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THE GREAT IDEAS ONLINE A Syntopical Approach to the Great Books
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORTIMER ADLER
Happy Birthday, Mortimer! You are the only man alive to whom I can say, "You may have the body of a 96 year old man, but you have the mind of one who is 2,400 years old".....and mean it as a compliment! Best wishes from one of your Angels, Richard S. Wolfe
Dear Mortimer: To someone who has meant so much to my own life, and to so many others, it is almost impossible to say in words how we really feel about you. Fate and good fortune have chosen to share you with us all for 96 years now, for which I am especially grateful and humbled in your presence. I thank The Creator for giving you to mankind and extend my most genuine best wishes on this occasion of the anniversary of your birth. Once again let me say something in print that I, and others who know you, have repeated to each other so many times over in so many different ways: YOUR ULTIMATE LEGACY WILL PLACE YOU RIGHT UP THERE AMONG THE GREATS AS THE TRULY SPECIAL MAN THAT YOU ARE, WHICH WILL ABSOLUTELY AND RIGHTLY RECOGNIZE YOU AND YOUR WORK IN FUTURE YEARS. On this point, you need fear not, for your work is everlasting and indelibly etched in the history of Man. For you see, like natural truth, the opposite would be unthinkable. With warm thoughts from Annette, myself and from all of us in the Caldwell Family on this, your special day, Happy Birthday, my friend. Roland Caldwell
Heartiest congratulations on your birthday. George Tener
Happy birthday Mortimer Our warmest and dearest wishes for good health.
Tony and Judith Simon,
Dear Dr. Adler: We thank your good friend, Max Weismann, for letting the proverbial "cat out of the bag". Please accept our genuine and heartfelt wishes for a jubilant birthday! Chuck and Peg Callard
To Mortimer Adler on his 96th Birthday Dear Mortimer, You should revel in the satisfaction that so many people have benefited, and are still benefiting from your writings and your wisdom. What greater gift can man receive for his birthday? Let the learning continue, with your guidance, for many years to come. Sincerely,
Stanley Goldstein, President
Dear Mortimer,
Among the many there Happy Birthday, God Bless, Gary Dunn
Happy Birthday! Your Syntopicon and Propaedia have launched my new career in science communications. Thank you, Howard Burrows
Dear Dr. Adler: Happy Birthday & many happy returns. I will be forever grateful for the role you have played in the expansion of the domain of my ignorance. All good things, Pete Thigpen
Dear Dr. Adler, Best birthday wishes from all at the Great Books Foundation.
Gary Schoepfel, Adult Program Director
Congratulations, Mortimer, on 96 years! This is a good time to celebrate all the clear thinking you've helped us with over the years. Mary Ann Allison
Dear Mortimer: My warm wishes for many more years of contemplation and enlightenment. As a Hutchins-Adler student of times long past, I want to again express my thanks for the invaluable light you shed on the world of philosophy, a world in which I had been living without knowing it. My prayers for your happiness, *
Max Hagedorn
Dear Dr. Adler, The Radical Academy wishes to offer its congratulations to you on your 96th birthday. Your contributions to philosophy and knowledge in general are greatly appreciated and you have been an inspiration to those of us fortunate enough to come under your influence. Happy Birthday, and may you have many more to come.
