Billy Mayer Relives Churchillian History
Hawaiʻi Pacific University graduate student William “Billy” Mayer received a National Churchill Library Center Graduate Fellowship from George Washington University and the International Churchill Society. The fellowship funded Billy’s thesis research on the legendary leader Winston Churchill.
Billy’s travels allowed him to stand where Churchill stood and experience first-hand the factors that influenced Churchill’s wartime decision making. In late 2019, he visited numerous Churchillian hotspots, including the War Rooms in London, Churchill's estate, Chartwell, the Churchill Archive Centre in Cambridge, and the National Churchill Museum of America in Fulton, Missouri. Fulton is significant for Churchill’s iron curtain speech, which he delivered on March 5, 1946.
Originally from San Diego, Billy chose HPU because of the Diplomacy and Military Studies program. Four years later, he earned his bachelor’s degree and represented his class as the Commencement undergraduate valedictory speaker. The following fall semester, Billy started the Master of Arts in Diplomacy and Military Studies program.
“Diplomacy and Military Studies is an important program. I came to the University specifically for it. The program allows you to connect in interdisciplinary ways that set you up for success. It’s political studies, international relations, and history combined. It gave me a well-rounded and strong perspective on the important components of understanding the political and international realm,” said Billy. “Everything I have learned about Churchill has propelled me to strive to be the best I can be, and I thank HPU for that.”
In October of 2019, Billy attended the International Churchill conference titled Churchill: Masters of our Fate where he connected with world-renowned author Andrew Roberts and met Churchill’s granddaughters, Celia and Edwina.
Through his experiences, Billy felt powerfully connected with Churchill as a tourist and a scholar.
“It was almost as if walking with Churchill himself,” Billy expressed, referring to his thesis research travels made possible by the fellowship.
Read Billy’s travelogue titled “Churchill Goes on Tour” here.
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