Month: January 2022

The Impact of a Skilled Teacher Can Go Deep Into the Cosmos By Chris Gibbons

Originally published in the January 15, 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer

“The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding.  Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home.  In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty.  And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise.  I believe our future depends powerfully on how well we understand this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky.”  (Carl Sagan)

The recent news of NASA’s incredible discovery streamed across the internet on December 20th, 2011: “The First Earth Sized Planets Found Beyond Our Solar System.”  I have to admit that I wasn’t surprised because my former teacher predicted that discoveries like this would be commonplace someday, but I thought it was ironic that this announcement was made on the 15th anniversary of his death.  That night I thought about him as I gazed up into the sky.  The clouds had finally broken, and the stars shimmered like jewels in the clear, crisp winter air.  They reminded me of a tapestry of Christmas lights adorning the velvety- black background of space.  It was an awe-inspiring sight, and as I gazed up, I could still hear the familiar and distinct voice of my former teacher:  “The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.” 

The simplicity and power of his words still rivet me, and it’s during moments of great scientific discovery that I especially miss him.  Although he’s been gone now for 15 years, his impact on my life, as well as the lives of millions around the world, continues to resonate to this day.     

Considering that I never met Carl Sagan or sat in one of his Cornell University classrooms, some people might find it odd that I refer to him as my former teacher.  But when the groundbreaking PBS series Cosmos premiered in September of 1980, I became a student in a Sagan classroom that had dramatically expanded to encompass millions of American living rooms.  Although he was a relatively well-known public figure prior to the series, primarily due to his books and frequent appearances on The Tonight Show, Sagan’s popularity soared through Cosmos. 

The critically acclaimed 13-part series featured Sagan as both narrator and presenter of a diverse range of topics, such as philosophy, religion, history, astronomy, and physics.  Sagan’s skills as a teacher were clearly evident as he helped the general public understand such complex scientific concepts as time dilation, quantum mechanics, and the theory of relativity.  But the heart of the series was Sagan’s unique ability to effectively communicate why these various subjects were important to humanity’s understanding of, and future within, the Cosmos.        

Inspired by Sagan and Cosmos, I finally enrolled at Drexel University, something I’d been putting off for over 2 years.  I pored over the Cosmos companion book, acquired a telescope, and joined Sagan’s newly formed Planetary Society.  Although my career path gravitated to financial services, I felt that I could still make a difference by becoming an outspoken advocate for space exploration.  I wrote several Op-Ed articles which rigorously defended NASA and espoused the need to continue our exploration of space.  After Sagan died, the Planetary Society posted a wall on their website where members could comment on the impact that Sagan had on their lives.  I was amazed to find that there were hundreds of stories like mine, and as I read them, I couldn’t help but think of the Henry Adams quote:  “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”           

Unfortunately, Sagan’s influence, while extensive, was limited, and lately it seems that other voices are growing louder.  I’m hearing the familiar cries to curtail space exploration or prohibit the teaching of evolution in our schools.  There are the loud rants of the religious fanatics who declare that God personally told them the date of the world’s end, and the shouts of the pseudo-scientists who claim that the Apollo moon landings were faked.  When the voices of ignorance become too loud, I know what I have to do – I’ll gaze up at the Cosmos and listen for the voice of my former teacher rising above the din.  The numerous stars will remind me that millions of my classmates continue to hear his voice as well, and we’re prepared to defend the ideals that Carl Sagan taught us.

AFTERWORD – I received numerous e-mails from teachers in response to this essay.  Perhaps the most poignant was from an 8th grade Physical Science teacher who wrote the following: “What a fine tribute you penned for your educational muse.  I am a middle school physical science teacher who tries desperately to channel the engaging narrative of Carl Sagan when I see my student’s eyes glaze over as I introduce the periodic chart.  I do my best to explain the life cycle of stars and how essential supernovas were to arriving at our conscious state.  Usually this engages a core group and they want to extrapolate on black holes, parallel universes, string theory, and the possibility of other life forms.  I too worry about the influence of creationists and do my best to quietly inform the students that science and religion are not at odds but different intellectual disciplines.”  I wrote back to all of them and let them know that I was heartened to find that many of my “fellow classmates” had become teachers who now pass along to future generations what all of us had been taught.  Our teacher, Carl Sagan, would be proud.

More stories on the wonders of space exploration and its positive impact on society can be found in the new book by Philadelphia writer, Chris Gibbons: “Soldiers, Space, and Stories of Life”. Amazon.com link is below:

Adrift in a Sea of Dissention by Chris Gibbons

When I arrived at Fernwood Cemetery in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania in the early afternoon of January 6th, 2021, it was colder than I had anticipated, with a biting wind, and, although I had a cemetery map with the specific Section and Grave number that I sought, I knew from previous searches of old gravesites that having this information didn’t always guarantee success.