Priscilla F. Harris, President
Dr. Adler, A belief in the value of the great ideas as found in the great books brought you and Robert Hutchins together. That work still brings people who share that belief together. In my case, an on-line Great Ideas seminar introduced me to someone whose background differs from mine as much as yours and Robert Hutchins' did when you met. I credit our friendship to you. So happy birthday and thanks, teacher, and many happy returns of the day. Terrence Berres
Dear Dr. Adler: Merry Christmas and happy birthday! Your writings have had a big impact on my thinking over the years. Many of your major ideas are now so much a part of me that its easy to lose sight of their origins. About 20 years ago I read your "How To Read A Book", and it began to change my view of education. The Paideia Proposal was wonderful as well. I also remember being excited about understanding that a liberal education related to the education of a free man. I've learned so many things from you that I could make a long list of insight-gems that find their beginnings in your writings. A major life-goal of mine, also, in part, a derivative of your work, is to encourage a Great Ideas-based elementary and high school academic program. Best regards, Wayne P. Becker
I recently had my 55th birthday and Mortimer Adler has, beyond a shadow of a doubt, had the most influence on my life...morally and philosophically. My parents, small town Nebraskans, were of good character and taught me what is morally and philosophically good in skeleton way, but Mortimer supplied the organs, appendages, skin and bones so to speak. I am grateful. Happy Birthday! Brian Hansen
Dear Dr. Adler, Happy birthday. Thank you for your work to organize and share knowledge with others. That's how I've tried to characterize all the different work you've done. I've enjoyed your talks with Bill Moyers and William F. Buckley. I've used the Encyclopaedia Britannica which you worked on. I've read and profited from a number of your books. I especially like the Paideia books and "Reforming Education". Again, many thanks and happy birthday. Greg Shubert
Dr. Adler: Many thanks for contributing to my ability to live a better life and become a generally educated human being. My adult passion has been learning and books. The turning point was "How to Read a Book" and my grandfather's enthusiasm for your writings. My continuing motivation is found in reading the great books, reading your books, leading my own Great Books Club, drawing on Max Weismann and the resources available through the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas, and in trying to follow the path you have been paving for the past 60 years or so! Best wishes for a Happy Birthday, Dr. Adler! I hope this one finds you with a strong feeling of a life well lived and a desire to press on toward the goal!
Brent Milligan
Dear Dr. Adler, I hope you take some time to savor your success influencing thousands and thousands of people to analyze and understand their world. You have awakened so many, encouraging and enabling them to begin their search, using tools you have provided. Perhaps you can sense the energy in the atmosphere caused by the stimulated thoughts of those in the midst of reading Aristotle, and Dante, and others of the numerous Great Books you have reminded people of. Best wishes on your birthday, and blessings on you and your work. Janet Miller
Happy 96th Birthday Dr. Adler! Jack Benda
Dr. Adler: Even though we have never met or spoken personally, I count you as one of my favorite professors. Your writings have stimulated me in ways others have not, for that I give you thanks and hope that whatever time you may have left of your life, that it be filled with health and prosperity. Happy Birthday! Steven M. Lloyd
Dr. Adler: You have me beat by 5 years, but let us not "go gentle into that good night" Congratulations! Karl Krudop
Dear Mortimer Adler: You are the best person in the world to attest to the validity of a recent scientific discovery. For several decades, biologists have been teaching that one's brain cells stop reproducing in one's teenage years, and thereafter one is consigned to use those brain cells that happen to be left. Contrary to this teaching, recent research has shown that at least some parts of the brain continue to reproduce throughout one's life. Your unwavering grip on reality, and the distinction between real and apparent goods, has made it clear all along that this was so. May God bless you, may the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God the Father, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and for the rest of your life until we meet again forever in Heaven, Amen. Merry Christmas, Professor Adler! Mark Moran
Dear Dr. Adler, I wish you a Happy Birthday on December 28, 1998. You have contributed so much to Western Civilization, I cannot find words to express myself properly. I bought the Great Books in 1968, and I am still reading them. My wife and I work and live on the island of New Guinea in Indonesia. Therefore, e-mail is the only way for me to send you my felicitations. I also wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Charles L. Albert
Dear Dr. Adler, Best wishes to you on your 96th birthday. Thanks be to God for your wisdom and generosity in sharing it with others over the years of this century. You should take due satisfaction in knowing that you have helped shape the minds and the characters of millions of people. We look forward to your continued guidance in the upcoming century. With deepest regard and appreciation for you and your work, Mark Brumley
Dr. Adler, Congratulations and best wishes on your 96th birthday.
