Latin at Stone led to author's career

Prevas to hold book signing of his latest work

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009

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John Prevas, a former teacher at Thomas Stone High School and a published author, will be coming back to where his writing career began for a book signing at Borders book store in Waldorf on Nov. 14.

In 2000, after 22 years as a social studies teacher at Stone, Prevas retired and moved to Florida, where he is a Latin and ancient history professor at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.

His most recent book, "Power Ambition Glory : The Stunning Parallels Between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today ... and the Lessons We All Can Learn," which was published in June, is bringing the author back to where his career started more than 30 years ago.

In 1967, Prevas earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science, and then a master's degree in 1969 from the University of Maryland. He continued his education, earning a second master's degree in education psychology in 1972 from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., in 1980, according to the author's press biography.

Prevas said his career really began in the 1970s, when current superintendent of schools and former principal at Stone, James E. Richmond hired him to teach there. Prevas said Richmond "opened the door for him to become a writer of the ancient world," by pushing him to learn Latin so that it could be offered at the high school.

As principal of the high school, Richmond said, he was passionate about getting a Latin program established because it's a "very basic foundation language" with the potential to help kids excel in other subjects.

At the time, he was experiencing some difficulty getting a teacher to take the project on but "John said he would do it and do his best."

Once he "got into it and developed an appetite" for the subject, Richmond said, he did a good job working on the program and putting it together.

The superintendent said he hopes to stop by the book-signing, though it falls on the same day as Stone's 40th anniversary celebration. He said he plans to purchase Prevas' latest book and find the time to read it.

At the time Richmond developed an interest in offering Latin at the school, Prevas said the only experience he had with the subject was the Latin classes he failed in high school. But Richmond, adamant about bringing Latin to Stone, gave him time off so that he could go to the University of Maryland, learn the language, and build up a program. He also studied Latin on the graduate level at Yale University. In addition to teaching at Stone from 1978 to 2001, Prevas has also taught Latin, Greek, government, law and history at St. Mary's College of Maryland and Towson University, according to his biography.

"Power Ambition Glory," which Prevas co-authored with Steve Forbes, chairman, CEO and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, compares six leaders from the ancient world to contemporary figures. Ancient figures in the book include Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, who are compared to today's influential business people — comparisons which are intended to teach a lesson to 21st-century leaders. The book was on the New York Times' best seller list for five weeks.

Prevas has also written "Hannibal Crosses the Alps: The Invasion of Italy and the Punic Wars" (1998), "Xenophon's March: Into the Lair of the Persian Lion" (2002) and "Envy of the Gods: Alexander the Great's Ill-Fated Journey Across Asia" (2004).

Prevas and Forbes have given speeches at various lectures across the country about their latest book, but Prevas said he wanted to come back to Waldorf.

"It was my start," he said, adding that he still keeps in contact with some of his former students who live in Waldorf, some of whom will be throwing a post book-signing party for him.

Having not returned to the area, where he lived for more than 20 years since 2000, Prevas said, "Coming back for me is kind of nostalgic."

Missy Robinson, sales manager at the Waldorf Borders location, said the signing will begin at 2 p.m. Prevas said that he plans to be around for two to three hours.