Voodoo Economics, or Why I Became a Historian

Iwent to DePauw University because I thought it was cool. In ninth grade a friend’s parents, whose older son attended, took me to Parents Weekend—brilliant fall day, leaves turning, students throwing Frisbees, trim-ankled women displaying perfect teeth. I thought, “This is the place for me!” That was pretty much how it worked.

Most others attended DePauw for betterthought-out reasons. The school had a reputation for producing business leaders. Many majored in economics and, during their senior year, juggled job offers from big corporations.

My older brother had suggested I start with an English major because, he said, “Lots of babes take English classes,” but I soon realized that these courses required more reading than my intended approach called for. Then, during spring break, hoping I would find my calling in corporate management, my Dad arranged for me to meet with a guy in charge of a local manufacturing operation. Dressed in a navy suit and seated behind a desk larger than our family’s dining-room table, the man spoke of a lifestyle I wasn’t familiar with. Better still, he held out a job for me on graduation. “You show me A’s in economics from DePauw,” he told me, “and I’ll show you a path toward a nice career.” Having little else going, I returned to school, intent on starting my economics major.

Already I had heard the accepted wisdom: “Take Editha for ECON 101!” Editha Hadcock was a matronly professor whose professional contribution was a 1931 study of labor conditions in Rhode Island cotton mills, but among DePauw students, in 1963, she was known as the easiest “A” on campus. So, no fool, I signed up for Editha’s Intro. course and went home to spend summer days digging up city streets and nights hanging out with a high-school junior who had nice legs and an alluring gap between her incisors.

When I returned to school in the fall, news wasn’t good. Over the summer, Editha had died. No one knew how or why. A few days before classes began, administrators had arranged for a former professor from Purdue to teach Editha’s classes. “This could be a setback,” a wise upperclassman allowed.

The new professor, quickly known to all as “Monty,” was a strange human. He wore a green suit with a narrow tie encircling his thin neck, thick glasses, and cheap shoes.

His ears stood out and his lips got in the way of his forming words. Worst of all, he could not make sense of the simplest concepts. After the first day of class, a friend said, “We’re going to have to know the textbook cold to get through this baby.” Relying on the textbook rather than lecture materials had been a tactic I’d used before, in a psychology class where lectures were worthless. I’d only ended up with a C, but that was because I’d waited until the night before the exam to read 600 pages and had dozed off between chapters on the id and the ego. This time I’d plan more carefully.

Economics textbooks are notoriously expensive, so I was happy to find a used copy, $10 rather than $30. I snapped it up and headed back to the fraternity for lunch and frivolity.

Monty’s classes turned out to be as bad as feared. In the middle of one, when everyone was particularly lost, a feisty woman simply got up, said, “I’ve had all I can take,” and walked out. Monty blathered on, unfazed.

When mid-term approached, Monty announced our first exam, to cover “all lectures and Chapter Ten in your textbook.” So I spent hours slowly reading Chapter Ten on The Federal Reserve System. I ended up understanding it from its board of governors down to its latest discount rate.

In the exam, Monty handed out a thick, stapled package of paper: ten multiple-choice questions, each a page long and so complex that it was hopeless to spend time reading carefully. Each had four responses to choose from, and I couldn’t make sense out of those, either. I circled a random ten responses, handed in my exam, and walked home in more of a daze than usual.

Back in my fraternity, my friends in the class gathered to talk. “Man,” said one, “those questions on the GNP were a bitch, weren’t they?”

GNP?” I asked.

“Yeah, Chapter Ten, GNP,” one said.

I asked to see his textbook. Sure enough, Chapter Ten in the new edition was “The Gross National Product.” I showed him mine, “The Federal Reserve System.”

“Whoa, bad luck, man,” my friend said. “Better go tell Monty.”

Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to go tell Monty. I didn’t talk to professors, especially not this one. So I damned the luck, realized my career in corporate management was doomed, and wondered how quickly I might get drafted if I flunked out.

At the next class meeting, Monty handed back the exams. “Class,” he said (best as we could understand), “I have been giving examinations like this for a long time, and this is the first time a person has ever received a perfect score. “Mr. Wright, would you please rise and be recognized?”

I wobbled to my feet, dumbfounded. A few students made weak clapping sounds, but I could see justifiable looks of anger. I sat back down and vowed not to tell others my used-textbook saga.

Better still, after class, Monty asked to speak privately and told me that he was exempting me from exams through the rest of the semester. I would get an “A” in Economics 101. He shook my hand and I dashed off.

