Monica J. Harris
Who I am When I am Not a Professor
When I am not at work, my attention is devoted
primarily to family. My husband, Jonathan Kern, is a coin dealer, and I have developed a strong
interest and some expertise in numismatics as well. My husband travels frequently to coin shows
across the nation, and I join him on these weekend trips perhaps once a month (more often in
summer) and work hard at selling coins, where I put my social psychological knowledge of
persuasion techniques to good use.
My husband and I have two children, Athena
Phoebe Kern, born on December 19th, 1995, and Isaac Newton Kern, born on May 6th, 1999.
Admittedly, I am not an objective source, but Athena and Isaac are the smartest, cutest, most
perfect children on the planet. For more objective evidence, click here to see some photos. They are the source of
greatest joy in my life, and I now realize that parenting is the most important thing I will ever
do.
Raising two small children doesn't leave much
time for hobbies, but B.B. (Before Babies) I was an avid reader (I recommend "Into Thin Air"
highly; it's the best book I've read in years) and runner. Back when I had time to devote to
running, I trained seriously and competed frequently in local races. My proudest racing
accomplishment was running the Louisville Marathon and qualifying for the Boston Marathon
with a time of 3:33:16. Now I am more of a couch potato and enjoy watching videos (favorite
movies are "A Clockwork Orange," "Apocalypse Now," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,"
"Pulp Fiction," and "American Beauty").
I am also an ardent environmentalist. I have
served on the Board of Trustees of the Kentucky chapter of The Nature Conservancy, an
organization whose goal of conservation through private action I heartily applaud. My husband
and I live on 111 acres of woodland on the palisades of the Kentucky River, and I enjoy greatly
leaving the stress and concrete of city life every day and relaxing instead in the tranquility and
solitude of nature at its finest. Our nearest neighbor is a mile away, and we routinely see deer,
foxes, wild turkeys, hawks, bluebirds, coyotes, raccoons, and other animals.
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Last updated:
September 14, 2000