Work Hard, Play Hard

From creating Yiddish operas to firefighting, from horseriding in Montana to fishing in Alaska, Harvard professors find interesting ways to spend their time away from the campus. No matter what their pastimes, one theme becomes clear: professors have lives too.

They lecture to us for two or three hours a week, hand out an assignment once in a while and grade tests if they have the time.

Some toil over test tubes in their laboratories. Others can be found perusing dusty volumes of ancient texts. Eventually, they all write lengthy tomes about their area of expertise.

But what are these Harvard professors really like? What occupies their time away from the campus?

Some enjoy kicking back and chilling to mellow jazz tunes. More athletic types can be found on the basketball court. You'll have a hard time locating the really adventurous types: they're frequently jet-setting around the world.

No matter what their pastimes, however, one theme becomes clear: professors have lives, too.

Music Makes the World Go 'Round

Like many people in today's high-strung society, a number of professors view music as a way to relax after a long day at work. A few select instructors even take an active role in creating melodies.

Professor of Geology Raymond Siever, who teaches Science A-37, "The Changing Surface of the Earth," says he plays an hour or two of piano before coming to work every day.

"I've been playing since I was seven years old. My mother made me practice when I wanted to play baseball," says Siever. "It was one of the nicest things she ever did for me."

Although he plays some jazz, Siever says that classical music is his real passion.

Siever, who last performed in a concert two decades ago with the Belmont Symphony Orchestra, says playing music and learning new pieces helps him to relax.

"I am constantly studying new things," says Siever, who just finished learning four Chopin preludes. "It has been a source of never-ending pleasure."

Assistant Professor of Music Graeme M. Boone, who teaches Literature and Arts B-71, "Jazz: An American Music," takes a more active role in his discipline after he leaves the classroom. Boone plays the guitar and banjo in a variety of different styles.

"I've played bluegrass, jazz and world music," Boone says. "I used to be in a punk band called 'The Wacked'--it was."

Boone says his biggest thrill of the past year was playing on the waterfront in New York before a crowd of 200 people.

"It was unbelievable. Very inspiring," Boone says of the twilight performance.

Professor of Law Alan M. Dersowitz engages in a different type of music.

"I'm working on an opera in Yiddish based on a story that grew out of the Holocaust," he says. "It's the story of a person who had a chance to survive but didn't."

Dershowitz, whose grandfathers were both cantors, says he is personally collecting and composing the music. He says it is based on Jewish liturgical music from Poland.

Wide World of Sports

Many professors are also passionate sports fans. Rooting for their favorite team or playing their favorite sport provides many instructors with an entertaining pastime.

Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature Gregory Nagy, who teaches Literature and Arts C-14, "The Concept of the Hero in Hellenic Civilization," has devoted his heart to the Boston Red Sox.

"I grew up in Toronto, but at age six, when I could read the standings, I picked the Red Sox."

Assistant Professor of Statistics Hal Stern, a devoted Mets fan, takes a more active role in sports.

"I play basketball on the weekends and play intramurals with grad students," Stern says. "I enjoy playing because it is a chance to get together with my friends."

Stern also coaches a Little League team in Jamaica Plain during the baseball season.

"It gets me outdoors in the spring and gives me a good opportunity to work with kids," he says.

Dershowitz, a Celtics fan, frequently finds himself on the basketball court.

"It gets me away from the phone," the law professor says. "I play because it is fun. It reminds me of my youth. Basketball was my life when I was growing up in Brooklyn."

Professor of Astronomy Robert P. Kirshner engages in a different type of sport in his spare time.

"When I was an undergraduate here, I started the Harvard Cycling Club and did intercollegiate bike racing," he says.

This year, Kirshner says, he started cycling again when his son became interested in the sport. He now cycles 15 miles to work every day.

Copeland Lecturer on English and American Literature and Language Verlyn Klinkenborg participates in a rather esoteric sport in his free time--horse training.

"This summer I worked on my place in the Berkshires," Klinkenberg says. "I just finished building a run-in shed for horses."

Klinkenberg says he recently spent five days in the middle of Montana learning how to turn a colt into a trained horse.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Some professors' hobbies are a bit more out of the ordinary.

Agassiz Professor of Zoology Richard C. Lewontin spends his spare time fighting fires as president of the volunteer fire company in Marlboro, Vt.

"When the beeper goes off, I put out fires," explains Lewinton. "I'm always a little anxious, but I'm pretty well trained, and I never go in alone."

Lewinton says he is proud to be a productive member of the 300-person town.

"Marlboro is a small town run by primitive democracy," he says. "This is one of my contributions to the communal life of the town."

On a more spiritual level, Lee Professor of Economics Hendrik S. Houthakker says he has helped Pope John Paul II with one of his encyclicals, or papal pronouncements, which were published last May.

"I helped convince him that the free market was the way to go," Houthakker says. "He took a more favorable view of capitalism than most had expected."

Houthakker met John Paul II through his wife, who knew him before he became the leader of the Catholic church. Houthakker says the Pope even visited his place in Vermont in 1975.

Off We Go

A number of professors spend their most enjoyable moments outside of the classroom traveling.

Professor of Government Susan J. Pharr, a specialist in Japanese studies, manages to split time between business and pleasure on her trips to the Far East.

"I enter a whole different life in Japan," Pharr says. "Even though I travel for professional reasons, I find it personally very satisfying."

Pharr's most exciting venture this past year, she says, was her trip to South Korea.

"I've been to North Korea before, but this is the first time I went to South Korea," she says. "I was able to compare them and expand my credibility as an Asianist."

Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Jann Matlock likewise mixes business and pleasure on her trips abroad.

"I went to an incredible concert last July in Paris," says Matlock, who spends her summers researching in France.

"I was in the third row of a tribute to Miles Davis. He would start with his songs, and other jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock would take off on them," she says.

Dillon Professor of International Affairs Joseph S. Nye, Jr. takes seven days each year out of his busy schedule to go fly-fishing in Alaska.

"There are no other humans; just fish, bears, moose, and eagles," he says.

Nye says he is particularly proud of the 40-pound salmon he caught with a three-ounce rod.

Ain't Got Time

Alas, there are a few professors who do not find time to pursue exciting hobbies.

Such is the case with Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature Stephen Owen, chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilization.

"What spare time?" queries Owen, when asked what he does in his free moments.

"People come in all the time," says Owen, who adds that he teaches three classes and several reading courses as well as writes numerous recommendations. "I get a little pissed off about it."

"My hobbies have fallen by the wayside," says Owen. He says he has not taken a vacation in the past five years.

Professor of Astronomy A.G.W. Cameron experiences the same lack of free time that Owen does.

"One's life tends to be dominated by one's research," Cameron says. "Some people tend to get tense, but I take a phlegmatic approach to what I'm doing."

Just Relax

Not surprisingly, many Harvard professors undertake high-powered activities in their spare time. But a number of faculty members proclaim that what they like to do best is, well, just relax.

"I watch sitcoms to relieve stress," says Professor of Sociology Aage B. Sorenson, the chair of the Sociology Department. "I like to watch trash like that show Northern Exposure on Monday evenings. It's a wild thing."