Remembering the Berggrens with Lynne Buchanan

Lynne Buchanan is a New College alum and the daughter of beloved New College professor Doug Berggren and his wife Barbara who also worked with students at the school. Lynne joins us to share stories about growing up with Professor Berggren, one of the school's founding faculty members. We celebrate him as a brilliant, engaging teacher who promoted critical thinking and interdisciplinary perspective. His teaching style was performative—almost like theater. He wanted students to challenge assumptions and for education to be "intellectually dangerous but physically safe."  Lynne attended New College herself from 1975-1979, living through the merger with USF. She changed majors multiple times, settling on art history. Lynne emphasizes Dr. Berggren’s fun-loving spirit, telling how he entertained her as a child by claiming to have walked across the bay. She also discusses his experience in the Marines, his habit of creating philosophical charts, and his commitment to truth. We reminisce about taking Doug's classes and learning from him indirectly. Grant reads a humorous 12-step outline for a Berggren tutorial written by Van Choojitarom. We explore the Berggren’s lasting influence impacting students over decades at New College. In light of recent controversy, we stress the importance of preserving stories from New College's early intellectual history. Though the future is uncertain, these narratives keep the original spirit alive. Lynne believes her father would be heartbroken by the current climate of censorship and lack of open communication. She hopes these stories will maintain the culture of creativity and free thinking the Berggren’s worked so hard to build. Here are the links to Lynne’s work: Website: https://www.lynnebuchanan.com Instagram: lynnebuchananphotography Links to purchase books:  The Poetry of Being: https://www.lynnebuchanan.com/the-poetry-of-being-photo-book Florida's Changing Waters: A Beautiful World in Peril: https://www.lynnebuchanan.com/floridas-changing-waters-photo-book Thanks for listening!