Isaias J. McCaffery is Professor of History and Chair of Humanities & Social Sciences at Independence Community College. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, focussing on the history and culture of immigrant and ethnic communities. He has also taught introductory German to undergraduates and senior citizens for more than a decade. McCaffery has traveled widely both in Central Europe and among the many ethnic-German enclaves in the Midwest and Plains regions. He is the father of two children and will soon celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary with Dawn-- his Evangelical German Lutheran bride.