In November 2005, a precious lifetime guide passed over to the other side. In his work and his life, Professor Emeritus Bennett Berger illuminated the gnarly problematic of individuality within community. Without him, my understanding of the generations would have been impossible. When I started out, Berger's critique of Erik Erikson's stage theories freed me to view my life as a creative sociological journey. We shared a lurid fascination with suburbia and the necrosis of life in academe. Years later, at midlife, when I'd hit a brick wall, Berger's sociological imagination showed me my intuitions were on target. When I finally met him, embracing me as one of his people, Bennett Berger showed me some fine San Diego surf spots. Someday soon, I hope to revisit the break at Cardiff-by-the-Sea to surf it deep--a tribute to a sweet friend and mentor.
Above, in NYC, circa 1997.
In November 2005, a precious lifetime guide passed over to the other side. In his work and his life, Professor Emeritus Bennett Berger illuminated the gnarly problematic of individuality within community. Without him, my understanding of the generations would have been impossible. When I started out, Berger's critique of Erik Erikson's stage theories freed me to view my life as a creative sociological journey. We shared a lurid fascination with suburbia and the necrosis of life in academe. Years later, at midlife, when I'd hit a brick wall, Berger's sociological imagination showed me my intuitions were on target. When I finally met him, embracing me as one of his people, Bennett Berger showed me some fine San Diego surf spots. Someday soon, I hope to revisit the break at Cardiff-by-the-Sea to surf it deep--a tribute to a sweet friend and mentor.
Above, in NYC, circa 1997.
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