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jsmith532

Professor,
Communication, Arts, and the Humanities
The University of Maryland Global Campus

What Emmett Saw in Pohick

It occurred to me yesterday while I was at the Pohick Cemetery that Emmett had been there. A little background: Emmett’s uncle, Everard Meade, was the rector of Pohick Episcopal Church. His aunt, Lucy, had been very close Emmett’s mother, and she likely remained in close contact with her nieces […]

Field Trip!

Today, I visited Emmett’s sister, Katie Wilson Meade. Notice Katie’s husband’s name: Emmett Augustus Meade. Emmett’s name was Augustus Emmett Wilson. Lucy Maxwell Meade (who is buried just to the right of this grave) was Emmett Meade’s mother. Lucy was the sister of Elizabeth Maxwell Wilson, Emmett Wilson’s mother. Yes, […]

A Strategy for Research: Organizing Data

When it comes to writing a major piece, such as Emmett’s book, you collect a lot of information. That’s a good thing, but it can be overwhelming. I’d mentioned in an earlier post that I have (literally) hundreds of source items, and I’m still collecting information (and probably will for […]

Creative Sleuthing

When conducting research on obscure people, you encounter plenty of informational brick walls. These can be frustrating, but you don’t have to let them stand in your way. My most recent information barrier centers on Emmett’s boyhood home. The Wilson family lived in two houses during the late 1800s. The […]

A New Mystery Unfolds

Readers, today I can report the discovery of several important answers to key questions in Emmett’s research — and a new mystery to solve. Perry Mason, where are you when I need you? I can’t spill the beans on everything I’ve found (because it would give away some of the […]

The Dud

I was revved up this morning when this book arrived in my office from InterLibrary Loan: I’ve been waiting for this book for about three weeks — which is about how long it takes, depending on the book’s availability. (I’m not great at waiting around patiently for a book to […]

The Sad Decline of Writing Quality

A friend sent this to me the other day: Sad, but true. In my 20 years of teaching in two disciplines (Communications and Education), it seems like there has been a downward spiral in writing quality for at least the past decade. I’ve never had so many instances of academic […]

No offense…

Really. Nothing against Emmett. I love him dearly, but you have to admit, this guy: …would probably not have done this: Different time, different game, different, er, protective gear. Or maybe he did, and that explains why he’s not on the 1900 WFS football team roster. The ‘Tell My Story’ […]

Oh Hell Yeah!

It was a productive day! I worked on Emmett’s book this afternoon, watched this outstanding contest… …and, converted an FSU fan to MSU! Yeah, baby! Productive! I’ll report back on the writing progress (it is going well)! Hail State!