Joined the Dewey Center Staff in 2002 Currently Working on: The Lectures of John Dewey.  I work primarily on the importation of Word documents into Folio Views and then work on formatting the final version of the lectures.  I also transcribe some of the lectures to be proofread as well as proofread occasionally. Reflections: There is no doubt that John Dewey's philosophies (particularly his views on democracy and education) are important to the world today.  Indeed, his lectures and books can be read with the 21st century in mind, though many were written over a century earlier.  Dewey's appeal is distinct in both time and space, as the development of numerous Centers for Dewey Studies can attest to global interest in his views.  The spread of democracy in Europe and Asia over the past two decades has certainly enhanced the revival of interest in Dewey's work in politics, especially relating to the issue of democracy itself.  The work done here in Carbondale since 1961 is at the forefront of Dewey Studies.

Michael McNally Textual Editor M.A. History M.S.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction

When I first joined the staff at the Center we worked on The Correspondence of John Dewey.  Over 22,000 letters to, from, or about Dewey provide a detailed study of the man behind the philosophies, as well as the development of his thoughts over the great span of his career - the Collected Works and Lectures further enhance the study of his intellectual development.  His involvement in numerous organizations and movements brought Dewey into contact with many famous and important people.  Nevertheless, as a trained historian, I find many of the more personal letters between members of the Dewey family, as well as correspondence with colleagues, to be the most interesting, as they show not the teacher and philosopher, but rather the husband, father, and friend. Back to Staff Home.