UNK History Professor David Vail Attends State of the Union Address

David Vail and other Humanities Nebraska representatives are pictured with U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, center, during a meeting last week in Washington, D.C. From left, Vail, Jaclyn Wilson and Beth Whited serve on the Humanities Nebraska Council and Chris Sommerich is the organization’s executive director. (Humanities Nebraska)

WASHINGTON – David Vail isn’t afraid to admit it.

He “totally nerded out” during last week’s State of the Union.

“My eighth grade self was just going nuts the whole night,” said Vail, who was at the U.S. Capitol as President Joe Biden delivered his address to Congress.

It was a childhood dream come true for the University of Nebraska at Kearney associate history professor and assistant department chair.

Vail started watching the annual State of the Union addresses as a middle schooler. Even then, he knew he wanted to be a historian, so politics were an interest.

But he never imagined he’d be inside the House Chamber, surrounded by “anyone who is someone in American politics,” as a U.S. president addressed the nation and world.

“As someone who’s loved this since I was young, it was just an amazing experience,” Vail said. “It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that I’ll never forget.”

From Gallery 3, Row C, Seat 7, Vail listened to the president’s speech, watched the reactions and examined the democratic process in real time. He thought about the gravity of the event and how it could impact the country moving forward.

“Regardless of someone’s political perspectives, it’s important to hear what the president has to say and it’s important to see people from both sides of the coin there in attendance,” Vail said. “Part of it, for me, is you see the value of American democracy and the institutions that are built around that.”

Although people are bound to disagree on specific policies and issues, Vail believes everyone should appreciate the role they can play in politics and the impact these decisions have on their lives.

“We should pay attention to these things, both for good and for things to revise,” he said.

That’s one of the lessons he plans to bring back to the classroom. Vail wants his experience to spark “open conversations about the value of our democratic institutions” and how this process works.

“It’s one thing to kind of be on the outside looking in and see how the workings of government and democracy play out or don’t play out, but when you’re actually there you see it differently,” he said. “At least for me, I have a newfound appreciation for all the checks and balances and also the amount of work and service that our Nebraska delegation is doing on a daily basis for our state.”

Vail was in Washington, D.C., as a representative of Humanities Nebraska, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that creates and supports programs that engage the public with history and culture. He currently serves as vice chair of the Humanities Nebraska Council.

In addition to attending the State of the Union, Vail and other Humanities Nebraska representatives met with U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and Reps. Don Bacon and Mike Flood, along with staff from the offices of Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Adrian Smith.

The trip represented “humanities in action,” according to Vail, and demonstrated their value in our everyday lives.

“I could really see humanities at work in Washington,” he said.