Alumni Entrepreneurs
Gilmore Crosby, BA, 1982
Business/Organization/Inventions
Crosby and Associates
Type of Business
Leadership and organizational development
Date of Operation
1999-present
Contact Information
PO Box 133
Newark, DE 19715
(302) 983.1429
Evergreen helped prepare me for my professional life in the following way
The interdisciplinary approach continues to be a strong influence on my thinking. I see connections others don’t see, and love the Rasta wisdom that “Everything is Everything.” I also continue to read and explore a wide range of subject matter.
Historical materialism is systems thinking applied to the ebb and flow of history. It would be more widely understood if not for fear and politics. Of course the means of producing influences who we are and what we think! Behavior, as Kurt Lewin pointed out, is a function of personality times the environment (with the environment being the heavier influence). No one today thinks the world is flat, even though that would have been a given in certain cultures 4000 years ago. We are a product of our times and our immediate circumstances. If you are at the bottom of a hierarchy you will probably cope with stress through the defense mechanism of fight (with it’s obvious potential consequences), or the more likely defense mechanism of flight (by fleeing inward - keeping your mouth shut, trying to keep out of harm’s way). We are constantly in systems, and influenced by them. Evergreen gave me a deep understanding of that.
Finally, working in small groups, getting direct faculty contact, the whole TESC approach to learning fit my needs and increased my confidence greatly.
Most influential Evergreen Program
I’d have to say my freshman program, “Social Structure, Family Life, and Female Roles” made the biggest impact, partially because of the application of historical materialism to understanding cultures and gender relations. Besides the content, I was one of only three males in the class, so it was my first experience as a minority, and education which really would be wise for anyone. Honestly, every program had a lasting impact, even the one quarter I spent with Betty Kutter studying molecular biology in “Human Health and Behavior.”
Most influential Evergreen Faculty Member
This is tough, but Stephanie Coontz has certainly had the deepest lasting impact on my thinking. David Marr was also a huge influence on me at Evergreen. I actually spent half of my time there in his courses, including an individual contract my entire senior year. I only experienced his buddy, Rudy Martin, for two quarters, but I loved learning from Rudy.