File Under: It's a Small World

Marting Hall

Every few days I will review the new people who have joined Maggie's Facebook page. It's been interesting to watch as fans from around the world join. It's even  more interesting to learn something new about the world. As of the morning I'm writing this post her fans come from New Zealand, Austria, Singapore, Jamaica, Peru, Brazil, Iraq, Uganda, France. Botswana, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Jordan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Egypt, India, and the United States.

Today I came across a little tidbit of information that was so interesting. A gentleman from Bangalore India joined the page. His profile page listed the educational institutions he attended. Among them, he listed that he earned a graduate degree from Baldwin Methodist College. The name instantly caught my eye. The irreverent psychologist got his start years ago as a student at another college rooted in Methodist values: Baldwin Wallace College. 

Deitch Hall

Could this be some long lost cousin of my undergraduate college? Apparently so. John Baldwin, one of the founders of the two institutions that would become Baldwin-Wallace College, got around. It appears that in his later life he donated money to found some educational institutions in and around Bangalore. Who knew?

Why is this important? One of the things that I enjoy about Maggie's presence of Facebook is that the world has become a smaller and more accessible place. People from all walks of life, from all corners of the world, interact, play, and think together. We have impact on each other and in this small spot in cyberspace, we see how we are interconnected within our incredible diversity. 

It was nice to be reminded of this when I made the connection between Baldwin Methodist College and Baldwin-Wallace College. The genealogy of my educational history is one way that I'm deeply connected to people, places, and ideas around the world.

What are the ways you are connected?