Alumni
1980-1989
John J.P. Howley '80
Location: Residences in New Jersey, Florida, and the Philippines. Primary office is in New York, although I frequently work out of my law firm's other offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, London, Frankfurt, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach, Chicago and Los Angeles. Further Education: One semester of an M.A. program at Columbia University (decided graduate school was not for me) followed by a J.D. degree from New York Law School. Career Title: Partner, Kaye Scholer LLP (an international law firm with approximately 500 lawyers). Career Description: International dispute resolution. I represent clients, mostly large corporations, in the resolution of complex disputes through litigation, arbitration and negotiation. Recent cases have included product distribution agreements in Kuwait and Lebanon, insurance coverage for an oil refinery explosion in Venezuela, repossessing jumbo jets in the Philippines, and patent licenses in the European Union. How History Degree is Still Relevant: I hope that studying history (which continues, to this day, with passion) has made me a more interesting human being, perhaps better able to communicate and make connections with U.S. and foreign clients, adversaries, judges and arbitrators. Particularly with those from another culture, a common knowledge of history helps us understand that today's disputes are often variations of disputes that have come before, and that so much of what happens in our cases is affected by the context of history, economics, religion, politics and other factors. I recently worked on a patent infringement dispute with the President of a biotechnology company. He has B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry and biology, plus an M.B.A. from MIT. Over lunch, however, we discussed relations between Japan and China since 1930. He was born and raised in India, and is currently reading everything he can on China-Japan relations in the 20th century in an effort to understand China and its relations with other nations -- especially former adversaries -- now that it is attempting to have better relations with India. "What can I do with a history degree?" : I hate that question. You can do anything with a history degree. Most of the successful lawyers, political leaders and business leaders I know have liberal arts degrees -- English, Chemistry, History, Biology, Political Science, Music (more lawyers are musicians than you would ever guess), Philosophy, Economics and Physics. (OK, there is one exception. One friend, a former President of the Philippines, has an engineering degree. But he also studied Military History at West Point). The key to their success is not particular business or practical skills acquired as an undergraduate, but a curiosity, an understanding of perspective, and a lifelong desire to learn more about the world we live in.
Margaret Simpson Barlow '81
Yes I was a history major - unfortunately I am not teaching the subject, nor am I in the field! Rather, I am in publishing sales. However, throughout my career in sales, recruiting and counseling, I do a lot of research on companies, industries, etc. My research skills I attribute mainly to my history degree, for which I had to write a lot of papers. I continue to gravitate toward literature of a historic nature and watch the history channel. I also worked as a sales rep for "American Heritage" for 5 years.
Chuck Kaufman '82
Newton, MA
MBA, Babson College, Dec. 1986
President, The Kaufman Group, a PR firm specializing in financial services and technology.
My history degree comes into play in my work and life every day. My Skidmore experience
in general and history education specifically helped to shape how I look at a problem
or issue critically from different perspectives. It's a skill I'm attempting to teach
my three children. They're beginning to understand that examining something from different
angles can often uncover not merely a "right" answer, but several correct answers.
Also, my four years as a Skidmore history major helped hone my written and verbal
communications skills. Professors like Tad Kuroda and Pat Lee expected more than yes
or no answers. They challenged us to push ourselves and the "certainties" of our lives
and studies. I learned a valuable lesson from that: It's ok to try new things and
to communicate different thoughts and conclusions. Sometimes they work and sometimes
they don't. More often than we think, the true value is in the trying.
Robert Chwasky '84
I live in Wilmington, MA; after Skidmore graduated from Cardozo Law School in '93; presently Agent for New York Life Insurance Company in Waltham, MA. History doesn't really come into place in work, but I like Skidmore
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