Debbie Higgens at the Thames Country Show
Debbie Higgens, Ph. D., is a Professor of English at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee. She wrote this article describing her experience as a 2007 Scholar in Residence at the C.S. Lewis Study Centre at The Kilns (the former home of C.S. Lewis), Oxford, England. An edited version of this article also appears in our Winter 2008/2009 Newsletter, which can be found by clicking here.
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“A PhD Journey by Way of Narnia”
by Debbie Higgens, PhD
Once upon a time a middle-aged lady arrived at the Sheldonian theatre for her first Oxbridge conference. It was the summer of 2002, and as Stan Mattson took her hand offering a warm greeting, he glanced down at the embroidered print name on her shirt and questioned, “Did you really attend the Gleneagles School of Falconry?” “Sure did,” she replied, and thus began years of friendship and support not only from Stan but from those at the C.S. Lewis Foundation.
With that greeting of Stan’s, my mind flashed back to 1994 when I paid my first visit to the Kilns. I walked up Lewis Close to the sound of hammers and the sight of people of various ages and types, all working together to restore C.S. Lewis’s beloved home. I had noted the progress on my next visit in 1997, and now I was attending the dedication ceremony celebrating the committed spirit of so many volunteers.
However, my story with the Foundation was just beginning. With names like Bruce Edwards, Hal Poe, and later, Joseph Pearce, I was quickly surrounded with support as I plugged my way through the upper end of my doctoral program: comprehensive exams and the ever-foreboding dissertation. Stan and the others encouraged me, prayed for me, pounded out ideas with me, and advised me through the process. All of this became especially important as I continued my recovery from brain surgery, worked back into full-time teaching, and then, later, struggled through Lyme disease treatments. Returning to full-time teaching and with Lyme treatments looming in front of me, I reached an impasse with my dissertation writing.
Then one day while catching Stan up on my progress, or rather lack of progress, he proposed the God-sent question, “Debbie, do you think you could get a sabbatical and live at the Kilns as a scholar-in-residence?” Stan then proceeded to explain to me the unique role of the C.S. Lewis Study Centre and the opportunities for research and writing while in Oxford. Subsequent events that I would label as miracles led to my Academic Dean’s approval of the sabbatical for the winter semester of the 2006/2007 school year.
Two weeks after completing the extensive three-month treatments for Lyme disease, I caught a flight to Oxford to begin my adventure of study, new friends, and new-found faith. I walked into the Kilns, suitcases in tow, and was immediately invited into the dining room for a wonderful lunch prepared by the warden, Teresa Kipp. At the table sat the rest of my new family: Chelsea, an Oxford student, and Bill Barryman from Holy Trinity Church, a frequent guest at the Kilns. Within the hour we had been joined by our next new Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: C.S. Lewis Study Centre, Debbie Higgens, England, Oxford, Scholars in Residence, The Kilns
