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It doesn't take much to revive terror of being late for class
(by Jeff Fister - May 28, 2008)
Have you ever had that anxious dream about being late for a class in college — even though it’s been nearly 30 years since you were in school?
For me, recently, it was no dream, as I drove hurriedly down Forest Park Boulevard toward St. Louis University to meet with a political science professor. In 1981, I probably made that same dash across campus to see the same professor.
Back then, I was a senior in my last semester of school working on my political science degree. My “senior synthesis” paper had to do with terrorism, and the professor overseeing it was Dr. Jean Robert Leguey-Feilleux, a nationally known expert on the Middle East.
He was one of my most memorable teachers. A French native, he wore berets, had a heavy accent and a keen mind. He embodied a certain stereotype of French men — witty, polite, but strong-willed and possessing a slightly patrician air. Though he enjoyed arguing the finer points of foreign policy with students, you’d better know your stuff. He didn’t tolerate ill-prepared students and didn’t like them being late for class.
Which is exactly why I was sweating as I dashed through traffic for my recent meeting.
I had e-mailed him a few weeks before on behalf of my high-school-aged son. My son was doing a paper on Al Qaeda for a history class, and he asked me if I knew any experts he could interview. It was a perfect excuse to visit my old professor.
We walked into his office, a little out of breath, and it was like a time warp. He looked nearly the same — more gray hair, of course — but when he spoke in his clipped sentences, it was like I was back in class again. I dutifully took out my notebook and listened as my son asked questions.
The theme of my son’s paper — that Al Qaeda’s influence and effectiveness have diminished since the Sept. 11 attack — was the perfect topic for Leguey-Feilleux. He discussed how Al Qaeda is an extremist, fundamentalist version of the Muslim religion and is seen as heretical by most mainstream Muslims. Al Qaeda, as a “utopian” group, creates many enemies and, like the old anarchist parties in Europe and the United States, is unlikely to “win” the war against the West. Terrorism is good at recruiting idealists and at creating fear and uncertainty with surprise attacks that are hard to defend. But they’re not suited for running a country.
Leguey-Feilleux also wove in the factors of Afghanistan and Iran, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He even gave a short history lesson on Algiers, once a French colony, that has had great difficulties as a fundamentalist Muslim group has tried to take control of the country, similar to the situation in Iran. He pointed out that the United States’ recent approach to foreign policy has been detrimental. “We’ve been quite arrogant in dealing with other countries and have not made a lot of friends.” This has helped Al Qaeda recruit members and stalled our efforts at peace in the region, he said.
As the interview wound down, I asked Leguey-Feilleux about modern-day SLU. “I still teach a full load, including graduate students, and love it here,” he said. “Although one big change these days is how busy and distracted students seem to be. Between the cell phones and internet and campus activities, they don’t seem to have as much time to study.” Leguey-Feilleux has been teaching at SLU since 1966. He has been awarded numerous grants and has twice traveled and studied on Fulbright scholarships. When he moved here to teach at SLU, he and his wife Virginia, an artist, bought an old house in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood and they have been extremely active in the area’s growth and improvements.
Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I heard a bell ring as we concluded our talk. We rose and said our goodbyes, and I again had that feeling as I walked across campus that I was late for another class.
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