I took all of this as a sign from heaven that economics was not for me. I ended up majoring in history, pulling more B’s than A’s, but doing well enough to get into graduate school. Once there, when I was needing to fulfill an African Studies minor, my advisor

By Donald Wright

told me, “Don’t miss Sara Berry’s ‘African Economics’ course. She’s huge in the field, it will look good on your record, and understanding African economies is essential.”

“Fat chance!” I said to myself, and enrolled in “African Political Systems.” It wasn’t a good class, but I got through it and moved on.

Donald Wright retired from SUNY-Cortland after 31 years as a professor of African history. He has authored of half a dozen books, held Fulbright, Rockefeller Foundation, and NEH Fellowships, and lectured in South Africa, China, and cruises along Africa's Atlantic coast. He lives with his wife, Doris, in Beaufort.

BEAUFORT/PORT ROYAL

Foolish Frog, 846 Sea Island Pkwy, St. Helena Island. (843) 838-9300. thefoolishfrog.com

Luther’s Rare & Well Done, 910 Bay Street. (843) 521-1888 or www.luthersrareandwelldone.com

Q on Bay, 822 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 524-7771 or www.qonbay.com

Rosie O’Gradys Irish Pub, in Beaufort Town Center. Irish American Sports Pub & Eatery. C'mon down! Rock & Roll Lunch. Wednesday, Friday & Saturday - Karaoke at 10pm. (843) 3797676 or Rosie's on Facebook.

Saltus River Grill, 802 Bay St, Beaufort. (843) 3793474 or www.saltusrivergrill.com

BLUFFTON/HILTON HEAD

Big Bamboo, Coligny Plaza. (843) 686-3443 or www.bigbamboocafe.com

Captain Woody’s, 6 Target Rd., Hilton Head or 17 State of Mind St., Bluffton. www.captainwoodys.com

The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexf1ord, Hilton Head. Sundays - Deas Guyz; Mondays - A Journey

Through Jazz with The Martin Lesch Band; Tuesdays - Fat Tuesdays: A Swingin' Celebration of New Orleans and Beyond; Thursdays - Lavon Stevens with Louise Spencer. 5/10 Lavon Stevens with Quiana Parler, 5/12 & 5/13 Champain Fulton, 5/17 Bobby Ryder, 5/19 & 5/20 Cellist Shana Tucker, 5/24 Lavon Stevens with Quiana Parler, 5/27 & 5/28 Noel Freidline & Maria Howell - A Little Help from my Friends: A Jazz Celebration of the Beatles. (843) 842-8620 or www.TheJazzCorner.com

Omni Hilton Head Ocean Front in Palmetto Dunes. Buoy Bar - HH Prime - (843) 842-8000 or www.omnihotels.com

Out Of Town

The Music Farm, 32 Ann Street, Charleston. 5/11 The Breakfast Club - 80's Tribute, 5/12 Intergalactic Dance Party, 5/13 Saosin; Asteroid, 5/14 Tallah; Julia Legare & Snargle, 5/18 Boogie T.Rio, 5/19 Start Making Sense - Talking Heads tribute, 5/20 Sueco, 5/26 The Midnight City, 5/27 The Elements. (843) 408-1599 or www.musicfarm.com

The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston. Sundays - The Motown Throwdown, Mondays

- Slim & Friends; Tuesdays - Fusion Jonez, Wednesdays - Grateful Dead Wednesday with The Reckoning; Thursdays - iLLA ZiLLA. 5/10

Eggy, 5/11 Shot Thru The Heart - Bon Jovi tribute, 5/12 Perpetual Groove, 5/13 Strap on Face; Funk 15, 5/14 Dopapod; The Talismen, 5/17 Maxwells Silver Jammer - Jam Beatles tribute, 5/18 Late Night Radio; Michal Menert, 5/19 Karl Denson's Tiny Universe; Ivan Nevelle, 5/20 Of Good Nature; Pierce Edens, 5/24 Nattali Rize; Minori, 5/25 Matthew Logan Vasquez; Danny Golden; Mechanical River, 5/26 Brandon 'Taz' Niederauer; The Shady Recruits, 5/27 Thee Hot Girl Hoedown - April B & the Cool perform

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, 5/28 The Fritz.

(843) 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com

Windjammer, 1008 Ocean Blvd, Isle of Palms. 5/11 Dallas Baker; Railroad Earth, 5/12 Bunpin' Uglies; Monsoon & Operation

Irie, 5/13 The Blue Dogs; Junco Partner, 5/17 Grace Potter; Junco Partner, 5/18 Grace Potter; Broken Speakers, 5/19 Whiskey Run; Chris Lane, 5/20 Dave Landeo; The Delta Circus - Stones tribute, 5/21 David Nail, 5/25 Futurebirds; Leon III; Fo Daniels, 5/26 Futurebirds; Leon III; Flat Spell, 5/27 Rock the 90's; High Society, 5/28 FlashMob; Rumors. (843) 886-8596 or www.the-windjammer.com

Now – 6/30, Of Earth & Fire, an exhibit of work by Anne M. Kennedy and Traci L. Walter at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery. 913 Bay Street, Beaufort.

