Bednar, Charles S. 1928-

PERSONAL:

Born November 3, 1928, in New York, NY; son of Karel B. (an editor) and Anna (a homemaker; maiden name, Tomcala) Bednar; married Beluse A. Pokorny (a homemaker), August 30, 1959. Education: Rutgers University, B.A., M.A., 1951; Columbia University, Ph.D., 1955.Hobbies and other interests: Reading.

ADDRESSES:

Home—1285 Sheridan Rd., Coopersburg, PA 18036-1816.E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA, associate professor of philosophy and political science, 1958-62; Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, professor of political science, 1962-2000. Temple University, adjunct professor, 1963-86. Allentown Young Men's Christian Association, board member, 1980-85, currently president.

MEMBER:

Czechoslovak Society for the Arts and Sciences, Sokol USA, Phi Beta Kappa.

WRITINGS:

Muhlenberg Essays in Honor of the College Centennial,Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA), 1968.

Transforming the Dream: Ecologism and the Shaping of an Alternative American Dream, State University of New York Press (Albany, NY), 2003.

Contributor to East Central Europe Journal.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A retrospective critique of the intellectual currents of the counter-culture movement in America.

SIDELIGHTS:

Charles S. Bednar told CA: "My primary motivation in writing Transforming the Dream: Ecologism and the Shaping of an Alternative American Dream was to provide college students and the general public with a clearer understanding of the cultural and ideological elements that drive modern American society in an unsustainable direction, unsustainable environmentally and democratically. People live by the images in their heads. The images that color the way most Americans view themselves and the external environment are not capable of engendering a sustainable society, one that maintains biodiversity, social equity, and quality of life that is not dependent on an exponentially increasing use of energy and resources. American society is currently profoundly shaped by a dominant paradigm or mindset that, if not challenged, can fatally obstruct policies that could avoid both environmental destruction and social destabilization."