Mike Cleary

The Grossly Unremarkable Ambrose Dowling Mike Cleary

After Ambrose Dowling, professor emeritus from Cal Berkeley, was struck by a motor-scooter, doctors at the local trauma center ran a battery of tests on the otherwise healthy octogenarian, checking him out from stem to stern. When Ambrose received the test results, he was pleased to see that all his body parts that kept him properly functioning were normal. Although, the technicians chose to describe them as grossly unremarkable. A wordsmith, the English professor embraced the term, telling everyone he was grossly unremarkable when, in fact, he was anything but, Returning home in early autumn, Ambrose discovered a postgrad student waiting on his doorstep. Told he was one of the good ones, she spoke of her fear of her economics professor who, she was convinced, was going to make a play for her. This meeting was the beginning of a remarkable maelstrom of intriguing incidents that challenged Ambrose Dowling, who showed he was up for the game. His biggest challenges? Preventing a professor from profiting from stealing someone's idea, helping a colleague save her good name and preparing a former Oakland Raider to play King Lear. The grossly unremarkable Ambrose Dowling was in his element