Oh, not wise, just a very interesting story. Ken Burns still looks about 20 to this day.
So Dr. Cutrer was asked to narrate The Civil War as was Shelby Foote. They were good friends and both from the South. Thomas, Dr. Cutrer, turned it down as did Shelby, or so Thomas was told by Shelby. They're at Ken's presentation of The Civil War at an American Historical Society meeting. Ken was a young pup and looked even younger. The film starts, and there's Shelby narrating. Tom always laughed about it, but it made Shelby famous. If you read their writings, there's little comparison in regards to historical documentation. Tom simply didn't push an agenda, Shelby definitely did. Both served, Shelby, WWII, Thomas, Vietnam. It changed his life. His undergrad is in literature, his advanced degrees from LSU and A&M, are in American history. He has an amazing perspective coming out of Vietnam going forward.
A side note regarding James McPherson. He's a Princeton guy and I inappropriately spoke regarding Penn State. I was thinking Gary. My apologies. Both are fantastic historians and better men. Thomas is now back in Texas, has an incredible family, and is a fly fishing machine. I have never known or met a better man. Another great professor I had the honor of being taught by, was Dr. John Corrigan. He literally wrote the book, Religion in America with Winthrop Hudson. If you don't know the history of religion, you cannot know America. Fabulous read, an even better man. He has taught from Oxford to ASU and FSU, as well as Harvard. I was incredibly fortunate in my academic studies of history and that's a huge understatement.