James M. Wilson

Genius in any field is a rarity, often displayed in a brief “a-ha” moment and seldom as a continuum. Sustaining it to age 90, like Lawrence Holofcener, defies most human boundaries.

The topic of genius has been most recently highlighted with the news of National Geographic doing a ten-part television series on Albert Einstein and (more…)

Can you do it? How Fast? Don’t worry about cost!

When President Franklin Roosevelt signed off on an executive order in early February 1942 to begin the construction of the 1600-mile supply road through the Northwest Territory from Fort St. Johns to Fairbanks, Alaska, approximately 11,000 soldiers and 4500 civilians packed their duffle bags and suitcases. Theirs is a story of amazing human interest, hardship, and tenacity. (more…)

Since I became old enough to comprehend our nation’s heritage, my mother would proudly declare that her great-great grandfather John Baird was a surgeon from Pennsylvania who served in the Revolutionary War. Frequently through my teen years she would drop little suggestions that maybe the time had come for someone else to go (more…)

THE AMERICAN REFUGEE

On November 13, 2008 twenty of us left Houston on a church mission trip to Havana Cuba. We planned six months in advance, navigating the substantial bureaucracy in the United States, Mexico, and Cuba to obtain the necessary permits.

Then, it was not a simple task for a US citizen to travel to (more…)