5/16 – 6/17, Biennale – National Juried Art Exhibit at Art League Gallery. Awards Reception Fri 5/19, 5-7pm. Critics Coffee Sat 5/20, 10am-noon. Inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843-681-5060, www.artleaguehhi.org

BOOKS & WRITERS

Thur 5/18, Book Launch for Jacquelyn Markham’s new collection of poetry, Rainbow Warrior, at the Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street in downtown Beaufort. From 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Markham will give a reading at 6:30 pm. Refreshments provided. No registration required. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

Music

Thur 5/11, Clover Choraliers Concert. This award-winning high school choir – 110 voices strong – will perform a FREE concert at 6pm at First Presbyterian Church, corner of North and Church Streets, in downtown Beaufort. The public is encouraged to attend!

Other Events

Now – 5/8. Memory Matters Online Auction, Benefitting people and families living with Alzheimer’s and related dementia. www.mymemorymatters.org

Saturdays Now – 6/24, Lunch and Learn Gardening Series at the Port Royal Farmers Market, starting at noon. Free and open to the public, around the Gazebo. Bring a folding chair! Sponsored by the Lowcountry Master Gardeners Association.

Fri 5/12, Lowcountry Gullah Foundation Annual Fundraiser at the USCB Hilton Head Campus. An intimate evening of Gullah culture, storytelling, dinner, and a silent auction. Nationally known Master Gullah Storyteller, Sista Patt will speak. Contact gullahland@gmail.com or 843715-3506 for more information.

Sat 5/13, 2023 Cornhole for Charity Tourna- ment sponsored by the Hilton Head Kiwanis Club. 2-6 pm at Lincoln & South Brewing Company, 138 Island Drive on Hilton Head. More information at www.hiltonheadkiwanis.com

Fri 5/19, Beaufort Drum Circle will meet at 6:30 pm in Waterfront Park, downtown Beaufort. Bring a chair – and a drum if you have one! If not, there will be extras on hand. Discover the therapeutic benefits of community drumming!

Sat 6/3, Inaugural Beaufort Housing Symposium, sponsored by LowCountry Habitat for Humanity. Panels, workshops, heirs property clinic, and more. This all-day event begins with a panel discussion from 9 – 10 am. Building 12 at Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort. For more information, email susan@lowcountryhabitat.org or call 843-522-3500.

First Saturday of Each Month, Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud at Port Royal Farmers Market. DAYLO students and other volunteers will read to young children between 9am and noon. Children are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animal.

Tuesdays, Tours of Hunting Island sponsored by Friends of Hunting Island Keeper Ted and his team. For info call the Nature Center at 843-838-7437. Tours free are and park entry fees apply.

Second Friday, Beaufort Drum Circle 2nd Friday of every month. 6:30 – 8 pm at the Gazebo in Waterfront Park. Eric Roy is the facilitator. Sessions with 15-20 minutes of instruction on djembe playing and a selected traditional rhythm & accompaniment for participants. Time for spontaneous group drumming. All welcome. No experience necessary. Bring a drum, if you have one, a chair, and desire for fun. The Drum Circle has extra instruments anyone can use. For info visit the Drum Circle Facebook page.

Third Thursday, TECHconnect is a monthly networking event for professionals working in and around technology. Come and join on the for the conversation at BASEcamp 500 Carteret 5:307:30pm. 843-470-3506. www.beaufortdigital.com

Thursdays, History Tours of Fort Mitchell by the Heritage Library, 10am. $12/Adult $7/Child. 843-686-6560

Editors Note: Events listed here may be subject to postponement or cancellation. Please check for further information.

THEATER/FILM/DANCE

Now – 5/28, ‘Company’ at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina on Hilton Head. Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking modern musical is a mature, intelligent and wildly funny look at relationships, directed by Russell Garrett. Tickets available at www.artshhi.com

GALLERIES/ART

Now – 5/13, The Gently Surreal Art of John K. Crum at Art League Gallery inside Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island, 843-681-5060.

Now – 5/28, May River Magic, an exhibit of oil paintings by John Kenney at the Society of Bluffton Artists Gallery in Old T own Bluffton. www.sobagallery.com 843-757-6586

Tide Chart

FOR THE BEAUFORT RIVER AT WATERFRONT PARK