Associate Professor Dan Haworth talks understanding ALS diagnosis during on campus conversation

In the fall of 2018 Daniel Haworth, associate professor of history, at UHCL was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Haworth is currently on leave with the university but kicking back and relaxing is not on the agenda. Haworth said his diagnosis has inspired him to travel, read and write.

On Oct. 3, the College of Human Science and Humanities hosted a special event, ALS and the Life of the Mind: A Conversation Between Historians, during which Haworth and his good friend and colleague Adam Hodges, associate professor of history, held conversations providing insight on Haworth’s perspectives after being diagnosed with ALS. The hour-long event explored a trio of topics and included opening remarks from some of Haworth’s administrators and colleagues.

Opening Thursday’s presentation, Shreerekha Subramanian, associate professor of humanities, recounted the positive impression Haworth has made on those within his department. Subramanian described their department’s affiliation as a family and addressed Haworth’s own family members among the audience – his wife, parents and sister.

President Ira K. Blake extended her welcome by further introducing Haworth and his accomplishments. Blake shared her memories of Haworth, including the first exchange of emails amongst the two. Blake recalled her arrival at UHCL two years ago in the fall of 2017, not long after Hurricane Harvey. She attended an open meeting with faculty as an opportunity to hear their thoughts on the state of affairs at UHCL and their ideas for the future of the university.

At the end, she encouraged faculty to provide information regarding their expertise and availability to support the advancement of the university.

“During that meeting, Dr. Haworth contributed to a number of comments and spoke briefly with me at the end,” Blake said.

She described Haworth’s comments as genuine and a reflection of his heartfelt commitment to the university.

“I looked forward to future conversations with him,” Blake said. “Shortly thereafter and true to my initial impression, I received an email from Dr. Haworth outlining his expertise, his contributions to UH-Clear Lake and his community-minded attitude.”

Blake held the email she was referring in her hand and told the audience “in terms of his expertise I was fascinated.”

Haworth did not tell Blake about his Ph.D in history, his published research, or that he received a Fulbright-Garcia Robles grant. Instead, Haworth focused on working to enhance UHCL’s standing as a Hispanic- Serving Institution. The establishment of a minor in Latino/a and Latin American Studies (LLAS), and his efforts establish Spanish language classes on campus.

Blake said she admires Haworth’s ability to mindfully listen to his inner voice and his courage to follow his heart, continuing his intentions to make a difference in the world.

Wanalee Romero, lecturer of literature and director of the first-year experience program, concluded the opening remarks and supported Blake’s statement with a personal story of her own. Romero credited Haworth as her mentor when she was hired as a UHCL faculty member.

“Dan was one of the first senior faculty members to take me under his wing as a mentor, and I will always be grateful for that,” Romero said.

Romero expanded on Haworth’s impressive character by stating he always made her feel valued and supported. Romero closed by extending her gratitude on behalf of the LLAS program on campus, of which Haworth is the founding director, where she accredited his contributions to the program.

After the opening remarks, the two historians used a philosophical approach to discuss Haworth’s topics of interest: travel, books and the humanities. Their conversation began when Hodges introduced himself as the event’s facilitator and the first topic of discussion, travel. The ALS diagnosis of over a year ago motivated Haworth to see places in Latin America that he has only grown to know from a distance through research.

“These places I have studied intensively, read about, conversed about, but never had the opportunity to visit,” Haworth said regarding his upcoming travel plans.

Haworth’s diagnosis has given him the incentive to explore beyond Mexico, which Hodges called his ‘home away from home’ because of Haworth’s many visits and extensive stays. Those visits support this research on everyday life in nineteenth-century Mexico, about which Haworth has published in both Mexico and the United States.

Next, Haworth and Hodges discussed books and the ways they have inspired his perspective of life. Haworth recalls a book he read about a very strong person, a disabled amputee, who navigated life defined by humanities and not by disability. The message the story conveyed on disability spoke directly to Haworth.

“I navigate life not defined by my disability but by the focus of my mind, by my ability to reason, to think, to read, and to find models to follow in literature,” Haworth said.

The third topic of the afternoon tied into the final discussion on humanities. Haworth said because books provide the answers to life’s meaning, he turns to humanities, not science, to better understand ALS. Haworth’s ability to be inspired has, in return, inspired him.

Haworth earned his undergraduate degree as a double major in History and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He attended graduate school at the University of Texas where he earned his masters and doctorate in History. Haworth’s efforts in founding the LLAS program resulted in LLAS being offered as a minor for the first time at UHCL.