People and Projects
The following people have played a major role in making this Web site (or CD-ROM resource) a success. This author is deeply grateful for the help and encouragement they have provided. Many of them are also authors of articles and images that are published here.
We will list these individuals in roughly chronological order, arranged by date the author first made their acquaintance.
Marilyn Kupcho
Marilyn is the Manager of the College of Education Technology Labs at San Jose State University where the myron.sjsu.edu had its conception and incubation. On one fateful day in late 1996 Your Humble Author was a student assistant (Not yet even a graduate assistant) who had an old Pentium 120 computer with Windows 95 he had used for a project during his student teaching days. "Is it all right if I try to build an experimental Web server here in the lab? The faculty may someday want to publish their course materials and College of Education news on the Web and it would be good if we knew a little about this." Little did Marilyn know what a ride she (and all the rest of us) were in for! The Roman history content was your Author's idea so as to have a site that might actually serve up useful content for sixth - grade classroom consumption rather than meaningless placeholders and test pages.
Marilyn has been right there beside me throughout my professional, personal, and technological growth through the interveneing years. The evolution of the College of Education Information and Networking Infrastructure would never have been possible, let alone the overwhelming success that it has been, if it had not been for her guidance and leadership, regardless of how many network geeks anyone could have assigned to ite development.
It has not always been an easy road, though it has been a rewarding one. I, and this site, owe her far, far more than can be expressed in words.
Dr. Johanna Keirns
At first honoured professor, who later evolved into my dear friend. Johanna has enabled me to visit the Timeless Places, those special spots on this earth redolent with the history of human existence and endeavour, and having acquired a persona and consciousness of their own. She is a possessor of a keen intellect and a fine education in the classics as well as in educational theory. Never arrogant, always the true Gentlewoman, she dispenses her wisdom with quiet dignity. Images of her tour of ancient Greece and Mycenae she has shared with us can be seen at our virtual tour and photo gallery titled, A Sojourn in Greece's Ancient Places.
Robert Garbisch
The April, 1998 event known as Celebrate History! was a noble and far - sighted example for all of us involved in general history buff, wargaming, coin collecting, and historical reenacting activities to follow and emulate. Unfortunately for Peter Corliss and others who invested a great deal of time and money in making this grand umbrella event a success, it was a risky venture that did not even take in enough at the gate to cover expenses. !Que Lastima! When no Celebrate History was announced for the Spring of 2000, this armchair historian and budding reenactor felt a deep disappointment at the loss of such a fine opportunity to show, share, and meet others of a like persuasion.
Celebrate History! 1998 did bring about one major change for the better in Your Humble Author's life that could not be taken away. For many years, he had dreamt of someday owning the armour and weapons of a real Roman soldier, to be able to put together a credible costume and experience what it might have been to march with Caesar over 2000 years ago.
Imagine Your Humble Author's astonishment when he walks around the side corridor of the convention hall and sees... or is he just hallucinating... No, this is an event for historical reenactors... a REAL, IN THE FLESH, HONEST TO GOSH ROMAN SOLDIER!
The rest is, shall we say, history:-) Robert was wearing his newly acquired Lorica Segmentata and displaying scutum, pilum, and gladius. Needless to say we introduced ourselves to each other and exchanged email addresses.
Robert went on to form the Western detachment of LEGIO X FRETENSIS, the Roman military reenactment group to which this author belongs. Robert is the PRIMVS PILVS, or lead centurion, of LEGIO X FRETENSIS and the author of the organization's newsletter.
Robert Garbisch, perhaps more correctly if anachronistically named Centurio Marcus Antonius Lucius, has been an inspiration, mentor, and patient guide to all this author's fumbling, fiddling efforts to become a REAL ROMAN SOLDIER almost but not quite just like Centurio Marcus himself. He has supplied this author with numerous pieces of legionary equipment, both large and small, many of which were the fine products of his own versatile craftsmanship.
Michael Furetes
And what would be the state of my collection of ancient artifacts, old pieces of belt buckles and Roman military uniform hardware, fibulae, rings, ornaments, plumb bobs, little pieces of tools, and phallic charms without this resourceful and generous man. His prices on artifacts have always been favorable, and he has the uncanny ability to locate just that exact piece of ancient junk that Your Humble Author needs for his research collection and which will share admirably in photographs with that self - same author's beloved sixth and seventh graders (perhaps with the exception of the last mentioned class of artifacts:-) If I could advertise for you on this site, Michael, I would. Michael is the proprieter of Iberian International
Judy Geary
The wonderful friendship between Your Humble Author and Ms. Geary is a testament to the potential and power of the Internet for binding people together of similar mind from the far flung corners of the globe. Judy has emailed me many wonderful images of Pompeii, Roman bridges, and other subjects relating to Roman construction and architecture. She has authored two articles on this site, and has indicated that more articles will be forthcoming as she is able to find time in her busy schedule. Her fine articles on Republican Roman Construction and Roman Naming Conventions in the Late Republic can be viewed on this site.
Dr. Jonathan Roth
John Roth is a longtime professor of classical and military history at San Jose State University. He is currently secretary of the Society of Ancient Military Historians and editor of their newsletter, Res Militares. John is the author of a book, published by Brill, titled The Logistics of the Roman Army. He currently teaches military history at San Jose State and has expressed a desire to bring all the people interested in classical antiquity and living in the San Jose area together.
Errol and Mary Sorensen
As you may know, Your Humble Author is very much into the technology of digital imaging. Often, while examining some of the industry's latest offerings of digital cameras or digital camcorders, he will strike up an acquaintance with someone else who is researching the purchase of similar equipment. Well, one of these episodes of "Hanging out" at the digital camera counter at Fry's Electronics in San Jose yielded a rich reward indeed. Your Humble Author could not believe his ears when he overheard a couple quietly discussing the purchase of a digital camera and using such works as, "Site", "Macro", "PowerPoint", "Artifact", and "Presentation". He turns around to introduce himself and offer his help in the evaluation process, and, who does he encounter, none other than a couple who are forming a business devoted to putting together and leading tours to ancient Neolithis and Roman archaeological sites. Mazeltov! It does not get any better than this! Well, a friendship was soon formed with Errol and Mary Sorensen. A week later, the Sorensens were touring the San Jose State University Technology Labs and Your Author's own homw historical information archiving, authoring and digital imaging lab and prototype virtual museum content distribution network. In return, Errol and Mary left two luscious photo albums filled with images of Etruscan tombs, the Amalfi Coast, Herculaneum, and Pompeii to be scanned. Your author went out two days later and purchased a new scanner, faster and of higher quality and resolution than any he has previously used, and proceeded to archive these images.