Despite the cold, I was content to be there that day.  Historic research has become a rewarding activity for me over the last several years, and I knew that the protests planned for that day in Washington D.C. would be another gloomy reminder of our sharp national divide, so I purposely chose that day to revive my dormant research interests in the hopes that it would not only serve as a welcome diversion, but also lift my spirits a bit.  For the grave that I sought to find was my great-great grandfather’s, a former Philadelphia police officer.  I’d just recently discovered that the New Jersey State Archives had mistaken him for a Marlboro, N.J. man with the same name buried in a New Jersey cemetery, and I was eager to photograph his gravestone.

Although a cemetery employee had confirmed the grave’s location over the phone prior to my visit, I didn’t have any success finding it.  Unfortunately, the cemetery office was closed that day, so I decided to head back home, but vowed to return and resume my search with the help of the cemetery personnel.

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As dawn broke on April 9th, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, Major General George A. Custer maneuvered his 3rd Division troops on a ridge overlooking the Confederate positions and prepared to attack Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s once vaunted, but now badly battered, Army of Northern Virginia.  Among the Cavalry units in Custer’s 1st Brigade was the 3rd New Jersey Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Alexander C. M. Pennington.  Just the night before, the 3rd New Jersey, along with other cavalry units of the 1st Brigade, attacked the Confederate cavalry positioned in the woods a half-mile from Appomattox Station.  In the fierce hand-to-hand fighting that followed, Custer’s victorious troops seized 24 cannon, 5 battle flags, 200 wagons, and taken 1,000 prisoners.      

A murmur soon arose among the Union soldiers as a Confederate staff officer, Major Robert Sims, under escort by a Union officer, approached Custer while carrying a white towel on a pole.  Sims told Custer that General Lee requested a suspension of hostilities.  As chronicled in Custer by Jeffry D. Wert, Custer “replied that he was not commander on the field and could not halt the attack unless Lee announced an unconditional surrender.  Turning to Chief of Staff Edward Whitaker, Custer directed the lieutenant colonel to return with Sims to the enemy lines and to wait for a response.” 

A few hours later, at the home of Wilmer McLean, Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.  A poignant moment occurred as the terms of the surrender were being finalized.  General Grant took the opportunity to introduce Lee to the Union officers in attendance.  One of them was Lieutenant Colonel Ely S. Parker, a Seneca Indian who served as adjutant and secretary to Grant.  As recollected by Lt. Col. Parker in The Life of General Ely S. Parker: Last Grand Sachem of the Iroquois and General Grant’s Military Secretary, by Arthur C. Parker, “Lee stared at me for a moment…he extended his hand and said, ‘I am glad to see one real American here.’  I shook his hand and said, ‘We are all Americans.’”   

As word of the surrender spread among the Union troops, jubilant cries erupted along their lines.  In the days following the surrender, New York Times war correspondent, E.A. Paul, reported that even the Virginia citizens in the very heart of the Confederacy were joyous:  “As Custer’s cavalry column passed through the country…the people flocked to the roadside, waved handkerchiefs, and at several places actually clapped their hands to express their happiness.  At the house where Gen. Custer made his headquarters last night, the people made a particular request that the band play the Star Spangled Banner – an unheard of event during the last four years.”

For the men of Custer’s 3rd New Jersey Cavalry, many of them from Philadelphia, this moment must have been bitter-sweet.  Although 157 of their fellow soldiers had given their lives for the Union cause, they were likely heartened to see that their sacrifice was not in vain and America would now finally unite again.

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When I arrived home after my unsuccessful search at Fernwood Cemetery, the attack on the Capitol Building was well underway, and I was stunned by the violent images on my TV screen.

But there was one photo among the hundreds shown on the news programs that day that truly shook me.  It was a photo of one of the rioters, and he was carrying something that now permanently marks that day as one that I’ll always remember for its sad and striking irony.  For on the day that I tried to find the grave of my great-great grandfather, James H. Baird, a Union sergeant in Company B of the 3rd New Jersey Cavalry, and who was there at Appomattox when Lee surrendered to Grant, a rioter walked through the halls of our Capitol carrying a Confederate flag.  If the man had been armed with a gun instead of that flag, he wouldn’t have been as deadly, for his brazen act symbolically slayed the remaining, feeble hopes for American unity.

And if those from the left side of the political spectrum proudly tout this photo as evidence of their greater allegiance to traditional American values, they need to be reminded that there are also photos from the 2020 summer riots of numerous monuments dedicated to Union soldiers and abolitionists that were defaced by leftist extremists.

Although the Civil War ended over 155 years ago, America is now once again adrift in a sea of dissention.  I can’t help but think that if my great-great grandfather, in the early days of the post-Civil War era, had somehow been miraculously transported forward in time, and then viewed these same photos, that he would have wept.

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, a time of unprecedented division in which we could be witnessing the initial stages of the dissolution of our union, remember the brave Union soldiers who fought, and died, to preserve it.

AFTERWORD – A few months after my initial visit to Fernwood Cemetery, with the help of the cemetery staff, I did find my great-great grandfather’s grave.  Interestingly, nearby was the grave of another Civil War veteran, Thomas H.L. Payne, a Medal of Honor recipient.

More stories of the veterans of America’s wars can be found in the new book by Philadelphia writer, Chris Gibbons: “Soldiers, Space, and Stories of Life”. Amazon.com link is below: