MIDDLETOWN, OH, December 02, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Michael H. McClain with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. McClain celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
People who know Mr. McClain very well say that his character and mentality are medieval and not modern, rural and not urban and that he is an incurable idealist and romantic.
Mr. McClain is a tall man, 6 feet two inches. He has dark brown eyes and straight hair whose color is called "sable brown" in English and "moreno claro" in Spanish, In other words it looks raven black in some lights, but in other light shows a dark brown and a very slight reddish tinge.
Someone once commented that Mr. McClain "looks as though he could be from anywhere between Lisbon and Lucknow. Indeed, Mr. McClain has at times been taken for Portuguese and Indo-Pakistani, though Iranian is perhaps the origin for which he has been most widely taken.
While attending a conference on Buddhism in New Delhi, India, Mr. McClain gave a talk on Muslim Spain at the tomb of the Sufi holy man Nizamuddin Awliya, for which he was honored with a leis made of marigolds. Mr. McClain recalls being surrounded by saintly looking men with white beards.
The Celtic hero "Breogan" or "Breoghan" is well known in both Ireland and Spain. As an Irish bardic poem says:
Rhere was never anyone to equal Eber the Fair
neither in Spain nor in Ireland
Of the lineage of Breoghan…
The regional anthem of Galicia in the northwest corner of Spain is called "Fogar de Breogan" (Home of Breogan), and in Galicia there is a soccer team known as "Breogan". On the outskirts of the city of La Coruna in Galicia is what is known as "the Tower of Breogan". Though the present tower is mainly of Roman construction, according to local tradition there was an earlier tower on the site, and Breogan climbed to the top of said tower, looked north and saw Ireland.
In western Andalusia, not far from the wine-rich city of Jerez, lies Arcos de la Frontera, considered by many to be the most beautiful small town in Spain. According to the local tradition, the founder of Arcos was King Brigo, and its original name was "Arcobrigan". After a visit to Arcos, he wrote a letter to there, explaining that the name "Brigo" is obviously a latinized version of "Breogan". he was promptly invited to visit Arcos to give a talk on this. He wrote an essay in which among other things, he noted the Celtic origin of the name "Breogan", giving its etymology and noting its Sanskrit and Persian cognates, and also noted that the name "Arcobrigan" means "stronghold of Brigo or Breogan)" in Celtic and, once again, noting its Sanskit and Persian words, He gave the people of Arcos a clearer idea as to the founder of their town and the origin of its name.
To summarize, he gave proofs as to the real existence of Breogan or Brigo, and demonstrated that he was ruler, not only of Galicia, but also of Portugal and a wide western area of Spain.
During most of the Iran-Iraq War he was staff columnist on the newspaper "El Correo Gallego" of Santiago de Compostela. In his column he was vigorously and resolutely anti-Saddam, warning that those countries who supported Saddam in his war with Iran would bitterly repent of it later. In 1991 in the newspaper "USA Today" appeared an editorial in which the author at least appeared to have read his columns in "El Correo Gallego". Whether or not the author of the editorial in the USA had actually read my columns or not, he was, in effect, saying that I had been right all along.
Supported by a wealth of professional experience and an extensive education, Mr. McClain has excelled as a writer for many years. He initially became involved in his profession because it connected him to his Irish ancestors, which later led to his interest in Spanish and Iranian studies. Mr. McClain owes a great deal to Walter Havighurst, his professor of creative writing at the University of Miami of Ohio, especially Prof. Havighurst's advice, "Do not tell, show." After graduating from the University of Miami of Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1962, Mr. McClain concluded his studies at the University of Granada in Spain, earning a Master of Arts in history in 1973.
Shortly after, Mr. McClain began his career as a staff columnist for the newspaper "El Correo Gallego"in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from 1974 to 1984. Among his columns in "El Correo Gallego" was one titled "Charlie, don Carlos y la Tradicion" which dealt with the many and close parallels between Charles Edward Stewart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") on the one hand and the Carlist pretender for the throne of Spain, i.e., Carlos de Borbon y Austria-Este as Charles Coulombe said in his poem "For the White Rose":
The Jacobites for Royal James
And Bonnie Charlie as well
And Carlists fought with Spanish names
While Chouans tasted hell.
The brave emerged from old Vendee
And died at Quiberon
Or fought with great ols Duque Conde
Or fell at bold Toulon.
In Russia's far off blinding snows
The Whites fought for their Tsar
And though their country sunk in woes
Their glory none can mar.
Said column was praised and archived in Carlist headquarters all over Spain.
Throughout his career, Mr. McClain has also contributed to several scholarly publications in many different countries worldwide in both the English and the Spanish languages. Even excluding newspaper articles, Mr. McClain's published essays are far too numerous to list here. However, Mr. McClain's essays published in the quarterly "Persian Heritage" are notable for their number and for the wide readership of said journal. Also especially notable is the essay "Affinities Between Catholicism and Shi'ism", pp. 113-173, published in the twice yearly "International Journal of Shi'i Studies", Volume V, No.1, 2= =7, ISSN 1544=1326, because said essay was largely responsible for Mr. McClain being named a research fellow by Global Scholarly Publications. It should be noted that the title of said essay is inaccurate, because it deals with Eastern Orthodoxy as well as Catholicism. In addition, Mr. McClain has found much success as a speaker in the field.
A retired veteran, Mr. McClain has served in the United States Army from 1963 until his honorable discharge in 1967. Notably he has authored the book Persian Traditions in Spain and the Influence of Shiism in Spain which was published in 2010 and remains the highlight of his career to date. When Pope John Paul made his first pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, among the gifts he was given was a copy of an essay Mr. McClain had written on St. John of the Cross, which became the nucleus of Chapter 7 of Mr. McClain's book mentioned above. Not long afterwards, Mr. McClain received a letter from the Vatican saying that John Paul II had expressed his thanks and congratulations for said essay. Appendix I of Mr. McClain's book mentioned above is titled "Legend of Spain", and is a short novel based on an authentic Hispano-Muslim legend. Said appendix was presented at a conference of Muslim social scientists held in East Lansing, Michigan. Some commented on how much they had enjoyed reading Appendix I. A member of the National Association of Scholars, Mr. McClain has maintained his affiliation with Catholics United for the Faith, The 1745 Association, the Council of the Shia Muslim Organization, Mensa, the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics, the Valaam Society of America (Russian Orthodox), the Islamic Society of North America and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
As was mentioned above, for his accomplishments in his field, Mr. McClain has been named a research fellow by the Global Scholarly Publication. In addition, he was previously selected for inclusion in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, and Who's Who in the World. Likewise, Mr. McClain accepted an honorary Doctor of Letters from the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England in 2015.
In a personal communication, the great scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr told Mr. McClain: "You are completely right in emphasizing the unique rapport between Shi'ism and Sufism on the one hand and certain elements of Spanish Catholicism and Russian Orthodoxy on the other."
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Mr. McClain has been featured on the Albert Nelson lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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