The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Gene Waddell’

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This is what we talked about on The Invisible Mentor Blog this week: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frédéric Auguste Barthold, Sculptor, Created the Statue of Liberty and Irene Becker, Life and Leadership Coach, Just Coach It.

Mondays at the Salon

Today, we have to go deep and wide in our knowledge to remain relevant, deep in our area of expertise, and wide by knowing a little bit about many things. Adventures in Learning are meant for both you and me to pick up some pearls of wisdom from people who are masters in their fields – we want to have great conversation starters at events, but we also want ideas that we can transport from one field to another. We start off with Gene Waddell who is an architectural historian and College Archivist at the College of Charleston.

Adventures in Learning – Architecture in our Lives, from Gene Waddell 

Booked on Tuesdays

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is the autobiography of the self-freed slave Frederick Douglass. This was not an easy book to read, and it will not be an easy book for anyone who believes in the rights and freedoms of all. This book is about Douglass’ life in slavery, his experiences and the experiences of other slaves – what he saw for himself.

Booked on Tuesdays: Review – Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 

Wisdom Wednesdays

As a child, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was very interested in art and often neglected other studies. He studied art under the tutelage of Ary Scheffer a prominent artist. Scheffer had traveled to the United States as a young man and stayed with French nobleman the Marquis de Lafayette who had fought beside George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

Wise People: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, Sculptor, Created the Statue of Liberty 

Perspective Thursdays and Workshop Fridays

This week we featured life and leadership coach Irene Becker. Becker was the first female CEO of a steel company in Canada. Like most people she has had many ups and downs and has had to start over in life, but these experiences helped to shape who she is now. Here are Part One and Part Two of Irene Becker’s interview.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book link is affiliate link.

This is a new feature on The Invisible Mentor blog. Today, we have to go deep and wide in our knowledge to remain relevant, deep in our area of expertise, and wide by knowing a little bit about many things. Adventures in Learning are meant for both you and me to pick up some pearls of wisdom from people who are masters in their fields – we want to have great conversation starters at events, but we also want ideas that we can transport from one field to another. We start off with Gene Waddell who is an architectural historian and College Archivist at the College of Charleston.

Avil Beckford: What is Architecture? 

Gene Waddell: Architecture is how buildings are designed and constructed.

Avil Beckford: What are three things we need to know about architecture? 

Gene Waddell:

1. The best spaces are versatile and well lighted.
2. The best designed buildings have interiors and exteriors that relate well to one another, a clear pattern of circulation, generously proportioned spaces, good ventilation, and meticulous details.
3. The best constructed buildings are the most permanent and require the least maintenance. 

Avil Beckford: How has architecture shaped civilization? 

Gene Waddell: Good buildings inspire people to greater achievements. They make life easier and more enjoyable.  They protect possessions including books and help to preserve knowledge. 

Avil Beckford: What trends in the architectural field are shaping the future? 

Gene Waddell: More lessons need to be learned from the most durable and versatile buildings of all time and applied to future buildings.  Unreinforced concrete with a brick facing has proven to be the best way to achieve the most permanent buildings. Buildings and bridges made with reinforced concrete or steel frames are already needing to be replaced.

Buildings that are expensive to maintain, to renovate, and to air condition are not economical no matter how little they cost to build.  Buildings with no ventilation are unhealthy.  Buildings designed for too specific a function soon become obsolete.

Questions

• What ideas can we take from what Waddell has told us to use in our areas of expertise?
• If we look at the three qualities of the best buildings, could we apply it to the best products? Are the best products versatile, easy to use, and work well with others?
• We just learned about the characteristics of the most durable and versatile buildings, what makes the systems we use for work more versatile and durable?

Waddell created a list of books that inspire learning for Against the Grain. I am actually reading books from the list right now. You can get many of the books for free from Project Gutenberg, and if you do not have a Kindle, there are multiple formats for you to download. Also, Amazon has Kindle apps that you can download, I have the Kindle App for the PC.

Using Rare Books to Inspire Learning —Part 1: Anthropology – Diaries

Using Rare Books to Inspire Learning — Part 2: Drama – Travel 

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Summer is the time when most get caught up on their reading. And most are reading novels during this time, but what if you did something a little differently from the rest. Gene Waddell, an architectural historian and College Archivist at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, pulled together an extensive list of rare books that inspire learning. I have taken 10 books from his list, and as you will note, they are from a variety genres to build your general knowledge and increase your ability to strategize and solve problems.

1. Anthropology: Race, Language, Psychology, Prehistory, Kroeber
2. Antiquities of Athens by James Stuart; Nicholas Revett
3. Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen: Discovered by the late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter, Howard Carter
4. Roughing It, Mark Twain
5. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, Frederick Douglas
6. Diary of Samuel Pepys, ed. Richard Griffin Baybrook
7. New System of Chemical Philosophy, John Dalton
8. Emerson: Essays, Ralph Waldo Emerson
9. Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa, Mungo Park
10. The Wright Brothers Aëroplane, by Orville and Wilbur Wright Century Magazine, September 1908

Over the summer, try to read a couple of the above, and I will do the same. What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right side) by email or RSS Feed.

Some of the links to the books are for free downloads, some are Amazon affiliate links.

Photo Credit: Flickr via Apture