The 2017 NCSA Lifetime Contribution Award for Paul Luebke*

by

Sherrie Drye Cannoy

    Thank you.  I deeply appreciate the opportunity to be here to accept this award on Paul's behalf.  When you reflect on Paul's work, it all falls within the realm of public sociology.  He was a consummate public sociologist, and he viewed the world through the sociological lens. 

     The causes he so passionately and tirelessly fought for were rooted in sociological concepts. The topics you are discussing at the conference were some of those that were special to him.

    Paul successfully and strategically applied public sociology to make policy changes that improved the lives of NC citizens.  He was steadfast in his beliefs and was known as the liberal conscience of the House and Democratic Caucus.   Paul could work with people from both sides of the aisle to make even incremental changes in policy.  He even went so far as to carpool to a debate with one of his libertarian opponents!

     Paul's political philosophy was that "A democracy only works well if it is fair to average citizens. Fairness requires a level 'playing field,' so that a factory worker and factory owner have equal chances at getting their political beliefs translated into public policy." 

     He always put this first in every public policy debate.  You can't get more public sociology than that.

     I'd like to share just a couple of stories with you.

1.   I realized early on in our relationship that the sociologist never turned off.  Every day with Paul was a lesson in sociology.  On vacation, he would point out areas of gentrification and would observe and analyze people, language, and culture.  
2.     Because Paul's specialty tended to be in tax fairness, he never failed to check receipts to ensure that the taxes were correct.  On one occasion, Paul went with me to a deli to purchase a fresh loaf of bread, Paul ended up giving the manager a lesson about taxes.  The tax had been calculated incorrectly because of an odd law about taxation of baked goods. After a few minutes of discussion, the manager finally told Paul to take the loaf of bread for free. To give the manager credit, the law didn't really make sense to me, either.
3.    As a former Finance Committee Chair, Paul was an advocate of tax fairness and campaign finance reform, and he was strongly against corporate incentives.  The word in the General Assembly was that “even if there was an incentive that would help his mother, he'd vote against it.” 
   
4.  His colleagues at the General Assembly didn't always understand Paul's job as a sociology teacher.  One even asked “how it was going teaching socialism at the university?” And in the beginning of his time at the GA, he was chastised about “lecturing” on the House Floor.  He laughed and adjusted accordingly. 

     Paul's impact on his students cannot really be quantified or measured, but from personal experience, I can say that it was significant. 

     His approach to teaching sociology was the same calm, passionate, and thoughtful approach that he took on the House floor.  And his goal was the same—to provide stories, facts, and evidence that making positive change inherently involves understanding sociological concepts.  It was rare for Paul to turn down invitations to speak because he viewed those as an opportunity to teach others. 

     Paul and I had very different backgrounds, I teach Information Technology in a School of Business, and he never held that against me.  My PhD was in Information Technology and a concentration in Sociology.  My dissertation even included references by Marx and Foucault.  Sociology changed the way I view the world.   

     In the spirit of Paul's  daily sociological lessons, I encourage you to use the NC General Assembly website in your classes.  There are many real-life lessons there to provide evidence to students that sociology can make a difference.    www.ncga.leg  It isn't really political science. . . it's public sociology.

     In closing, I will leave you with this quote, which Paul's mother often repeated to him when he was growing up:

Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.

     Yes, Paul was an excellent public sociologist, but even more importantly, Paul Luebke was an honorable man and a gentle soul and he was not pretentious about his accomplishments.  Ultimately those are the qualities which made him an influential man. 

     He would be humbled by this award for his work.  Thank you.