Dr. John Bragg, PhD in History

Dear Friends and Family,

I apologize for not having updated my blog all blessed spring. As a result, I have accrued quite a backlog of photos that will not be relevant to the main subject of the narrative that follows. I will describe the pictures in the usual way in captions at the end of my paragraphs. The first photos catalog Royall High Schools rapid rise and fall in March at the Wisconsin WIAA State Boys Basketball Championship. The second group of photos covers a trip that Jim and I took in April with friends Tim and Ed to the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship in Detroit (and a Brewer game Jim and I caught on the way back.) The third group of photos relate to the happy times following my successful oral dissertation defense! This last topic, naturally, will be the main subject of this entry. (First below, perennial powerhouse and eventual "state champion" Randolph prepares to execute a fast break against eventual "good sportsmanship" award winners Royall; second below, a bunch of Houzners and Weilands at State Street Brats after the thrashing)

To be honest, my oral dissertation defense on Tuesday of this week was a bit anti-climactic. I knew I would pass. The real fireworks occured in late March and early April when my official adviser, who had been taking a research year in Princeton, informed me that she had taken a job at Northwestern and would not be returning to UW in the fall. Frankly, she had not been much help this year anyways, so I asked my former advisor Pr. Karpat, a retired emeritus professor, to step in to serve as my adviser informally. When I provided him a polished draft a month ago, he let me know within a week that although it was rough in a few spots, it was good overall. The only doubt that remained was whether I would be able to deposit my dissertation in time this semester to avoid having to pay tuition for the summer. I learned at the defense that I would be able to deposit my dissertation by the June 11 deadline for submission. That was a huge relief. (First below, Jim's nephew Rusty and Rusty's wife Shannon; second, Jim and nephew / godson Mitch)

I was naturally a little nervous during the oral defense, but I needn't have been. My committee was very impressed with both the quality of research and the implications of my argument. They let me know that with a few relatively minor changes to organization and argument I had the makings of a very good first book. The result vindicated me for all the toil I had spent mastering my documents over the last four years. The defense, scheduled to last two hours, lasted only and hour and a half! (First below, a smiling Jim in Detroit -- before the hockey Badgers lost to Boston College 5-0; second below, Ed, Tim, and Jim meet up with UW pharmacy grad and friend Steve, and Steve's son ...?)

So, another phase in my life begins. I will continue to make revisions on my dissertation until I deposit it in the UW Memorial Library in early June. Thereafter, I will be engaging in two major lines of activity. On the one hand, I will be looking for a job with a university or a federal agency. On the other hand, I will start to burnish my academic credentials by seeking a publisher for my dissertation and working on new articles and conference papers. All the while, I plan to continue to work for my brother Bob in his homecare business, at least through the summer. I have one very fun treat upcoming this summer, though. I will be joining my dad on a cross country road trip to visit Uncle Noel in San Francisco. We plan to camp along the way! (First below, the Brewers celebrate a rare home victory; second below, playing catch for the first time this year)

As I told my professors at the end of my defense, two emotions filled me. One emotion was relief! Graduate school is an odyssey, and you have to have faith that the result will come out right knowing that it doesn't work that way for everyone. The other emotion I felt was gratitude. Gratitude for my professors who educated me and helped me find funding. Gratitude for my parents, Don and Rose, who provided emotional and material support along the way, without ever questioning my sanity for taking such a patience-testing career path. Gratitude to my partner Jim, who lived and died with every triumph and failure along the way. Gratitude to my brother Bob, who gave me work (and sometimes advances) during the final years of my study. And, finally, gratitude to all the other friends and family who have given me encouragement along the way. Thank you all. (First below, my dissertation defense committee members, Pr. Morgan, Pr. McDonald, Pr. Atis, and Pr. Karpat; second below, UW friends Katie, David, and Katherine, after the fact)

Stay posted for details about a graduation party; I will be sending out invites shortly.

Best,

Dr. jkb in Madison