Paul Harrison
Dear Dr. Adler: Max alerted us to your upcoming celebration next Monday. Congratulations, for you are truly graced both with age and wisdom. Ever since I heard you address the Wisconsin Teachers Education Association at Milwaukee Area Technical College in the Fall of 1941, I believe it was, and anger over your advice on "How To Read A Book" generated enough antagonism to make the air electric with anger, I have followed your meteoric career with unflagging interest and persistence. Half a century later both you and I are older, I confess, but I must acknowledge you are far wiser. Thanks for all you wonderful work in so many different but interrelated domains. If I were a rich man, the song goes, I would have more of your books on my shelves, although due to a dear friend's generosity I do have the Great Books set that he sold to me for a song. Happy Birthday. Stay with us much longer to keep us on the straight and narrow. At play in the fields of the Lord with Peter Matthiesen, Don Thielke
Happy Birthday! Mortimer Adler, Finding the Center for the Study of Ideas on the Internet has been a real Godsend. I treasure your booklet "Philosophy is Everybody's business" it is powerful and I share it with our prison library. I hope you and Mr. Weismann keep up your great work. Here in prison ideas are considered reactionary and more dangerous than guns and bullets. I never thought I would learn anything good in here.
Larry Torkly
Dr. Adler, I wish you a wonderful birthday, and thank you for all which you have given us at the Center for the Study of the Great Ideas. It has changed our lives. John Boleyn
Dr. Adler: My very best wishes to you on the occasion of your 96th birthday, and my profound thanks for your continued guidance through your books and videotapes. You are a superb teacher, and I'm grateful for your help. Hans VanderKnyff
My first encounter with Mortimer Adler was in a bookstore in Pasadena, CA in 1994. As I browsed with alphabetical aimlessness through the Western Philosophy section, my eyes fell quickly upon the title "Philosopher at Large". I report with the clarity of hindsight that when I pulled that sizable maroon softcover from the shelf -- at that very moment -- my life made a dramatic turn for the better. I devoured that book with an intellectual appetite I never knew I had -- which effect is, of course, part of Dr. Adler's genius. The results of this initial reading were far-reaching. I read every Adler book I could get my hands on. I bought a set of Great Books and learned to use that intellectual tool nonpareil "The Syntopicon". I enrolled as a graduate student at St. John's College to further immerse myself in the Great Books. My extracurricular activities included borrowing tape recordings from their library of every lecture Dr. Adler had delivered there since the mid-1970s (and surreptitiously duplicating them for further scrutiny). I found, with delight, that they held in their stacks almost all of his out-of-print titles, many of them signed first editions. I discovered the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas which has enriched me in so many ways, not the least of which being the opportunity to express my gratitude for all of the above. For pointing the way to an educational adventure without end and contributing so much to its substance, I say Happy Birthday with thanks to you Dr. Adler! Mark Brawner
To Mortimer Adler on his 96th birthday. Happy Birthday to you and may you continue to say and write what we all need to know and to be reminded of all the time. Thank you for your contribution to all of us. Herman Sinaiko
Dr. Adler, Our very best wishes to you on your 96th birthday. Thank you for your years of effort teaching and writing about the ideas which move people toward fulfillment. Tom Carstens
Dr. Adler, I have only recently learned of your works. I have only had the pleasure of reading "How to Read a Book" and "Aristotle for Everybody". I am far better for the experience. If I live to be 96 years old, and if I have contributed 10% of what you have in your 96 years, I will consider my life an immense success. Thank you and best wishes on your 96th birthday. Allan Friesen, Alberta, Canada
Dear Dr. Adler, Here's wishing you a happy birthday. Thank you for sharing your 96 years of knowledge and experience with me. Ken Wareham
Mortimer 96 WOW! Good for you. Still using your books in 15 to 20 Leadership Learning Forums per year. People catch on after a while. You were/are a huge positive influence in my life. Thank you. Lots of executives in my network ask after you. Your influence will last forever. May you too, for as long as you think it's fun Peace Energy Strength and Joy Dick Dooley
Happy Birthday!!! Your GREAT IDEAS videos and the CENTER'S work has shown me how I was cheated through all my years of schooling. You are a creative genius, and, being a fan of yours, I am curious to know your secret. Do you have a place or a thing that inspires you? How do you keep your creative juices flowing? I'm not writing a book or anything, I'm just a college student in my senior year who is feeling a little burned out, and I'm hoping you can help me. Please write and tell me how you stay "alive" with creative inspiration? Thank you and Max Weismann for your time and for your work, which is an inspiration to many! God bless you. Mae Marie Nollington
