To my surprise, when the center announced that we would be reading a biography on Thomas Merton not many scholars knew who he was or what he was so famous for. Little did they know, Thomas Merton was a legendary poet, social activist, spiritualist, and Kentuckian. I first learned about Thomas Merton while attending the Governor's Scholarship Program at Centre College my junior year of High School. My main area of focus for my 5 weeks at GSP was Cultural Anthropology specifically focusing on the study of monasticism in various cultures and religions. We read excerpts of the Seven Story Mountain and even were even able to attend The Abbey of Gethsemani, which is located near Bardstown, Kentucky. Through reading The Seven Story Mountain in its entirety this semester and studying him during the summer of 2008 I am astonished that Thomas Merton is not commonly remembered as a famous Kentuckian. Thomas was famous for bridging gaps between the United States and famous Asian spiritual figures such as the Dalai Lama. He questioned convention with his autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain. And on top of that, wrote multiple books receiving prestigious awards and recognitions. As Kentuckians we are lucky to have such rich history in our back yard and as McConnell Scholars we were lucky enough to be exposed to such a historical figure.
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