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Pat

About Me


Who/What am I?
I'm a dedicated political activist, but I'm also a father, a husband, a sailor, a Quaker, an author, an amateur homebuilder, a former African specialist, and a former college professor and administrator.
My political activism is currently expressed through my work with Progressive Secretary, the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice, the South West Florida Peace Coalition, Sarasota Friends Meeting (Quakers) , and the Coalition of Concerned Patriots. I am a member of the Green Party and Veterans for Peace.
A BRIEF CAREER SKETCH
I retired from Smith College as Five College Professor of African Studies in 1991, but I remain enthusiastically active when I am in Florida for the winter and Western Massachusetts for the summer.
Before I retired from Smith, I was Five College Coordinator for Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I served in that position from 1975-1987.
From 1971-75 I finished my PhD in Education and Anthropology at the University of Connecticut, then worked as consultant to various foundations and organizations. I was full time consultant on African and international programs at Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1973-75.
From 1954 to 1971 I worked for the African-American Institute (AAI), serving successively in Washington, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Washington again, then New York. From 1965 to 1971 I was Executive Vice President in New York.
MY BOOKS INCLUDE:
Understanding Africa
Teaching Africa Today (with Harry Stein)
History of African Civilization
The Bantu Civilization of Southern Africa
Creative Philanthropy: Carnegie Corporation and Africa.

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My Interests

I'd like to meet:


Family Photos
MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY

My spouse is Freddie WindRiver. In addition to being an energetic political activist, she is a Holistic Nurse and a wonderful companion. A lifelong devotee of community living, she now is a deeply-committed member of a spiritual/ecologhical community (visit her page).

Freddie has three children - - David Willoughby of Cambridge, MA, Mark Willoughby of Greenfield, MA, and Barbara Willoughby of Eugene, OR. She also has two grandchildren, Barbara's son Colin Caleb Willoughby and David’s daughter Stella Gertie Gitelman Willoughby.

My children are Terry Murphy , Kathy DeGrenier, and Emmett J. (Patrick) Murphy, III. All three are great people, and all three, not coincidentally, are accomplished sailors.

Terry was formerly national director of communications for a large fast food company headquartered in Boston. She now owns an imaginative gift shop in Ludington, MI. She is a talented writer with a rich educational background, and is very active in community art work. Her partner, Deb Dila, an artist/photographer, has an art gallery in the same building.

Kathy is a mother, and works for the public school system in Sarasota, FL. She has been a part-time ski instructor, and a professional worker in eco-tourism and related fields. She and her husband, Steve DeGrenier (a tennis coach), live in Sarasota, FL. My two grandsons are Alex and Andre DeGrenier.

Patrick (Murph) is a successful professional drummer who has recorded and toured for years with a prominent alternative rock band,Dinosaur Jr.

He is a passionate motorcyclist and loves travel - - a good thing since his band tours all over the US and to rock festivals and music gatherings throughout Asia and Europe.

He lives in Amherst, MA and Berwick, ME.

HOME BUILDING

As a retirement project, I designed (with Freddie) and built our home in Shutesbury, MA. To learn the rudiments, I took the course at the Shelter Institute, Bath, ME, then worked on the house for six months of each year from 1992 through 1996.

It is located on the lands of Sirius Community; Freddie and I live in it during the portions of the year we are in Massachusetts. It won't win architectural prizes, but we love it!

So welcome to my web site. I hope you'll find my work and thoughts interesting and provocative.

My Blog

The Necessity of Experience?

The Necessity of Experience?  Republicans have hammered incessantly at Barack Obama's purported lack of experience, arguing that he simply is not yet ready to be our commander in chief and our n...
Posted by on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:10:00 GMT

ROUGH GOING FOR RAFIKI KIDOGO

ROUGH GOING FOR RAFIKI KIDOGO On Wednesday, January 24, 2002, my wife Freddie and I traveled to Flamingo, in Everglades National Park, to undertake a long-anticipated cruise into the backcountry. ...
Posted by on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:48:00 GMT

Americas addiction to foreign oil

  America is not only addicted to foreign oil, it is addicted to oil, period. We use about five times as much, per person, as the rest of the world. We have enjoyed far lower prices than much of ...
Posted by on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:34:00 GMT

FAREWELL TO THE AUDACITY OF HOPE!

  Barack Obama's campaign is fast losing its verve and excitement as he voices stance after stance that places him smack in the middle, somewhere, of politics as usual. Thousands, perhaps million...
Posted by on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:31:00 GMT

JESUS THE ACTIVIST

JESUS THE ACTIVIST These days, with swirls of political schisms running rampant within many churches and between religious groups, many - - perhaps most - - Christians have lost sight of the deeply si...
Posted by on Sat, 24 Feb 2007 21:34:00 GMT

Quakers and Evangelicals

Quakers and Evangelicals As a universalist Quaker, with strong political activist views, I suffer constant ambivalence between my cherished Quaker leanings and my conviction that Christian evangeli...
Posted by on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:37:00 GMT

The Election's Blessing

The Election's Blessing America has suffered grievously under the divisive rule of George W. Bush and his Congressional lackeys. One sad concomitant has been the marked decline in the once shining ...
Posted by on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:32:00 GMT

Philosophy, Life, Religion

Philosophy, Life, Religion A few years ago a nephew asked me to write of my views on life, religion, and society. I felt the best place to start wass religion, the beliefs about the world and the u...
Posted by on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:31:00 GMT

A Proud Grandfather

A Proud Grandfather I have only two small grandsons, but I'm proud of them! Alex (9) and Andre (7) live in Sarasota, FL with my daughter Kathy and her husband Steve DeGrenier. They attend Southside...
Posted by on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:29:00 GMT

Shame in the Middle East

Shame in the Middle East The UN-sponsored cease fire in Lebanon, in effect for a week, has already been violated by an Israeli airborne raid on Baalbek, described by Israeli and American sourc...
Posted by on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:27:00 GMT