An award-winning television and film producer, writer, and director, David Axelrod graduated from Knox in 1967 and received his MFA from New York University's Institute of Film and Television in 1969. Over the course of his 30-year career, he has worked on dozens of television documentaries, including "The Great Transatlantic Cable" (2005) and "Wright Brothers' Flying Machine" (2003) for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) program American Experience; "Galileo's Battle for the Heavens" (2002) for the PBS program NOVA; and The History of Rock & Roll (1995); among many others. In 2003, Axelrod received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming-Long Form for "Galileo's Battle for the Heavens." He lives and works in Los Angeles.

Knox Magazine: How would you describe your Knox experience?
David Axelrod: I've been fortunate enough to attend good schools, from my kindergarten through my graduate school, but I think that the time I spent at Knox was the high point of my education. I was an English major, but Knox's liberal arts curriculum encouraged my curiosity and allowed me to study a little history, learn a little math, throw a few clay pots, and even butcher some Shakespeare in Harbach Theatre. The mid-sixties was a tumultuous time, and the outside world kept poking into our comfortable little collegiate tent. The Kennedy assassination occurred seven weeks into our freshman term. Dr. King marched to Selma the winter of our sophomore year, and, by the time we were juniors, the Vietnam War was in full swing. Needless to say, the Class of '67 had plenty to talk about. A lot of us learned how to argue, sometimes heatedly, always civilly, and we were better students for it.

KM: How has that experience affected your life?
DA: There is seldom a day in my work when I don't use the skills of research or criticism or composition that I learned at Knox.

KM: What do you believe is your most notable achievement?
DA: Making TV documentaries is a great job for a dilettante. You get to be an instant expert in lots of subjects. I'm interested in the history of science and technology and how they affect the world. I've been lucky enough to do a couple of shows that, I hope, make some of the audience think about these things. An episode of the PBS science series, NOVA, "The Search for Longitude," examines how a nearly illiterate clockmaker battled the 18th-century scientific establishment and solved the most vexing problem of navigating at sea. Another NOVA, "Galileo's Battle for the Heavens," looks at the Italian astronomer's struggle to reconcile his own discoveries with his religion.

KM: Do you have any words of advice for current students and other Knox alumni?
DA: I would ask them to take another look at Senator Obama's very moving 2005 Commencement address, particularly the part about not walking away from the challenges of the community. Without trying to sound too righteous, students at Knox are lucky to be getting a superb education, and it's part of the bargain that they continue to find ways to use some of their learning for the common good.

Read David Axelod's Alumni Achievement Award Citation.