Thoughtful Thursday-Patrick J. Mogan

Patrick J. Mogan, recognized as "The Father of the Lowell National Historic Park," passed away last week. I did not know him during my years in Lowell but his presence was felt throughout the city. My friend Paul Marion has written a beautiful tribute at richardhowe.com.

Here is an excerpt:

He didn’t suffer fools, and he wasn’t fooled by self-righteous experts and officials, but he sought out and welcomed substantive expertise and serious scholarship. He always remembered that he was working for sincere Lowellians in whom he had so much confidence—and for whom he had so much respect. One of his central worries was that the revitalization of Lowell would turn Lowell residents into “spectators of their own culture.” It was important to him that the cultural revival upon which he had staked so much maintain its authentic Lowell character and be animated by Lowellians—without lapsing into provincialism or becoming stale. As a teacher, he favored learning by doing and place-based learning. He said, “Don’t confuse knowing something with understanding something.”