text: Author Interview with Terry Parssinen from HarperCollins Publishers
  Terry Parssinen Biography
  Visit Terry Parssinen's Web Site
  Terry Parssinen Answers Questions
  Terry Parssinen: Biography
  When and where were you born, and where did you grow up? I was born in August 1941, in Savannah, Georgia, where my father was stationed with the U.S. Army. When my father shipped out to Europe in 1944, we returned to our home in Minnesota. I grew up in the vast Scandinavian-American ghetto of South Minneapolis. I was always interested in history. In fact, it was the only subject at which I excelled. Luckily, I've been able to make a living at it.
  Where were you educated? I graduated from Grinnell College (IA) with a degree in history in 1963. Then I went to graduate school at Brandeis University, and took an M.A. (1965) and a Ph.D. (1968) in history. I've been a college history professor all of my working life.
  Where have you taught? I returned to Grinnell in 1966 and taught as a young assistant professor until 1970. From 1970 to 1990 I taught at Temple University, and from 1990 to 1992 at the University of Maryland at College Park. In 1992 I moved to the University of Tampa, where I am currently Professor of History. I liked teaching at Temple and Maryland, but it's great to be back at an urban university of only 2500 students. Because we are a small department, I teach many different courses in European history, including the Medieval History, Narcotic Drugs and Modern Society, and the History of World War II.
  What kind of research have you done? I began by writing a doctoral dissertation and publishing some scholarly articles on 19th century British social history. Then I wrote two books about the history of narcotic drugs: Secret Passions, Secret Remedies (1983), and Webs of Smoke (with Kathryn Meyer; 1998).
  How did you get interested in the History of World War II? As I mentioned, my father had been an army officer stationed in Europe in 1944-45. When I was a little kid, I remember getting letters and gifts from him, and my mom would tell me about the war. Later, when I was about 13 or 14, I read a Time-Life illustrated history of World War II. I was hooked. Whenever possible I taught a course on World War II, but it wasn't until I'd finished Webs of Smoke that I had time to do research on it. I stumbled on the Oster conspiracy because of something I'd read earlier in Winston Churchill's The Gathering Storm; then a student's question after a class session piqued my interest. It took me about five years to complete The Oster Conspiracy of 1938 from the first weekend in the library to finishing the final version of the book.
  Is there anything going on in your life other than history? Sure, lots. I've been married since 1963 to Dr. Carol Ann Parssinen, and we have two children, Trevor (b. 1973), and Hillary (b. 1975), who now live in Atlanta and California. I commute between Tampa and Philadelphia, two very different but interesting cities. I've maintained my Philly sports loyalties, particularly to the Philadelphia Eagles football team, and the Temple Owls basketball team. My wife and I travel a lot, especially to London, where we lived for a while, and we both enjoy classical music, theater, and films. I'm a lifelong exercise fanatic, especially weightlifting and hiking.
  What are you working on now? Actually I've got another project cooking, on the history of World War II, but I probably won't get to it full-time until this summer.