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A Homegrown Historian: Douglas Brinkley

" Brinkley explained, “I think that Perrysburg High School has always focused on getting young people engaged for service, whether going to college or the armed forces. I’m deeply proud to have come from a high school that is constantly proving its mettle by getting young people and working with them to get into schools. …and Ohio has a wealth of great colleges…"

Douglas Brinkley is a knowledgeable presidential historian, award-winning author, and a treasured professor. Throughout his accomplished career, Brinkley has had many opportunities to meet and learn about impactful people like former presidents and activists, and to visit and experience numerous historical sites. Through all his impressive achievements, he will never forget his roots: Perrysburg, Ohio.

According to his personal website, Douglas Brinkley was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1960, but moved to Perrysburg, Ohio when he was eight years old. Here, he attended Perrysburg Schools, with his mother as an English teacher at the high school. He would go on to attend The Ohio State University, majoring in U.S. History and earning his bachelor’s degree. He also attended Georgetown University studying U.S. Diplomatic History and earned both his master’s and PhD. He’s taught at numerous institutions, landing at Rice University in Houston, Texas in the present day. 

Brinkley’s time living in Perrysburg and attending the high school shaped him into the visionary he is today. At Perrysburg High School (PHS), he had nothing negative to say about his experiences. “It was just an incredible place to attend. [There were] wonderful teachers, and histories, and humanities…that I had. [There were] a lot of hijinks, funny moments, you know, when we’d get into low grade mischief with some of my friends…and I was always a fairly good student, but it helped me train myself for college. I could’ve probably done better, but I did well enough studying in order to get into The Ohio State University undergraduate,” Brinkley reminisced. The vivacity of adolescent years is a commonality amongst many people. The adventures experienced are when youth learn about themselves and are reflected in their future years.

Brinkley lives in the big, bustling city of Houston, Texas. Although this city has brought him amazing opportunities to teach at the renowned Rice University, he is grateful for his experiences growing up in the 1970s in Perrysburg. While big cities are full of traffic and staggering tall buildings, Perrysburg is full of moderate-sized homes and near-proximity locations. A benefit that Perrysburg has, that Brinkley reflected upon, was the ability to bike nearly all over town. Brinkley said, “I think that bicycling is one of the underrated activities of life and Perrysburg in-particular’s bike riding. When you're young you can go all over town on your bicycle and there's something that's really special about that compared to just driving. But the memories of the car [are] less dramatic than me just being able to hop on a bike and go across Perrysburg to see a friend. The ability to ride your bike down to Fort Meigs, or in the winter, go sledding there and realizing just how seminal that was…or just going to a house in downtown Perrysburg where a president of the United States, William Henry Harrison, learned that he was actually elected president.” Perrysburg is lucky to offer a wide variety of places to visit, whether that be a historical site or a simple ice cream shop. With the freedom of the bicycle in a small town, the opportunities are endless, and play a special part in the memories of Brinkley’s childhood.

While biking was a favorite way to explore, so were school field trips. Field trips have varied over the years for Perrysburg students, whether that be visiting local jailhouses for the Street Law class in the present day or visiting historical presidential homes in the past. Brinkley had the opportunity to visit Rutherford B. Hayes’ home in Fremont, Ohio on a field trip during his school days. This trip enthralled Brinkley with its history and inspired him to pursue Ohio’s presidential history further. Since Ohio is dubbed as the “Mother of Presidents” due to being the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents, Brinkley has made it a point to visit every presidential site in Ohio. Although he has paid a visit to every presidential site, it still warms him to know the rich history in his hometown. “The person I admired the most, historically, was Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and I loved seeing his statue downtown off of Main Street…I think the city of Perrysburg does a good job of promoting local history and reminding us that we're a historic town,” Brinkley praised. This reigns true as the historic sector of Perrysburg has educational plaques and signage that teach the community about the history that not only impacted the city of Perrysburg, but the state and the country as well.

Growing up with a strong enamoration for history, Brinkley was always sure to share his love for it in different ways along the way. From 1992 to 1995, Brinkley took college students on what he called, “Magic Bus Trips.” He would take the students all over the country where they would visit historical sites. Along the way, they would read novels and books fitting their destinations and would stay at national parks and other public places. “It was really special and a great way to share my love of America with other people. People really enjoyed it, that got to do [the trip]. Plus, it just opened up America. It's like bursting a piñata open. [There were] just so many things we did and saw; it was just an extraordinary time,” Brinkley reflected. These trips not only brought light to other students, but allowed Brinkley’s love for America to shine on.

Throughout his career, Brinkley has had various, unique opportunities to feed his adoration of history. Some of his proudest accomplishments are not the awards he has won, but the interactions he has had with historical figures. Brinkley has interviewed former presidents, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Brinkley had the opportunity to interact with these figures and get to know them as people. The opportunity to connect with someone in such a public environment at such a personal level is not only rare, but momentous. Brinkley has also written a short book about Rosa Parks that he is proud of because of the connections he made with her as a person during the process. His most special moments involve the human-to-human connections he has made, something that no award can outdo. 

Perrysburg was the foundation of his schooling that allowed his educational career to grow from The Ohio State University undergraduate to attending Georgetown University for his master’s and PhD. PHS offered him opportunities that would push him far in life. Brinkley explained, “I think that Perrysburg High School has always focused on getting young people engaged for service, whether going to college or the armed forces. I’m deeply proud to have come from a high school that is constantly proving its mettle by getting young people and working with them to get into schools. …and Ohio has a wealth of great colleges…and the guidance counselors at Perrysburg High School are very talented at helping a student find their way.” Brinkley’s times at PHS allowed for his encouragement to pursue his ambitious endeavors further.

Starting off as an ordinary high school student, Brinkley has worked his way to land himself in the spot of an immensely talented career. He did not forget the journey that led him there. As current students prepare to enter new eras of their lives, he had some words of advice to offer as they find their way in the world. “Every young person in high school has a skill that they don't appreciate because it's what they love doing. Follow your heart and pursue what you like the most because that way you’ll always be happy. Be careful not to get shook up like an insect in a jar…just have an honest talk with yourself: ‘but what do I like?’ Or maybe [put] it in a book term: ‘if I could read a book about any topic right now on anything, what would I most enjoy reading?’ and it might lead to a gateway for you to enter in your life. Get rid of boxes. Don’t feel boxed in. Find the doors, and go through. But you have to identify what you love the most,” he advised with assurance. Every student has the opportunity to make their career a success, all that is necessary is their passion. Brinkley was able to take his passion towards history and make it his life. He believes any student can do the same.

As Douglas Brinkley currently teaches in Houston, Texas at Rice University, he never forgets the path that led him to where he is today. As a presidential historian, he remembers and values history to its core…including his own. Thus, the roots of his childhood history will not be forgotten: “You grow up somewhere and as you get older you gotta go out and travel the world, but [Perrysburg]’s still the place where I grew up and have eternal fondness for.”