(As Shown on the Back Cover of Facing Reality)
Born in the Island of Jamaica, British West Indies, on January 27, 1904, Ira Lunan Ferguson was brought to America as a boy of 15 to have his very nearsighted eyes, (20/700!), fitted with proper glasses. Since 1957 he has been a Clinical Psychologist licensed by the California State Board of Medical Examiners, and a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor in private practice in San Francisco, California. A former college professor of Publish Health, Bacteriology, Psychology and Education at Southern University and Tuskegee Institute, he was in great demand as a commencement speaker.
Dr. Ferguson completed his undergraduate premedical training and finished 2 years of medical college at Hoard University during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. He had to discontinue his medical studies on account of financial difficulties—he did not have the money to pay his tuition. His parents had separated when he was 4 years old, and he was entirely on his own at the tender age of 16. Some years later he attended the University of Minnesota with interruptions, but took 2 degrees from that institution in Preventive Medicine and Public Health. And at Columbia University he won the M.A. and Ph.D., both of which degrees were signed by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of Columbia University of 1948 to 1952, later President of the United States 1952 to 1960.
His college and universiy attendance was most irregular, with long interruptions, and it took him 25 years, a quarter of a century to finish his education. He earned his law degree from LaSalle Extension University in Chicago at the age of 67, solely to prove his point that it is never too late, and that one is never too old to learn. For many years he has been listed as a Volunteer Professional Consultant with the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Center, and he is Associate Editor of the International Journal of Law and Science. He has published 13 books, and 26 professional articles in medical, educational and scientific journals.
His 3-volume autobiography, I DUG GRAVES AT NIGHT, TO ATTEND COLLEGE BY DAY, is an epic, and has been an inspiration to thousands of young men to emulate his industry, his determination and perseverance to get an education or to acquire worthwhile skills. His papers, publications and memorabilia were requested by the University of Wyoming, and now repose in their Archives of Contemporary History in Laramie, Wyoming as the “Dr. Ira Lunan Ferguson Collection,” open to the public.
National and international biographical directories in which he is listed include: American Men of Science; Who’s Who in the South and Southwest. Leaders in Education; Who’s Who in the West; Dictionary of International Biography (England); International Register of Profiles (England); International Authors and Writers Who’s Who (England), etc.
Label for The Book Show(A Commentary by Phoebe Gloeckner)
Books by Dr. Ira Lunan Ferguson, B.A., M.S., M.A., PH.D., LL.B.
Prolific self-published naturalized West-Indian psychologist, author of more than 30 books as well as many scholarly articles.
The "vanity press," or "self-publishing" industry of the twentieth century seemed to attract many memoir-writers. The voice of the slighted narcissist in its unedited glory resounds from between the covers of many of these short-run autobiographies.
One of the more clear and relentless masters of this genre must be Dr. Ira Lunan Ferguson, a man who I met by happenstance in San Francisco, some 20 years ago. At that time, I purchased the first volume of "I Dug Graves at Night to Attend College by Day." Dr. Ferguson inscribed the book to me, and it's proved to be one of my more treasured possessions.
Further Reflection by Gloeckner
I found this book one night about ten years ago, around 1989, when my friend Lori Lubeski and I were walking down Clement Street in San Francisco after having dinner.
As we passed the storefront at 2219 Clement, we noticed an elderly black man in the window, studying at his desk in a very cluttered room. The door to the shop described the business as "Ira Lunan Ferguson, Psychologist," and there was also a "Please Knock" sign. So, even though it was 10:30 at night, we knocked, and the man let us in.
As it turns out, he was nearly blind, and about 90 years old. The room was cluttered with copies of the nearly 40 books he had written and self-published. A few of the books were huge, 3-5 inches thick, all about his life, women, psychology.....He was frustrated in his attempts to become a doctor, he said--- he didn't even have enough money to go to Howard University, and "white" colleges wouldn't accept him. He seemed somewhat bitter, but so self-absorbed that he was able to also seem to be a happy, satisfied person.
We talked with him for about fourty-five minutes. He went on and on about as many aspects of his life as he could in the time we were there. Many on these aspects are covered in the book described above, which I purchased. I regret I didn't buy more books.
He was very tall, and could barely walk because he really was practically blind and had to have his hands all over everything just to grab something a few feet away.
He showed us letters he had recieved from Fergie, Princess Diana's sister-in-law. He had written to her because he was trying to establish a genealogical connection.
I think he must have died in the past few years, because I passed by the place on Clement Street and it was being rennovated. He's not in the phone book. I'll bet someone just threw away all his books--- because they were self-published, he had all the stock right there in his office. It's really a pity if that's what happened. He was an unusual man who unwittingly wore his unconcious thoughts unexamined on his sleeve for all the world to see (if they'd only read his books).