Karal Ann Marling, professor of art history at the University of Minnesota and author of books on topics such as the symbols along American highways, Graceland, building the Disney theme parks, and even how we celebrate Christmas, was quoted in the Star Tribune's op-ed shortcuts box today:
In the recent past, the notion that there is something to be learned from history has become unfashionable. At the same time, nostalgia for the good old days and a hankering for antiques plucked from ancestral homesteads have never been stronger. But if history becomes only a pleasant escape from the present -- if it becomes irrelevant to our understanding of ourselves -- how will we ever summon the wisdom and courage to change for the better? History is about looking back. Yet it is also about looking forward and eagerly steering an educated course into tomorrow.From Minnesota Hail to Thee: A Sesquicentennial History, Afton Historical Society Press, 2008.
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