John W. F. Dulles
The Secret to Life
June 5, 2008 | by brett | Permalink
Noah set up an interview with a family friend who was a 94-year old Latin American history professor at the University of Texas. It was one of the best, most eccentric interviews of our project.
The framed black and white photos hanging from his office wall, some faded past the point of recognition, told the life stories of John W. F. Dulles. A photo of him shaking hands in a tuxedo brought back memories of his days in the Latin American mining business. He began as a muck stick laborer before utilizing his Harvard business education (class of ’37) to work his way up to Executive Vice President. The lovely woman on the wall was his wife of sixty-eight years.
Stacked high on his desk were notebooks of yellow lined paper; each sheet had words thoughtfully scrawled out in perfectly legible handwriting, double spaced for his assistant Ana to type. The first copy of Professor Dulles twelfth published book, Resisting Brazil’s Military Regime: An account of the battles of Sobral Pinto, arrived the day of the interview. Professor Dulles claimed it would be his last book because research is no longer possible due to computer illiteracy and the loss of mobility for his annual trip to Brazil.
The mobility in his right leg is still strong enough to make the seventy-five minute commute from San Antonio to Austin three times a week. He drives himself while listening to either an audio-book on cassette or a Houston Astro baseball game on the radio. He checks into a motel before settling into his office, which is located in a student dorm. He then leads a ninety-minute lecture to a captive audience of twenty students. At the time of the interview, Professor Dulles was beginning his 45th year of teaching at the collegiate level.
Professor Dulles had large, understanding eyes behind dark, thick glasses. He looked a lot like Larry King, only twenty years older with more disheveled gray hair. He actively asked questions when holes weren’t filled in a story, and held an inquisitive gaze with the person speaking to draw more information out them.
At a loss for questions and in complete awe of a man who lived a full life, Noah asked the cliché question we all would like to know the answer to: “What’s the secret to life?”
Without hesitation, Professor Dulles answered in a rhythmic voice, “Have a great interest in what one is doing and be active.” A long pause came and went as the culmination of ninety-four years of wisdom sunk in. “That helps ones attitude and prolongs one’s life. I wouldn’t want to sit around and watch television.”
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