Prof came from school of rock

What is ’80s British pop star Brian Bonhomme doing on the Youngstown State University campus?

Why, teaching Russian history, of course.

Bonhomme was one of the members of Roman Holiday. Anyone who had a radio in 1983 will surely remember “Don’t Try to Stop It,” a bouncy hit that epitomized the band’s unique blend of swing and pop. Bonhomme, a guitarist, wrote the song.

Roman Holiday changed its sound for its sophomore album, adopting a hair-metal approach. But the release didn’t make much of a dent, and the band broke up in 1984. Bonhomme’s mercurial rise to the top had come to a quiet end.

He spent the next four years as a struggling artist. Then he decided he had had enough.

Bonhomme moved to New York in 1988, where he attended City University and became instantly fascinated by the past.

And the rest — pun intended — was history.

After completing his education, he took a teaching post at the University of Central Arkansas — but he never stopped applying for jobs.

His goal was a tenure-track professorship teaching Russian history. He found it at YSU about six years ago.

I met Bonhomme in his office in DeBartolo Hall last week. He didn’t seem the least bit nostalgic for those heady days in the early ’80s.

In fact, he was downright comfortable with his status.

“After Roman Holiday, I still wanted to pursue the music business,” he said. “But the music business didn’t want to pursue me. I moved from one failed project to another, and I got tired of it.”

When Bonhomme gave college a try, he wasn’t sure of which career path to take. But it wasn’t long before he discovered it.

“I had to take a Western civilization course in my first semester, and I was fascinated,” he said. Noting the irony, he added, “I slept through history class in high school. But I was 26, and suddenly it seemed interesting.”

Bonhomme quickly blossomed in his new-found field of study and gained recognition for his papers.

These days, Bonhomme doesn’t spend much time looking back. “It was good while it lasted,” he said of his fling with stardom — although when pressed, he did say Roman Holiday might have been able to continue its success if it had only stuck with swing-pop.

The band did a reunion show in London in 2000. “It was fun, but after doing it, we knew it was over,” he said.

He hasn’t performed in public now for six or seven years.

At YSU, Bonhomme is a low-key celebrity among his students. “Every semester they find out,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘I saw you on the Internet’.”

REMEMBERING GEAUGA LAKE

Geauga Lake amusement park closed in 2007 but it lives on in the memories of Valley residents who visited it every summer.

Former guests and employees of the park can refresh their memories Saturday at the first Geauga Lake Memorabilia Show and Employee Reunion. The event will run from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at Roller Hutt Skate and Fun Center, 10268 Hewins Road (state Route 88), Garrettsville. Admission is $5.

Memorabilia from the park will be on display, and some items might be available for purchase. It also will be a chance for former employees of the park (and the once-adjacent Sea World) to reconnect.

A boat from Geauga Lake’s Log Ride, a car from Musik Express, items from Turtle Beach and other items will be displayed, and amusement park snacks will be sold.

For more information, contact the event organizer, Jeff Dlugokecki at jasondawn@sbcglobal.net.