In his twenties, when he wasn’t draining 20-foot jump shots for his college team in France, Roy Caldwell was brushing up on a language he was learning for the first time.  Now a professor of French at St. Lawrence, he cites the experience as “the most challenging and rewarding of my intellectual life.”

France broadened Caldwell’s horizons, and his passion for the French language is reflected in the classroom.  “When I stand before my students, I try to communicate the deep joy I find in manipulating this language and coming to understand it better,” he explains.  “I’m sure to let students know that the North Country is the best place in the United States to study French, because we are located at the threshold of a French-speaking culture.”

Caldwell’s love of language carries over to literature.  Last spring, he released a novel, The Springfield Story.  Wrought with black humor and cultural satire, it book delivers a fictionalized look at present-day America and the War on Terror through the lens of a small-town high school.  It stars a legendary ex-football coach and high school principal who becomes convinced that his school is the next target in a major terrorist attack.  “In no way could my novel be considered a realistic view of American life,” Caldwell says, though his book deals with recurring themes and concerns in the present-day America.

Sports are a common subject in Caldwell’s writing and in his life.  He enjoys golf and playing bridge competitively.  When he lived in France, Caldwell led his college basketball team in scoring.  He’s always loved watching sports as well, but recently disconnected the cable box in his living room to fight the urge to vegetate.  “I used to watch tennis, baseball, basketball, but I went cold turkey,” he says.  “I should be giving testimonials, no?”