

John Baldridge
(PhD, Evergreen State College)

P.S.  Some personal thank-yous must include:

   Pam Carsey, Lorien, Willow, Ivan, Carlton Mills, Indigo, and many 
others!  Thanks!