Dear Dr. Adler, Aristotle, I believe, would have been glad you were born -- as am I and hundreds of others. Thanks for all the teaching and learning. How wonderful It is that you are enjoying your 96th B-day! I wish you a happy and healthful NEW year. Respectfully, Helen Simmons
Dear Dr. Adler: I cannot express in words how much discovering the Center for the Study of The Great Ideas has changed my life for the better. You and Mr. Weismann are to be highly commended for your untiring devotion towards helping us to understand how and why "philosophy is *truly* everybody's business." Have the Happiest of birthdays and many many more. Gratefully yours, Bruce Peterson and family
Dear Dr. Adler, This past week has been an exciting one in that I learned of the Great Ideas Center, and became a member. I have begun reading the works sent to me via email, and can already feel a wealth of questions churning inside... it is such an incredible honour to have access to your thoughts and works. I would like to wish you all the best on your 96th birthday. And to you and yours, best holiday wishes! I look forward to more interaction with the Center and your ideas in the New Year. Maya Alapin
Dr. Adler, Many thanks for all you have meant to me over so many years, and best wishes as a new one dawns. All the Best, Greg Givan
To Mr. Mortimer Adler: Thank you for being a model of excellence in so many realms. I send my deep appreciation and best wishes for continued good health on your birthday. Having just participated in the on-line seminar on Happiness, I know that you are truly a happy person at this stage in your life. You have lived a life of Truth and Beauty, and you have made an invaluable contribution to the happiness and growth of hundreds of thousands of others. You were a profound influence on my first true Teacher, T.D. Lingo of Blackhawk, Colorado, who was named Paul Lezchuk when he attended the University of Chicago shortly after WW II. I would appreciate it if you would let me know if you remember him at all. He died five years ago. He told us often of his time in your seminars, and he passed on much wisdom and curiosity to his students. If you have any memory of him, please let me know. If I don't hear back from you, I will assume that you have no recollection. Best wishes for continued success and happiness in 1999. Lion Goodman
Dear Max and Dr. Adler, May you have a glorious Holiday season and a very Happy 96th birthday to Dr. Adler and may there be many more. Thanks for everything. Stanley Turner
Dear Mortimer, It is now 57 years since I sat at your feet (not literally, but at the other side of a big table at the University of Chicago) to learn from you. I may not now recall all that I learned, but it was great, and it has continued to be so through the subsequent years. My best wishes for a Happy Birthday and New Years and your continued health and success as the unique public philosopher. God Bless you and Mr. Weismann, Saunders Mac Lane
Dr. Adler; On the occasion of your 96th birthday, I want to express my sincere thanks for all you have done for me. Eight years ago, I read "How to Read a Book." This was the first of many readings. Over time what I learned from you helped me dramatically change how I read, what I read, and why I read. Buying the books I now wanted to read also led to the formation of BiblioWorld, a new Internet business* which will soon complete final testing and start operations. Ken Dzugan
* Visit BiblioWorld: The sole source you will need for used, antiquarian, out
of print, collectible, and rare books in every category. Home of resources
for readers, book collectors, book dealers, librarians, book lovers, and
supporters of literacy.
Mailto: kdzugan@biblioworld.com URL
Thanks so much, Max. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday season as well. My best wishes to Mortimer Adler on his 96th Birthday this month. Dr. Adler has truly been a beacon in my life. John Sheehan
Mortimer J. Adler In reflecting on your amazing life the following words somehow come to mind. I know that I need not refer to the source: "Well, Chaerephon, as you know, was very impetuous in all his doings, and he went to Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether ... there was anyone wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered that there was no man wiser.... This investigation has led to my having many enemies of the worst and most dangerous kind, and has given occasion also to many calumnies, and I am called wise, for my hearers always imagine that I myself possess the wisdom which I find wanting in others...." Socrates did not need to say that that he also had many friends. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tom Murray UC AB '47, JD '51
Dear Dr. Adler, I was quite despairing three months ago when I decided to find out if you were still alive. You were a light to me in a very dark century. I found out that you were very much alive and still writing and 95 years old. On your 96th birthday, I would like to say how fortunate I am to have found you and the Center and to have read some of your books. I wish you a very happy birthday. Kathryn Ludrick
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Revised 8 January 1999 |