Michael Phelps

Michaels Bio My husband Michael was born in rural Indiana in 1943. He graduated from Rice University and earned his Ph.D. from UCLA. While in academia, he taught history for ten years, expanding his course offerings to include the History of Ideas—his passion and love. This book demonstrates those skills. Being married for thirty-five years, I can say truthfully he is not a dabbler. After slipping away from the academy, his skills and intensity shone in local politics, sailboat races, building design and restoration as well as gardening, gourmet cooking, and poker playing. His golf game, on the other hand, is forever a work in progress and a lesson in humility! In his final career, he created a successful software company where he hired Liberal Arts majors, believing that a classically trained mind could succeed at anything. He says that writing successful software is much like writing a book, requiring the same planning, obsessive diligence, will to revise, and careful review. When many companies failed, the nimble skill and intelligence of his personnel allowed “the little train that could” to chug onward for thirty years. My bias is shared by many who know my quiet and intense husband; he never used his intelligence as a weapon. Even in corporate America, sophistry never entered into his contract negotiations. Michael is a hyper-self-conscious human who has found a profound peace—something he calls JOY. In this book, he offers his insights into the structure of our minds and our search for meaning by examining the origin and history of Ideas of Renewal. I believe any thoughtful seeker will profit from his original ideas. Annie Kennedy Phelps P.S. I hope he lives long to write the sequel.