Geography Minor

When I was a Geography Minor at West Chester University, I used to love looking at historical maps. Now I love looking at this video. I wish it would have a date ticker or something, though.

Elminah Slave Castle - Ghana, 1995

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

-Mark Twain

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Erik Worked for the Chester County Historical Society

CCHS Promo - w. Erik's hand in it
Originally uploaded by Erik B. Anderson

I was a Public Relations Intern, a Museum Tour Guide, a Receptionist and a Library Attendant for about six months at the Chester County Historical Society for about six months in 1996.

I really enjoyed it.

I solicited bids from web developers to create CCHS's very first "web site". I also made a lot of phone calls, updated press contact info and I like to say I "got my hand in" the pamphlet (right). You can see my 21 year old hand pointing to one of the exhibits in the picture in the middle.

The Chester County Historical Society is located on North High Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania. There are two main buildings. One of them used ot be an Opera House built by Thomas U. Walter, the architect of the United States Capitol Dome. He built six other structures in West Chester in the 19th Century. They are all very impressive.

Here are some other facts about the history of Chester County:

• Bayard Rustin was born in West Chester. He was the man who introduced Martin Luther King, Jr. to Gandhi's ideas. They recently named the High School after him. Parents complained because he was gay and he was a communist. He was a great author (I recommend Down the Line) and organizer of the civil rights march in 1963.

• Frederick Douglass spoke publicly for the last time at West Chester University, where I was a sociology student while I worked at the museum.

• The Battle of the Brandywine, which was called the "bloodiest battle of the Revolution", was fought not far from West Chester.

• Chester County was known as the "Mushroom Capital of the World." There was a whole exhibit about the mushroom industry when I was there.

They have a library with a vast genealogical archive. They have a children's playroom and a vast auditorium where speakers often come to talk.

If you can go visit, I think it would be worthwhile.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Erik Hung Out With Tom Hayden

In the Fall of 2003, Tom Hayden spoke at West Chester University as part of a book tour. His autobiography, Rebel, was being reissued. He spoke about a lot of things. Being there with Martin Luther King, Jr., organizing a number of Demonstrations in Chicago in 1968, starting the Peace Corps, how he was supporting Howard Dean for President. After his speech was over, I introduced myself, saying I was the President of the College Democrats and here are my friends. He was so relieved. It was not a big crowd that night, and he didn't want to go back to his hotel, so we hung out in Asplundh Hall for about two hours.



He talked about how he liked the show 24, and where he was on 9/11 (in a hospital bed recovering from heart surgery). I told him I actually owned the book he wrote about Zapatistas and I was dumbstruck because I didn't even know he was the author. Then, much like I did when I talked to Ann Rule, I could feel my heart drop to the floor with a thud when I told him I didn't even read it, that it was at the bottom of a box somewhere in my storage shed. He comforted me, though. He said, "It's okay. That's where books are supposed to go!" I was taken aback, but I was still ashamed. I showed him a trick with a 20 dollar bill that he had never shown anybody. I pretty much shocked the room when I made the 20 dollar bill look like an airplane.

Tom Hayden was just fun to hang out with. He was a lot different than William F. Buckley, Jr., who was a total jerk to me in that same building seven years before. I wish Tom Hayden could have had as big an audience as Buckley did. What's funny is: I don't remember talking about the protest I organized there with Tom. Maybe I was too scared. It was a dark period in my life. I'll never make that mistake again.

I hope I can see him again someday. He's still very active today. Check out his own biography.

Erik's First Newspaper Story - August 18, 1996

Daily Local News - Chester County, PA

Click on Picture to Read Article

This is a follow-up to the previous blog post:

WFB, Jr. - April 1996: "This is the reason America will never get anywhere."

The Western Ancient Forest Campaign is now known as the American Lands Alliance.

Here is more about my time at the Chester County Historical Society.

EBA vs. WFB, Jr.: "This is the reason America will never get anywhere."

When he was but a prince, The King of Funny Faces asked William F. Buckley, Jr. a question when he came to speak at West Chester University, April 1996:  "What is your stand on the "Timber Salvage Rider?"

The father of modern conservatism rolled his eyes, and a room full of two-hundred rich white people with nice watches and BMW's shouted at the King of Funny Faces. They screamed "Go home!" "Why don't you get out of here!" and worse. The King was scared.

When William F. Buckley, Jr. spoke, he said, "The world is a giant ashtray we put things into..." and then gestured as if to extinguish as cigarette out on the podium.


Click on image to read full article.

Then he said something about, "I question the juvenile nature of people who treat all animals as pets," but the Timber Salvage Rider wasn't about animals, it was about trees.


Click on image to read the full article.

That summer, the King of Funny Faces spent two weeks (one in June and one in July) aggressively lobbying over 200 Congressional offices to repeal the Timber Salvage Rider with a group of activists from all over the country (mostly the Pacific Northwest) led by Former Congressman Jim Jontz of Indiana. The head of the Forest Service gave the King of Funny Faces a dirty look at a Congressional hearing at which only one dissenting voice against the Timber Salvage Rider spoke, and he sat right next to the Secretary of Agriculture in his conference room in the Department of Agriculture Building.

It was a good time, but it was bittersweet. Not only did the King of Funny Faces find out that his cat died on the last day of his first trip to D.C. We ended up losing the vote by the closest margin possible, two votes! The final tally was 211-209. It was a very sad time for us, and for the trees and wildlife that depend on the trees in areas that now look like this.

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