If you were to call a casting agency and ask them to send over a college professor, they would not send Peter Acsay. Nonetheless, Acsay is indeed a college professor, complete with a Ph.D. in History from St. Louis University and a life-long interest in the history of St. Louis.
Do not expect to meet a stereotypical college professor when you see Dr. Peter Acsay, Assistant Teaching Professor of History at the University of Missouri - St. Louis.
Acsay is the son of an immigrant. His mother is from Austria and his father is from Hungary. After attending a Catholic high school in North St. Louis he then earned a B.A. in history at Washington University. Acsay spent about 15 years in the construction business, doing rehab work in the historic Lafayette district in the city of St. Louis.
Once he had completed his B.A., Acsay had seen enough of college history departments for a while.
"In 1978 I thought that the history discipline was too much influenced by this meaningless rivalry between the left and the right. In the books and public discourse at the time, there was all this ideologically driven history, and I wanted no part of it," Acsay said.
He had been working summers as a rehabber during school, so he decided to pursue the rehab construction business. He lived and worked in the Lafayette neighborhood for many years.
By the early 1990's, tax credits for rehab work had dried up and a more mainstream type of construction and carpentry was the only work available. He was closing in on 40 years old and after years specializing in restoring cornices on old buildings in a historic St. Louis neighborhood, Acsay was facing the prospect of spending his days hanging doors in typical suburban houses.
He decided instead to return to school. He earned his master's in history from UM-St. Louis, then his Ph.D. from St. Louis University. He was 45 years old when he was awarded the doctorate degree.
Acsay began his career at UM-St. Louis in 1993 as a teaching assistant for Andrew Hurley, currently the chairman of the History Department. These days, Hurley does not hesitate to sing Acsay's praises.
"The best thing Dr. Acsay brings to the department is his vast knowledge of history. He can teach American History, European History, and of course, St. Louis History. We appreciate his flexibility to teach so many classes," Ascay said.
Acsay teaches his course in St. Louis history using a book written by Harold Primm, Professor Emeritus of History at UM-St. Louis.
"I sort of inherited the position of resident St. Louis historian from Primm," he said.
Since the book ends with the 1980's, Acsay's students in St. Louis history must write their own chapter for the 1990's and beyond. To do this, they collaborate on articles using the Wiki tool in UM-St. Louis' My Gateway online learning tool.
Hurley likes the way that Acsay employs all the available tools to work with his classes.
"His use of technology in the classroom is innovative," Hurley said. "He is the go-to guy in the History Department for technology. We ask him about everything on My Gateway."
The hot project for Acsay right now is his work as Regional Coordinator for National History Day in Missouri. History Day is an educational program and contest for students in grades 6 - 12, where contestants submit research projects on a theme.
A project may be created as a website, a performance, a documentary, or a research paper. The local History Day program has enjoyed national success.
"Last year was the first national competition for websites, and a kid from Clayton High School won for the number one website in the U.S.," Acsay said.
Back here at UM-St. Louis, it is fitting that Acsay teaches St. Louis history after spending all those years rebuilding the Lafayette neighborhood, one of the great historical areas of St. Louis.
The son of immigrants now teaches the young citizens of St. Louis about their own local history, and he has done his part to keep our St. Louis heritage on display in the old buildings of Lafayette.
Acsay's Top 5 Moments in St.Louis History
1. The Founding of St. Louis
December 1763: Pierre de Laclède and Auguste Chouteau select the site which will become the city of St. Louis. No founding, no St. Louis.
2. The Battle of Fort San Carlos
May 26, 1780: St. Louis militia defeat a British-led force. If the British had taken St. Louis, the post-revolutionary settlement would have been very different.
3. The Camp Jackson Affair
May 10, 1861: This skirmish keeps St. Louis in the Union. Governor Jackson and the Missouri militia meant to take the St. Louis Arsenal and transfer its contents to the Confederacy.
4. The St. Louis World's Fair
April-December 1904: Officially titled the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the fair is an ambitious undertaking done by locals. The fair had "something for everyone," and was a huge success-plus the city got clean water.
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