Saturday, April 9 ~ 2:00 pm
PROGRAM They’ve Been Down So Long…/Getting Up’s Still On Their Minds
SPEAKER Michael E. Tolle
LOCATION Christ Old Swedes Church Hall (Directions)
Join us when urban historian, Michael E. Tolle, discusses his recent book They’ve Been Down So Long…/Getting Up’s Still On Their Minds. This work examines the past, present and future of eight classic American mill towns on Pennsylvania’s lower Schuylkill River. The work attacks the myths and misunderstandings about what happened to our towns and cities after World War II, and attempts to replace them with a more accurate understanding of this controversial subject.
Speaker Biography
Michael E. Tolle has lived a variety of experiences, which have influenced both his selection of a late-in-life career, and how he pursues it. He is the author of What Killed Downtown? Norristown, Pennsylvania, From Main Street to the Malls, and blogs regularly in support of urban revival in America’s small towns, using the eight towns on Pennsylvania’s lower Schuylkill River as his subjects.
Michael earned a B.S.F.S. (Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service) at Georgetown University in 1969. A summer spent as a volunteer for the World Relief Commission delivering commodities to refugees in Viet Nam led him to return there, this time as an Assistant Relief/Rehabilitation Advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). After college graduation, he began a year long study program in the Vietnamese language at Roslyn, Virginia, followed by two years in Viet Nam, first in a province resettling refugees, then in Saigon. As the Deputy Chief of the Refugee Division, Michael was responsible for the day-to-day operations in support of refugees throughout the country.
Michael returned to the U.S. and started his own business that specialized in home remodeling, energy conservation and alternative energy projects. In 1983, in support of his wife’s career, Michael became the primary caregiver for their two sons. After they were established in school, he began graduate studies at Villanova University, where he earned a Masters Degree in History, and then attended Temple University, seeking a Ph.D. He completed all requirements for the degree except the dissertation.
After leaving the Ph.D. program, Michael obtained positions as an Instructor in History at Delaware County Community College and Montgomery County Community College. In early 2006, his wife accepted a job offer that required a move to San Francisco. He resides there today, continuing his research and focus on the history and future of our small towns.