"Catholic Chautauqua Summer School: Rejected Relic or Lasting Legacy?" - Paul Sukys

Paul Sukys chronicles the development of the Catholic Summer School at Cliff Haven, New York including its relationship to the original New York Chautauqua and the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle program.  Sukys’ presentation explores the origin of the Catholic Summer School of America as a reaction to the New York Chautauqua. The talk also examines the development of a nationwide series of Catholic Reading Circles which were seemingly inspired by the work of the original CLSC. By assessing the rivalry that existed between the two institutions, Sukys questions the popular theory that the Catholic Reading Circles were created as a response to the CLSC, suggesting, instead, that the Reading Circles may actually have been independently established.
     The lecture analyzes the revolutionary contributions made by both the CLSC and the Catholic Reading Circles to education at the beginning of the Twentieth Century.  The presentation served as a prelude to the Lakeside CLSC’s 2017 graduation celebration.
     Paul Sukys is Professor Emeritus of Law, Literature and the Humanities at North Central State College in Mansfield, Ohio.  He earned his doctorate in applied philosophy and art history at the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati and received undergraduate and graduate degrees in American and British Literature from John Carroll University in Cleveland and a law degree from Cleveland State University.  Paul owns a cottage on Jasmine Avenue and leads the Lakeside CLSC group.