Two things came into my house this weekend that reminded of where I am from, and who I am today. The first was not all that significant, though it is pretty fun. So I was (am!) vain enough to search for my name on Ebay. Not every day, but once in a while. Usually the search just comes up with some outdated textbook or book I wrote years ago. They usually sell for a penny. Geez, that explains why the royalty checks never amount to much!
But I got lucky with this 1930s postcard that pictures the Cafe Tetzloff in Linderberg, Germany, somewhere in Bavaria. I don't think we (we as a family) are from there, but it does my heart proud to learn that there is a Tetzloff Cafe, and that in the 1930s, it was the oldest pastry and coffee shop in town. I know that I look like a German burgher and probably a pastry chef, but I think that I earned that look--it's my heritage!
The other gift in my life is a book, The Navahos and the New Deal, by Donald Parman. I was in Washburn at a bookstore and found this. First about the bookstore. It is certainly one of the best used bookstores in the world, and while I have not been everywhere, I have been enough places and bookstores to be a pretty good judge--it is a top 20 bookstore for sure. It is the descendent of Avol's Books in Madison, and it is so fun and good in part because this gem is in such an unexpected place. It has a better Native American section than most university libraries, and I bet I have purchased 100+ books there over the years to support my research.
The book is by my advisor for my doctorate so I know the author quite well. That it was a path-breaking book when it was published in 1976 and academically inspirational to me and many others makes it more important. This copy is pristine, in the dust jacket and in almost unread condition. I have a copy, but mine is read and re-read and boasts copious hand-written notes throughout. That is what you do with your advisor's books--you read them thoroughly and often. The book itself is rare, though not that valuable, and I have looked for 25 years to find a nice copy.
I think that the book is more significant because of the relationship that it symbolizes. If I can claim to be a historian, it is mostly because of Parman's influence, his teaching, his patience, and what he shared with me and countless others. The relationship between student and advisor at that level is very complex, and ours was no different. It was political, it was personal, it was warm, it was meaningful, it was challenging, and probably as many other adjectives as I could ever list. I am pretty damn proud to be a "Parmanite" and to have him sign off on my dissertation.
When in grad school and later, you hear countless stories of capricious, uncaring, impatient, and mean (in all senses of that word) advisors and I never could add to those stories. There were a few times that I didn't particularly like him (too much time working together with, well, academic egos involved) but there was never a single moment that I didn't respect and appreciate him as an advisor, a scholar, and a mentor. Never. I am where I am and I am who I am in very large part because of his help, his care, and mentor-ship through a very important time and part of my life. And like those who give so much to your life, he is one of those people who you never can thank enough or give enough credit to--certainly not enough to mark how important they are in and to your life, even years after school.
I lost that contact with Parman years ago--did I mention that part about academic egos? His academic context didn't contain community colleges, and it was difficult to explain and justify my involvement and affection for them. He saw them as a last academic resort, though that was tinged, I hope, with his belief that I could succeed in a more research-oriented environment. Perhaps. It is all silly now that I look back. It all is another regret as I reflect on my academic role in life.
Whatever. I found a book that reminded me of a remarkable man who was and is important to me. And, it is a pretty good book. Still. I am on chapter five. Again.
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