Bucknell Professor Leads Tour for Secretary of State
December 10, 2015
As academic professor for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece, Bucknell Professor Kevin Daly, classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, has many responsibilities. Not included in the job description for the three-year appointment, however, was acting as tour guide to power players on the world diplomatic stage.
On Dec. 4, 2015, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Athens for a day packed with meetings. He requested a reprieve in the form of a visit to the Agora to see the central spot of Classical Athens. Located northwest of the Acropolis, the Agora was a center of athletics, arts, religion and politics.
The State Department turned to Daly to give Kerry -— along with U.S. Ambassador to Greece David Pearce and Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland — a tour of the site. Daly has excavated in the ancient Agora for 15 years and knows the site well.
"It was a real treat for me," said Daly. "Secretary Kerry was very engaged and engaging. He has not forgotten what he learned about the Greeks and he recognizes their relevance today. As a professor of Classics, I can't help but like that."
