“Wittenberg will provide you with all of the tools to become exactly the kind of person that you want to be. This includes many opportunities outside of academics, although study should always be one's chief priority. Whether it be through sports, Greek life, student government, or any other association, Wittenberg's greatest strength is the ability to bring people of a common interest together, and to help them develop these to positive ends.” – John Mohr ’12
Always interested in cars, history major John Mohr took his childhood fascination a huge step forward while at Wittenberg.
“I began to see the automobile as an important force for historical change,” Mohr says. “My training as a historian has given me a new perspective on how the car has shaped the industrial age and many societies throughout the world.”
Last summer, Mohr won a research award to examine perception problems involving the Ford Pinto. That project soon became his history department thesis and an honors thesis, wherein he studied the history of the Pinto, the marketing of it and actually, in one professor’s words, “debunked Unsafe at Any Speed, the seminal work by Ralph Nader.”
With graduation nearing, Mohr looks forward to continued work in his favorite field of automotive history thanks to a full-ride from one of the South’s largest universities.
“I will be attending Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., this fall as a direct-track doctoral student, studying the history of science and technology. I hope to develop and refine my interests there, and to eventually pursue a career in academia or archival work.”
In reviewing his four years at Wittenberg, Mohr says his “greatest inspiration and support has come from my fellow brothers at Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Without them, my college experience would have been much less meaningful to my development as a whole person. Lambda Chi helped me to become a better man, student and world citizen, and it gave me the confidence I needed to help me achieve my personal goals.”
Written By: Karen Gerboth
Photo By: Erin Pence
