Dr. Larry Shiner is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, History, and Visual Arts at the University of Illinois Springfield. From Shiner’s birth in Topeka, Kansas this oral history interview is a personal account of his familial and academic life covering multiple universities, states and continents. An early faculty member at Sangamon State University, Shiner recounts the organizational, structural and faculty staffing struggles of an emerging academic institution. Additionally, he details the research, motivation and inspiration that led to accomplished publications such as: "Secret Mirror: Literary Form and History in Tocqueville's 'Recollections'”, "The Secularization of History: An Introduction to the Theology of Friedrich Gogarten", "The...