Abraham Lowenthal was born and raised in Massachusetts, and went to Harvard “and stayed for every degree I could think of.” After a stint in the Dominican Republic – when “Lyndon Johnson in his wisdom landed the marines and gave me a topic for my PhD thesis” – Lowenthal moved to California. “It was for a very simple reason,” the USC professor and author of Global California explained. “I fell in love with a wonderful woman.” Lowenthal tells us more about himself below.

Q. What was the last habit you tried to kick?

A. Leaving dirty dishes on the counter instead of washing them and sticking them in the dishwasher.

Q. Who was your childhood hero?

A. Ted Williams, left fielder of the Boston Red Sox.

Q. What do you consider to be the greatest simple pleasure?

A. A mocha chip ice cream cone.

Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning?

A. At the gym.

Q. What do you do to clear your mind?

A. I like taking a walk along the ocean.

Q. What music have you listened to today?

A. None today, but if you go back a couple days, I listened to KUSC and the Beatles.

Q. What is your favorite word?

A. Inchoate. I tend to use it once every three or four articles.

Q. If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?

A. Back to Cape Cod.

Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?

A. If I couldn’t be a Major League ball player, I would enjoy being a judge.

Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?

A. David Ben-Gurion.

To read more about Lowenthal’s panel on whether California should be its own country, click here.

*Photo by Aaron Salcido.