CSC professor talks on kindness

The room fell silent as he approached the wooden podium. After a brief greeting, he cleared his throat and began describing his favorite brands of cigarettes from the Vietnam War.

The most recent Graves Lecture in the series featured Bruce Hoem, a CSC Social Work professor, Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Mari Sandoz Center

Hoem read original works inspired by his time overseas during the Vietnam War and shared notable stories from his life, including various celebrity encounters.

The preview of the lecture teased that it would be about Charles Manson, Woodstock, The 5th Dimension, and The Cat. These topics weren’t the subject of Hoem’s readings, only mentioned in them. However, Hoem said that he attempts to convey the same message through all of his writing. 

“Try to be kind. Try to be kind before anything else.” Hoem said.