In a circle of friendship that spans three generations, two men who have had a substantial impact on the state and the nation, and a third poised to leave his mark, spoke with the press Oct. 26 about the newly created James R. Soles Junior Fellowship at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C.
Chuck Lewis, a Newark, Del., native and 1975 UD graduate, is the founder of the center and the creator of the fellowship he named for his former professor and mentor James R. Soles, UD’s first Alumni Distinguished Professor.
Dan Steinberg, a 1998 UD graduate from Fredonia, N.Y., is the first recipient of the fellowship.
Lewis said the idea of the Soles fellowship is "to give someone a place to perch for one full year in our nation’s capital, right in the heart of things, two blocks from the White House, and to figure out–while dealing with academic folks from around the country, with nonprofit groups, the national news media and government officials–how to get their bearings and decide what they want to do."
University President David P. Roselle said at the news conference, "The power of one teacher is a stirring image, and it is why we are gathered here today–to pay tribute to the power of the teacher and to celebrate the impact that can affect so many lives."
"Chuck’s decision to name the fellowship after Jim Soles is a reflection of the role Jim played as a mentor to Chuck. Now, through this fellowship, Chuck will serve as a mentor to future students," Roselle said.
James R. Soles
A specialist in American government and American civil liberties, Soles has been on the UD faculty since 1968 and has twice received the University’s excellence-in-teaching award, as well as the excellence-in-advising award. He also has served as chairperson of the Department of Political Science and International Relations.
In announcing the fellowship, Roselle quoted Soles’ words when he received his named professorship. At that time, Soles said, "You have the opportunity as a teacher and adviser to set an example of how to conduct yourself. The dignity with which you treat people, the seriousness with which you approach your job and the enthusiasm with which you approach your job can be a little contagious. I have tried to be contagious."
"Let me assure you," Roselle said, "Jim Soles has been contagious, and that happy contagion is spreading further today."
In his remarks, Lewis said, "Jim Soles has this rare quality…I’ve actually not seen anything like it…where he cares about people directly. It’s not corny or insincere, which we sometimes see in Washington. It’s real and genuine.
"I saw a lot of students who came to this University who weren’t going to become Rhodes Scholars and who didn’t know what they wanted to do," Lewis said. "Jim Soles would take time and sit down with them and talk about their life and their parents and their families and their goals. There are very, very few people on this planet that care about other people like that. Jim Soles has hundreds–hundreds, plural–of young people, whose lives were impacted because of that deep personal concern.
"I’ve learned more than I can describe from Jim Soles, and there is nothing that gives me greater pleasure personally than trying to give back something to say thank you to Jim Soles, and also thank you to the University and its political science department, one of the finest departments in the whole country."
Chuck Lewis
In his remarks at the news conference, Soles said that Lewis, "has cared more than most people think is wise, has risked more than most people think is practical, has dreamed more than most people think is safe and has worked harder than most people think is possible.
"This fellowship says much more about Chuck Lewis than it does about Jim Soles," he continued. "John Gardner says there are three kinds of people, three kinds of citizens: Unloving critics of America, uncritical lovers of America and loving critics of America. Chuck Lewis is a loving critic of the United States, of his country," Soles said.
Dan Steinberg
While at UD, Steinberg majored in history and political science. An Alison Scholar, he won the Phi Kappa Phi Undergraduate Essay Award. A member of the University Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, he also served as news editor and columnist for The Review and was treasurer for both the College Democrats and the Civil Liberties Union. He began his fellowship at the Center for Public Integrity this fall.
In his remarks, Steinberg said, "[The fellowship] is definitely more about Dr. Soles and Mr. Lewis than it is about me. What they are doing at the center and what Dr. Soles is doing here at the University are things that are going to last a long time. I’m only going to be at the center for a year, but what these guys have done is definitely going to make a lasting contribution to a lot of people."
Steinberg recalled on first meeting Soles that he characterized him as "the little guy with the red flower and the southern accent," but said he "quickly learned that he is a legend around campus and in the state of Delaware."
Although he was never able to take a class with Soles, Steinberg said he traveled with him to Italy on a study trip and "learned that he is definitely wise and friendly and funny and all these other things that everyone says he is."
While in Italy, Steinberg said he and Soles discussed a speech Lewis had delivered on campus and talked of his work at the center.
"So, it seems very fortunate the way this all came together. I feel very lucky," Steinberg said.