On the Precipice of Prejudice and Persecution

About the Book

After years of procrastination, I am finally sitting down to begin autobiographical notes related to my life.    My paternal roots go back as far as the 18th century with the migration of our ancestor from Königsberg, to Oberschlesien.

Konrad was invited by the Presbyterian Church in the USA to go to Siam in 1947 for a three-year stint.  He stayed for 41 years.  Along the way he undertook an ethnographic study of a Thai village as a field study for his doctoral dissertation at Cornell University.  He played a major role in establishing Payap University, the first private university granted accreditation by the Thai government.  He was instrumental in setting academic standards, developing a Board of Welfare, and legalizing an International School.

About the Author

Konrad Kingshill has produced a wide-ranging work that includes tracing his roots back to the early 18th century and extending well into the 21st. While it is not merely an accounting of family roots, it is also a description of his ethnographic  studies in Thailand and his contribution to the educational structure of he country. Prof. Robert B. Textor wrote, “[His] ... career is remarkable for ... lasting accomplishments ... propelled by faith, characterized by a sense of practicality, and tempered by anthropological sophistication -- as witness his key role in creating a volunteer program, a provident fund, high academic standards -- and on and on.”