OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Robert Khayat began committing his childhood memories to paper when he was a University of Mississippi law professor, writing stories about his adventures and experiences so his children could learn from them and pass them down to their children.<\/p>\n
That exercise has led to “The Education of a Lifetime,” an engaging memoir connecting events and lessons from Khayat’s childhood, college days and careers as an athlete, attorney and educator to turning points in the history of his beloved Ole Miss. With the university’s 15th chancellor as their guide, readers get a behind-the-scenes peek at the institution’s ascent as a great American university.<\/p>\n
The memoir is being released Tuesday (Sept. 10) by Nautilus Publishing Co. That evening, Khayat kicks off a 13-city tour to meet friends and sign the book at Off Square Books in Oxford.<\/p>\n
“This book grew out of my desire to communicate to as broad an audience as possible the value of respect and the benefits of team membership, whether it be with an athletics team, choral music group, prayer group, political group or whatever,” Khayat said. “When a group of people come together and are united and focused on some kind of objective, they have a far better chance of reaching that objective.”<\/p>\n
The book’s stories recount how Khayat assembled a leadership team that helped the university attract big-dollar donors, launch a renowned honors college, undertake a massive building program, swell its enrollment and host its biggest event ever, the 2008 presidential debate. Readers learn the “back stories” of how he became the Rebels’ kicker, why an eccentric potential donor called him “Canoe,” how he reassured a U.S. president about his necktie choice and how a late-night bowl of cereal led a renowned scholar to speak on behalf of the university before the national council of Phi Beta Kappa.<\/p>\n
The stories often reveal humor in events and situations, but they also reveal bitter disappointments, such as his 1959 team’s loss to LSU, his law school colleagues’ rejection of his application as dean and his father’s arrest and subsequent conviction.<\/p>\n