Kamol Somvichian When Kamol Somvichian, professor of political science, was living in his home country of Thailand, he felt great pressure to live a life of politics. “People didn’t leave me alone,” he says. “They called me day and night asking me to run.” Somvichian remembers the pressure from the people of Thailand being so great that he was forced to unplug his telephone. On the last day to sign up to run for parliament, he heard a knock on his door at midnight. “It was the secretary of the Democratic Party demanding that I answer the phone,” he says. “I plugged it back in, and it rang. ‘Please we need you,’ he said, so I ran.” Elected to the Parliament, Somvichian served from 1972-1977. In 1972, he helped write Thailand’s constitution. In addition to the Parliament, he was also active in the National Legislative Assembly; he served as Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Advisor to the Governor of Bangkok, Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief Economic Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister. “Not only was I elected by the people, I was manager of the party; I ran the party,” Somvichian says of his role with the Democratic Party, the oldest political party in Thailand. At the time he was elected to Parliament, Somvichian was teaching at Chulaloughorn University, a premier university named after the king of Thailand. After making many career changes, he finally wound up in La Verne in 1982. “I love it here,” Somvichian says. In his time at ULV, Somvichian helped create the world civilizations course. While Western civilization was already being taught, he brought the eastern perspective into play. “We’re proud of it,” he says. ”Previously this course was taught as world civilizations following a Eurocentric approach. If Asia were to be mentioned at all it was done in passing.” Somvichian has received the Fulbright scholarship twice. Getting invited to teach at Swathmore College as a Fulbright scholar in 1959 “practically saved my life” because it got him away from the political crisis at home. “I have always been outspoken,” he says. For more than 22 years, Somvichian has expressed himself to the public by publishing articles both locally and back in Thailand. While most of his articles surround the area of politics and economic development, even critical articles about the government, Somvichian says he also writes about things like love, courage, success and life in general; things that can be read by anyone. He says his work has been read by a lot of people, and he has received a lot of good responses. Somvichian has an optimistic view of life that does not allow him to see failures, rather lessons to learn from. “Look at so called failures as a test drive,” he says. “If you consider such an event as a mistake and let it pull you down, then it’s a mistake.” He has recently stopped writing. “Maybe I was too interesting,” he says. “What can you do when you speak the truth, and people don’t want to hear it? I am still struggling to speak freely.” Art, however, does let Somvichian express himself. While he says he used to have many hobbies, art is one of the few that remains; he appreciates art and enjoys painting. Artwork covers the walls of Somvichian’s office. Among the many pieces are some of his wife’s work, and a piece on the World Trade Center. “I still miss it,” he says, explaining that he once worked on the 80th floor for Chase Bank in 1979. “At that same place I used to come out with my cup of coffee, looking out at Hudson Bay, was the first spot hit by the first plane.” “I love this country, but my love is expressed in different ways now,” he says. “I inform people of what’s going on in the outside world – the way they look at us, think of us, what they expect from us. It’s not easy. You don’t know yourself because you can’t see yourself. People may have another opinion.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:somvichi@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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