By Ariana Giorgi ‘13

Photo by Nicole Maselli ‘14 | The Lafayette

At Lafayette, the lives and works of Jane Goodall and Jimmy Carter are better known than those of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

While many Lafayette students were learning world history from their social studies books in middle school and high school, Blair was still carrying out his term as Prime Minister, where he served from 1997 to 2007.

The impact of his full term could not have been conveyed to some Lafayette students until they were teenagers.

Even now, for students who are more immersed in technical courses, the opportunity to be exposed to Blair’s impact is scarce.

Drew Nakajima ‘14, a mechanical engineering major, knew Blair was an important figure in the UK, but had not received any formal education on him. So when 4 p.m. Monday rolled around, with high temperatures and unusually sunny skies, Nakajima opted for a run instead.

Other students were familiar enough with Blair to know they wanted to attend his lecture. Lara Ruggerio ‘15, a neuroscience major, knew of the former Labour party leader from her model United Nations days in high school.

Ruggerio also used the opportunity to attend presentations and brown bags before the lecture to get to know more about Blair.

“Regardless of previous knowledge of his political standing,” Ruggerio said, “I hope that the community enjoyed his insightful comments about the present, past, and future of our world.”

Alex Behette ‘13, a double major in government and law and women’s and gender studies, had become familiar with Blair’s name in her Middle East course while discussing the war in Iraq, since Blair was a strong proponent of military intervention there.

But Behette did not see her major as the reason for attendance.

“Whether a student is interested in politics is beside the point,” Behette said. “This was a major leader in the world, and I am grateful to have gotten the opportunity to hear him speak.”