Michael Golay

Teaching was not his first career, or even his second; had he not been invited to speak at Exeter about a recently-published book, historian Michael Golay may never have enriched the lives of so many Exonians. Through his roles as a senior history instructor, former adviser to The Exonian, dorm faculty for McConnell Hall and beloved student adviser, he has left an immeasurable impact on campus. But Golay had never taught a high school class when he was offered a part-time position only weeks after coming to Exeter to speak about his book, A Ruined Land: End of the Civil War (1999), at a lunch hosted by the History Department in 2000. Four years later, he became a full-time member of the History Department’s faculty, and the rest is history.

 "Golay “helped me feel like someone was watching out for me and cared about me,” Friberg said, fondly recalling how, on Tuesday nights, "Golay cheerfully greets each member of McConnell Hall and asks the dorm-members about their activities that day."

Before Exeter, Golay had distinguished careers as a newspaper journalist and an independent scholar and author. He published eight books including A Ruined Land, which became a finalist for the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize in 2000. Golay moved to Exeter when his wife, Julie Quinn, became a communications director.  Shortly after A Ruined Land sparked the interest of Exeter’s History Department, the department asked him to teach at Exeter. Since coming to Exeter, Golay has published six more books, most recently America 1933: The Great Depression, Lorena Hickok, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Shaping of the New Deal, published in 2014.

Golay served as an adviser for The Exonian from his first years on the faculty until 2012. With his background in journalism, advising the school newspaper was a natural fit. Journalism “was something I knew well,” Golay said. He added, “Newspapers are vitally important,” and emphasized that The Exonian “is significant and important in our life here. I’m a big supporter of it.”

Golay’s importance on campus is only further emphasized by his fellow colleagues. According to Chair of Exeter’s History Department William Jordan, Golay is a “tremendous colleague” and a “true intellectual,” one who is “incredibly dedicated to his teaching and to his students.” Jordan recounted how, after recommending Richard Hofstadter’s Anti-intellectualism in American Life to him, Golay finished the 400-page book over winter break. Upon finishing the book, Golay emailed Jordan a quote which Jordan notes describes Golay “to a tee.” Golay quoted Hofstadter’s statement that “[whatever] the intellectual is too certain of, if he is healthily playful, he begins to find unsatisfactory. The meaning of his intellectual life lies not in the possession of truth but in the quest for new uncertainties.”

Jordan credits Golay with having been “hugely influential over the U.S. history curriculum” at Exeter, noting that Golay was the driving force behind a group that created a common history syllabus used by generations of teachers. Golay has “been a pioneer in writing syllabi that abandon the standard textbook and use other kinds of historical writing,” said Jordan.

Although teaching is his third professional job, Golay fit naturally as a teacher and adviser. “I sort of see my job in two ways,” he said. “One is in the classroom and one is in the dorm [with] my advisees,” Golay added. He enjoys both aspects of his job equally. “I’m interested in the students here more than I am in any other element of the school.” 

All Exonians agree that Golay puts students first, whether in the classroom or in McConnell Hall. “Mr. Golay was one of the first people who made Exeter into a home,” says senior and McConnell proctor Megi Topalli. On her first night as a prep at Exeter and having newly arrived from Albania, Topalli felt homesick.  Golay found her alone in the common room, and spent an hour talking to her about her home country and its history. “I remember feeling overwhelmed at how nicely I had just been welcomed into the dorm and Exeter,” Topalli said.

Julia Friberg ‘17 was a member of Golay’s advisory for her four years at Exeter and values the personal relationship they formed in the dorm and in the classroom. Golay “helped me feel like someone was watching out for me and cared about me,” Friberg said, fondly recalling how, on Tuesday nights, Golay cheerfully greets each member of McConnell Hall and asks the dorm-members about their activities that day. He also helped Friberg with the college admissions  process during her senior year. In advising Friberg on her applications, Golay “made sure that my voice was the most important one during the college application process,” said Friberg. She also attributes him with helping her finish a tough History 600 paper. Golay “made me really believe in myself,” Friberg said, noting that his encouragement was “kind of an [athlete and] coach relationship where he was cheering me on” during the writing of the thirty-page paper.

Golay’s passion for history stems primarily from his curiosity. “I’m very interested in how people live or how people lived,” he said. His academic interest evolved from this curiosity. Though Golay has written about the Civil War era, his favorite time period “might be the 1920s and 30s.” A lover of narratives, Golay notes he was always interested in stories, especially “stories that are true because what actually happened is better than anything you can make up—unless you’re Tolstoy or James Joyce or Jane Austen,” Golay said. This last phrase underscores Golay’s interest in literature as well. He credits George Orwell, Leo Tolstoy, and James Joyce as his biggest influences.

Though Golay is a seasoned journalist, acclaimed historian and a veteran history instructor, his greatest addition to life on campus may be his accessibility and his understanding of students’ needs. He has “an ability to be really compassionate and personable,” notes Friberg. Even now, as a freshman in college, Golay checks in to see how she’s doing. On campus, Golay continues to be a willing ear and mentor for his students. “It’s nice to know there is always a door open on campus whenever I need to do homework or just talk to someone,” Topalli said. Most aptly, Jordan described Golay as “a fierce advocate for students whose classroom is a haven for them as well.”