Berkshire Team

Christensen, Tom

Forrest, Francesca

How did you become a fan? I became a fan of Berkshire from the first time I heard from one of their contributing authors about the sorts of things they published. I and other freelance copy editors agree that we'd rather edit Berkshire material than almost anything else because it's always so interesting. Berkshire has a knack for picking unusual topics and creating really fascinating reference books. It's hard to pick favorites, but up at the top for me have been the Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, the Encyclopedia of Community, the Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, and the Encyclopedia of World History--which gives you an idea of Berkshire's breadth. I enjoy taking a good article and making it really shine, or helping an article with lots of potential become the excellent piece that I know it can be, and I think that's my niche at Berkshire.

Which historical figure would you most like to be, and why? I admire lots of historical figures, but I don't think I'd like to *be* any of them. I love the novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, but I wouldn't want to be either of them. The Mughal ruler Akbar the Great was a pretty awesome combination of a successful military strategist and patron of the arts, and he is remembered for being tolerant of religious diversity. I admire him, but I wouldn't want to be him, either. A couple of women that not many people may know about whom I admire are Elizabeth Gaskell, who combined a career as a novelist with concern over social issues and with being a wife and mother, and Ada Lovelace, who wrote a program for a nineteenth-century precursor of today's computers.

If you could be any sports star, who would you be, and why? I'm not much of a sports fan. I spent my childhood being chosen last for team sports, and I didn't have aptitude for individualistic sports like track and field, either. The only physical exertion I went in for in my youth was ballet, but while I love dancing and love watching ballet, I wouldn't want to be a professional ballet dancer--too much emphasis on minding your weight and too much competition and stress.

What technological advancement excites or scares you most? The technological advancement that excites me the most is direct computer interfaces with the human brain. There's a girl in one of my daughter's classes who has mitochondrial disease, which has left her pretty much paralyzed from the neck down. Right now she can communicate by using her eyes to direct a laser to choose letters from a keyboard to write out sentences, but it's terribly time consuming. However, researchers are working on implants that would let someone like her communicate essentially through thought: by thinking certain things, she'd be able to activate a computer and express herself more easily. It seems like pure science fiction, but it's true. Top

Ross, Marcy

How did you become a fan? From 1996-2000, I had been working with David Emblidge, a book producer who specialized in history and outdoor recreation titles, just across the hall from Berkshire Publishing. When that assignment was about to end, I thought Berkshire might well be the next right place for me. Research and reference have always been my passions, and I enjoyed working with authors, editors, and designers to pull the pieces of a project together. That's exactly what I do at Berkshire, whether I'm locating sidebar material, fact-checking information, or making sure that our content is ready to go out the door (or, rather, uploaded). I've even gotten to indulge my love of film and TV with our Popular Culture databases.

Which historical figure would you most like to be, why? My mother worshipped Eleanor Roosevelt, and I have to say that I do as well. She's the ultimate "late bloomer," with her greatness emerging after she was well in her forties. With few exceptions, she didn't hesitate to champion unpopular causes and work for change around the world. She went everywhere and met everyone who was important in her time. And she was a fine writer, who produced a daily column, "My Day," for more than twenty-five years. (I guess I could start a blog and do the same thing, though I doubt it would have the same impact!)

If you could be any sports star, who would you be, why? The figure skater Scott Hamilton. To me, he's Gene Kelly on ice, with the artistry, style, and exuberance of a great musical comedy performer. Although I've never been able to stay standing on ice skates, I would love to just magically get out there and do one of his routines, back flips and all.

Which technological advancement scares or excites you the most, why? I remain excited and forever grateful for the wonder of Google--though I feel lucky to have grown up in a pre-Web world, so I know which reference sources are to be trusted!

Turner, Abby

Levinson, David

Young, Trevor

British-born Trevor Young has been running his computer consulting company since the early 1980s, providing computer support to Berkshire Publishing since 1997. He developed our original database system, built our NT-based PC network and helped in our choice of software. Trevor continues to program our Intranet-based database system and its web-based extensions. When he is not being such a geek, he plays bass in a rock band. His favorite books include My Early Years by Winston Churchill, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Flight by Chris Kraft, George Fraser's Flashman series, and anything by John Wyndham.

Bryce, Susan

Christensen, Rachel

Francis, Frank

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