Jerry holds an M.A. in Theology and an M.A. in English and is retired from 40 years of high school teaching. Currently, Jerry lectures at Harper College, the College of Lake County, and area Senior Centers. His topics include early Christianity, world religions, and American literature. Jerry’s hobbies are photography and fishing—“Two ways,” he says, “to catch what’s out there.”

Thoreau's contemporaries found him prickly, ill-mannered, and homely. Ralph Waldo Emerson, his friend and mentor, thought Thoreau had frittered away his talent, leading readers "on a huckleberry party." However, in the 150 years since his death, Thoreau has become the patron saint of ecologists, conscientious objectors, non-violent protesters, advocates of simple living, champions of self-discovery, and proponents of limited government. This talk looks at Thoreau the person and his increasingly relevant contributions to American thought. Can anyone resist a man who, when asked if he had made his peace with God, replied, "I didn't know we quarreled."