Carolina Journal host Tom Fowler introduces Retired Admiral Hyman G. Rickover who served in the active Navy longer than any other American, reluctantly retiring past his eightieth birthday. In this episode, we watch a remote feed of a speech on education that Retired Admiral Hyman G. Rickover delivered at the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University in Tillman Hall in 1983.
Our host noted that more than any other single person, the son of a Jewish immigrant, born in part of Poland occupied by Russia, sculpted the shape of the American Nuclear Navy. Tom noted that Rickover's determination in obtaining his goals won him lifelong supporters and overwhelmed opponents. Retired Admiral Rickover has firm views on what constitutes education and what does not. Our Carolina Journal host presents a remote feed of a speech on Education that retired Admiral Hyman G. Rickover gave at the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University in Tillman Hall.
Rickover spoke about the historical value of being learned and noted that to be educated means having knowledge of the world around us, to know history, literature, philosophy, and science. It means possessing skills such as the ability to read, write, and to calculate. These make a person a useful member of society. Finally, and most importantly, it means to be able to think critically and logically. The Retired Admiral observed that the purpose of education was to instill these attributes in people. Education relies on a triad: teachers, receptive students, concerned parents and if any of these default, the system fails.
The retired admiral spoke about the lure of the private sector, and the problems getting and retaining the best, most qualified teachers, particularly in the areas of science and math in school nationwide. Tune in to hear more of his thoughts about study, hard work and respect for teachers and the outcomes in the modern world, with its many distractions.
Side Notes
- Hyman George Rickover - 27 January 1900 - 8 July 1986
- The Nuclear Navy.
- Naval History and Heritage Command - the USS Nautilus SSN-571. USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was commissioned at Groton, Connecticut, on 30 September 1954 with Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson as the boat’s first commander. The construction of Nautilus—the world’s first nuclear powered submarine—was made possible by the successful development of a nuclear propulsion plant by a group of scientists and engineers, under the leadership of Captain Hyman G. Rickover, at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission.
- UA 536.20 USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) Collection.
- Admiral Rickover Brought the Nuclear Age to the U.S. Navy.
- Pogroms in Imperial Russia, 1905.
- Teacher Retention Toolkit | Improve Teacher Retention 2023 – Hanover Research.
- Admiral Rickover on American Education: An Analysis of His Viewpoints.
