Felicia Beardsley A green thumb doesn’t do it. How about a green hand? Green arm? Shoulder? Torso? That would only begin to describe Felicia Beardsley. “It started when I was a kid,” said the wide-eyed assistant professor of anthropology, exuding passion that gives those around her no choice but to listen intently, sometimes without even realizing it. “I’ve always been messing with the soil and plants. My responsibility was the yard because I liked to be outside. “I like being among all the plants in my garden. I like the smell of the soil. That kind of sounds strange, doesn’t it?” But this is not strange at all, when one gets to know her. When not teaching, Beardsley is outside, either researching in the field or tending to her haphazard mountain garden, professing that what may appear random is actually fruit of endless dedicated trial-and-error. “You’d look at my garden and say, ‘Oh, my God, that’s total chaos,’” she said. As an archaeologist, Beardsley conducts a large amount of research in third-world countries, where people subscribe to the belief that plants grow better with companion plants. However, discovering which plants actually are companion plants takes time. “With enough work in the garden,” she said, “you begin to recognize what plants like certain plants. So, my garden might look like a mess to some people, but if you look closely, you’ll see that there is an order to everything in the garden.” In fact, when not gardening, as an archaeologist, Beardsley spends a considerable amount of time doing the things an archaeologist does because, whether it’s her job or not, that’s what she likes to do. “When I’m not at school or teaching classes, “ she said, “I’m working in the archaeology lab, writing reports or in the field.” Even the books Beardsley reads and collects stem from her love and livelihood. Her collection, “a few thousand” books, she said, ranges from 18th century tomes to those published today. The meat of her collection, however, resides in the 19th century. “The 19th century is the every man’s century,” she said. “And the writers who were writing, like George Eliot, were making the world come alive for everybody.” Igniting her innate passion for archaeology, talking about 19th century books branches back – yet again – to the past and the inferences one can make about a society based on its books. “Books represent an explosion of culture in the West,” she said. “This is when you really see the common man coming into his own. The world is becoming a much bigger place. Books make the world accessible.” Adamantly professing that George Eliot is her favorite from the time (“I have just about everything of hers.”), Beardsley also enjoys a realm of 19th century romantic novels written by cleric’s wives, “Mrs. So and So,” she said. In addition, she enjoys the works of naturalists, like Alfred Wallace. Her love for books, like her affinity for being outside, were forged early in her life. She recalls the used bookstore a block away during graduate school, where she’d spend hours. But even before that, she remembers a bookstore near where she grew up. “I’d always end up making my way there,” she said. “I just liked it.” Now, with her perpetually-growing, already healthy collection, she still revels in discovering how each book was made in accordance to the time from which it came. Everything from the binding to the materials in the cover and paper enflames that archaeological light in her eyes. “You can tell a lot about the state of books and about the state of the society from which they came,” she said. “I guess I just live in the world of history.” THE PROFESSOR Beardsley enjoys teaching students who can think outside of the box, or in this case, the book: “Students who have an innate curiosity,” she said. “Students who demonstrate an intellectual curiosity, who are willing to extend their knowledge beyond what’s in a book.” An eclectic personality, Beardsley reads 6 to 7 newspapers a day and sometimes brings in articles she had read that morning for discussion. Often, “off the wall,” one of her most recent articles dealt with canine suicides in Scotland, all in the goal of “introducing the students to the world around them.” Beardsley said she also has a special soft spot for freshmen. “They’re interested in learning and the world around them,” she said, also excited about introducing freshmen to a discipline she loves so much. “They have no fears about asking you anything, no matter what. All their questions are relevant, and we can relate them all to the current class discussion.” As for what her students think about her, Beardsley said that some say she knows what she’s talking about, and “I guess others say I’m kind of hard because I make them do a lot of work.” She also integrates a heavy critical thinking component in her class, which some students don’t like but come to thank her in the semesters to follow. “Students come back and say they had to use it again and knew how to do it,” she said. “It’s nice to hand students a skill and see them actually use it and develop it.” But despite Beardsley’s success as a teacher, the classroom is not necessarily the best place to find her. The first place to check would be – guess where – outside. “I just like it,” she said. “It’s just part of who I am, getting to be outside and doing something with the earth. Maybe it has something to do with letting your imagination run away with you.” Check out Dr. Beardsley’s professional work at her Homepage here. RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:beardsle@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOhttp://www.exhumanitas.comHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2
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