Gilbert L Raiford

The Marco Polo of Zuber Florida Gilbert L Raiford

My urge to travel and see as much of this world that I possible could, was matched by my thirst for knowledge. There was no preschool during my early years. So, I did not learn how to read until I was in the first grade. Immediately, reading became my favorite past-time. When other kids were playing ball and climbing trees, I would be sitting under a big oak tree with a book. By the time I reached high school, I had read every Shakespeare play and by the time I reached college, I had read every Russian and French novel that I could find - such was my thirst for knowledge. But it did not stop there: I became a perennial student, enrolled in an assortment of universities for a total of 33 years. Upon graduating from Hampton University, I went to NYC where I attended Columbia University, NYU, Hunter College, Adelphi University, and Fordham University. Other universities that I attended included the University of Connecticut, University of Chicago, Brandeis University and the Sorbonne in Paris. So, it is not surprising that I would gravitate toward a teaching career. Not only would I have a career that required copious reading, but it was a natural platform for the exchange of ideas. I was extremely fortunate to have been able to teach at such universities as New York University, University of Kansas, University of Chicago, The College of the Bahamas, St. Leo College, Pepperdine University, Florida International University, Wayne State University, Grambling University, and Barry University. When traveling around Europe during my formative years, I shared hotel accommodations with more than 30 individuals, none of whom I had known before. (We were young and were happy to find someone who needed to share expenses.) The combination of interactive travel and acquisition of knowledge has sustained me, and it will you. Try it!