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Dr. Kelley Ross |
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| ... is the guest speaker scheduled for the 128th meeting of the Karl Hess Club, to convene on February 21, 2005.
Dr. Kelley Ross on "Rand in Perspective"
Ayn Rand was born February 2,1905 in St. Petersburg, in what was then Czarist Russia. From time to time throughout the year we will be presenting programs and speakers relating in some way to Ayn Rand and objectivism. Dr. Ross will critique Rand from the viewpoint of a professional philosopher (tenured full-time instructor at Valley College) who is also a practicing libertarian, being a political activist in the Libertarian Party (something Rand would have eschewed) and a frequent candidate for public office. Having started a conversion from a liberal orientation in the early nineties through the writings of Karl Popper and Frederick Hayek, Ross credits Rand for having provided, specifically through Atlas Shrugged, "the emotional shove that would push me over into real political activism." If the compelling nature of her writing is seen as a virtue, still "the harsh certainty of an autodidact and self-made person, and the high handed authoritarian manner of Rand's personality, worked against her case, her cause, and her life," according to Ross. We expect our discussion to touch upon such elements of Rand's literary method and philosophy and their limitations, as well as their ramifications on the field of politics, especially during the Cold War period and its aftermath. Please join us for what promises to be a unique exploration of Rand's life and letters, warts and all, even as we acknowledge her to be, as Ross says: "An inspiring advocate for the free market and for the creativity of the autonomous individual."
About Kelley Ross
"My family has been a part of the history of Southern California ever since my great uncle, R.L. 'Les' Kelley, began selling Model T Fords in 1918. Later his business grew into the largest car dealership in the world. Les Kelley Ford and the Kelley Kar Company occupied most of the block at Pico and Figueroa, where the Los Angeles Convention Center now stands. "Les's practice of supplying information on used car prices grew into the Kelley Blue Book. For many years the Blue Book was edited by my father, also named Kelley L. Ross, until his death in 1980. The Blue Book is still managed by my cousins in the Kelley family."
* Ulysses S. Grant High School, Van Nuys, California, 1964-1967. * The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1967-68. * The University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 1968-71; B.A. Magnâ cum Laude in an Individual Field (Classical and Middle Eastern History, Languages, and Philosophy), June 1971; Phi Beta Kappa.
* The University of Hawaii at Mânoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1972-74; National Defense Education Act (NDEA) Fellow, 1972-74; M.A. in Philosophy, May 1974. * The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 1975-85; Ph.D. in Philosophy, May 1985. * Full-Time Instructor (tenured), Los Angeles Valley College, 5800 Fulton Ave., Van Nuys, California 91401, 1987-present. * Candidate, 40th California State Assembly District, Libertarian Party, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000. * Candidate, 28th California Congressional District, Libertarian Party, 2002, 2004. * Founder, Publisher, & Editor, The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series, 1996-present. * Married, June 22, 1991, to Jacqueline I. Stone, Ph.D., Department of Religion, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey. * For more on Kelley Ross, visit his fascinating website: Friesian.com/ross. * For more
detail on his commentary on Rand, go to: Friesian.com/rand.htm.
ADDENDUM: David Harmon took these images at the above meeting.
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Kelley L. Ross, Ph.D., Department
of Philosophy, Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, California 91401-4096,
(818) 947-2467 (voicemail available), 
* Born:
October 4, 1949, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, in Hollywood,
California 
* The American
University of Beirut, Lebanon, on The University of California Education
Abroad Program (EAP), 1969-70. 
