Professor's retirement marks beginning of 7-year journey

<p>After 35 years of teaching at ASU, Roger Adelson makes his retirement official at a ceremony, today, in the West Hall building, that overlooks the "Secret Garden" on the Tempe campus.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>A professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Adelson is the author of three books – "Mark Sykes: Portrait of an Amateur," "London and the Invention of the Middle East" and "Money, Power, and War, 1902-1922" – and has taught courses in British history, global history and Middle Eastern history.&nbsp;</p><separator></separator><p>Slowing down and taking it easy are not in the professor's plans come May 1. Adelson plans to complete the drafts of three plays which he has written – all about historical figures – and embark on a voyage that will span seven years and take him all over the world – from Latin America and the Caribbean to Sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia to the Middle East – with the ultimate goal of publishing a book and several articles on his experiences.</p><separator></separator><p>Adelson has received bachelor's degrees from George Washington University and Oxford University and his doctorate from Washington University, St. Louis, where he held a graduate Danforth Fellowship. He was an Alistair Horne Research Fellow at Oxford and taught briefly at Harvard University before joining the ASU faculty in 1974.</p>