WAS (again)

Dear dears,  

WAS (again)

Life is exquisite and amazing and floods back
like an ongoing surrounding movie: the whole
70 + years –even the awful stuff feels golden
and I hardly know how to appreciate it then
or now.
 
First summers here, David Moore, was excavating  
native American bones down by the river and then
later had to put them back were he found them.  Me
and Gary Snyder walked out there one afternoon
sniffing to detect how much American Spirit might be
said to be still hanging around.
 
My first year as chairman of the English Department,
I got to introduce 3 new members called Bierhaus,
Boozer, & Case.
 
Dean Jensen asked me to say “the prayer” before
faculty meeting. I quoted Thoreau.
 
Went to church as long as Fred Ohler was preaching
because he could make swearing sound like prayer
like  anything. If it hadn’t been for Fred, I wouldn’t
be-here-now today trying to provoke sustainable
argument across the curriculum but that’s another story.
 
When David Bradshaw came as candidate for English,
we served him possum.  I hired him because I knew
he was rigorous and we needed that.
 
David inaugurated our English Honors program.
 
Professor Mycoff arrived in coat and tie  to interview for
English. A hagiographer, he told a select group of students
and faculty that saints were mostly pains in the ass as far
as the community was concerned.   
 
Ed  Scott organized an evening seminar on Wittgenstein
weekly one spring semester concluding just before the
Kentucky Derby party.  He often challenged the English
department:

         “What do you folks DO?”

Emphasizing the DO and squinting at us.
 
At quarterly BS gatherings hosted by Ron Wilson,  Dean
Kahl demonstrated gravity redundantly dropping his whiskey
bottle repeatedly again and again confident it would hit the floor.
David Noble accused me of being a Tragic Hero.  
 
I never had  no success in inaugurating a  Dishonors Program.
 
I used to smoke cigarettes with emeritus President Bannerman
up on the soccer field where he would practice his golf swing. 
 
                     Our 2 “economies”
        (academic rigor/ work&service idealism)
clashed in the  mid 80’s after Holden retired and his replacement
plus recent dean were sacrificed in a melee called  “academic exigency.”
 
Rather than stir and poke and ponder and wonder at the nature
of our wonderful dynamic schizophrenia, the then new President
(Orr) advised us to move on.     Train’s leaving the station.
 
A task force ordered to assess and evaluate everything
(if not nail down  measurable goals)  after many weeks
concluded:  “we celebrate diversity.” 
     
                (Rigor and also Innovation)
 
Early 80’s: the pond was drained.
On a spring work day we removed
the diving board, took out the raft,
dismantled the old dock.  .
  
Life floods back like a youtube video
the whole 70 + years –even the awful
stuff feels golden  and I hardly know
how to appreciate it then or now.

xxxooo, Sam