Monthly Archives: May 2019

Two Pauls and a Song — I grew listening to rock ‘n’ roll on my portable radio, which I always kept tuned to one of Denver’s rock stations.   I especially liked the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel.  Using whatever money I could scrounge up, I diligently bought every record album that these groups released, and I still own most of them.  I  remember being distraught in 1970 when both the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel disbanded.  

In the years that followed, I took an interest in the lives of the rock stars associated with these groups, and I was pleased to discover that Paul McCartney from the Beatles and Paul Simon from Simon and Garfunkel forged a friendship that persists to this very day.  A special moment in their friendship occurred on October 13, 2005, which was the date of Simon’s 64th birthday.  McCartney called Simon and sang “When I’m Sixty-Four” to Simon over the phone.
McCartney wrote “When I’m Sixty-Four” when he was still a teenager, but the Beatles didn’t release the song until 1967 when they included it on their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  The song has since taken on a life of its own.  It has come to be seen as a celebration of enduring relationships.  A friend of mine recently told me that during her wedding they played “When I’m Sixty-Four” as the recessional.  

I am pleased that McCartney sang “When I’m Sixty-Four” to Simon on the occasion of Simon’s 64th birthday, just as I am pleased that these two figures from my youth have maintained their friendship over the decades.  Simon wrote a song titled “Old Friends,” which Simon and Garfunkel released in 1968 when they included it on their album Bookends.   McCartney and Simon have pursued separate musical careers, but they are old friends.  On some abstract level, I feel like they are my old friends, too.  

I think it is highly unlikely that McCartney will be reading this Monday Missive, but in case he does, I will be in the office all day if he wants to call and sing “When I’m Sixty-Four.” 

Memorial Day — Today is Memorial Day.  Originally called Decoration Day, this holiday can be traced back to the years right after the Civil War when the families of fallen soldiers decorated the graves of their relatives who died during the war.  

For most Americans, Memorial Day is a paid holiday, but not for the staff at UNC Charlotte.  If staff members want to stay home and observe Memorial Day, they need to deduct the hours from their vacation time.  I objected to this practice in the Monday Missive that I wrote three years ago at this time, and I still object to it.  For many staff members, Memorial Day has a deep, personal meaning.  UNC Charlotte got its start as an institution to educate veterans in the years right after World War Two, so it seems especially important to me that the university recognize the significance of this special day to veterans and their families by making it a paid holiday for the staff.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Allison Hutchcraft published a poem titled “Calenture” in Boulevard.

Kirk Melnikoff‘s chapter “Isabella Whitney amongst the Stalls of Richard Jones” has been accepted for publication in Women’s Labor and The History of the Book in Early Modern England (Arden, 2019).

Quirky Quiz Question —  After the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Paul McCartney formed a new band with his first wife, Linda Eastman.  What is the name of this band?

Last week’s answer: The Eagle

What is the name of the name of the Apollo lunar module that landed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission?  Here is a hint:  Neil Armstrong said the name of the lunar module when he reported that they had safely landed.

A Summer of Lunar Dreams — Fifty years ago, the moon was on everyone’s mind.  The summer began with regular updates about the preparations to send Apollo 11 and its three crew members–Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins–to the moon.  On July 16, 1969, the whole nation watched as Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy and set course for the moon.  On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Apollo lunar module on an area of the moon called the Sea of Tranquillity, but no one was feeling tranquil at the time.  The national lunar obsession reached its apex six hours after the landing when Neil Armstrong climbed out of the module and became the first person to step onto the surface of the moon. 

I was fourteen at the time, but I still have vivid memories of that summer.  I remember kicking off the summer by building an elaborate model of the Apollo capsule and being so pleased that I got the decals on straight.  My family did not have a television, but I remember going to our closest neighbor’s house a quarter-mile up the road to watch the landing on his television.  I remember my mother keeping the radio on almost continuously that summer so that she could keep up with the latest the news related to the Apollo 11 mission.  I even remember buying a Peter Max poster that had something to do with the moon landing.  

One of the reasons that the Apollo 11 mission captured the public imagination is that it tapped into our culture’s longstanding focus on all things related to the moon.  For most of us, the moon is part of the culture of our childhood.  We grow up listening to nursery rhymes, folk tales, and fairy tales about the moon. We see countless images of the moon in our picture books.   We draw pictures of the moon in school.  The cultural associations that we have with the moon have become inextricably entwined with the Apollo 11 mission.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Monica Burke and I created a two-part moon exhibit in the lobby area of the English Department.  Part of the exhibit includes images associated with the moon landing.  The part of the exhibit that is in the display case features images of the moon from picture books, including Good Night Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, and Harold and the Purple Crayon.  The next time you are in the English Department, check out the exhibit.  It is your chance to travel back to the summer of lunar dreams.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Pilar Blitvich will deliver the plenary presentation at the Approaches to Digital Discourse Analysis Conference this week at the University of Turku in Finland.  Her presentation is titled “Moral Indignation, Moral Panics, and Online Shaming.”  Abagail Higgins, one of our recently graduated undergraduate students, served as Pilar’s research assistant on this project, and she will be attending the conference with Pilar.

Lara Vetter recently gave a talk on H.D.’s short fiction in Yale University’s Visiting Scholars Seminars series, jointly organized by the Yale Center for British Art, the Lewis Walpole Library, and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:
May 20 — The first day of class for the first summer session is Monday, May 20, 2019.
May 21 —The last day to add or drop a class with no grade is Tuesday, May 21, 2019.

Quirky Quiz Question —  What is the name of the name of the Apollo lunar module that landed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission?  Here is a hint:  Neil Armstrong said the name of the lunar module when he reported that they had safely landed.

Last week’s answer: When Charlotte College became the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
According to the 2019 Spring Commencement Program, the UNC Charlotte Bell was donated to “Charlotte College in 1960 to be rung on ceremonial occasions.”  One such occasion took place on March 2, 1965.  What was celebrated on this occasion?

A Commencement to Remember —  Last Saturday the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences held its spring commencement ceremony, and it was a memorable experience for everyone who participated.  Coming just eleven days after the tragic shooting that took place on the UNC Charlotte campus, the commencement ceremony provided our campus community with an opportunity to remember and honor the victims of the shooting while at the same time celebrate the successes of our graduating students.  This dual function presented a difficult balancing act for all involved, and yet everyone rose to the occasion.   

Associate Dean Banita Brown and the other administrators and staff members charged with organizing and running the event all pitched in and made the best of what could have been a very difficult situation.  Despite the terrible weather and the long delays associated with the heavy security measures, the great majority of graduating students still showed up and waited patiently as they filed through the metal detectors.  Chancellor Phil Dubois and the other speakers all addressed the campus community’s sense of grief and loss caused by the shooting, but they still made a point to celebrate the graduation of the students.   

The phrase “Charlotte strong” has taken root on our campus since the tragic shooting.  The success of Saturday’s commencement is yet another example of why this phrase rings as true as the UNC Charlotte Bell–the bell that one of the graduating students rang to mark the end of a most memorable commencement ceremony.

Commencement Report —   For 104 of our students, the spring commencement ceremony marked their transition from current students to graduates.  A total of 15 of our graduate students are listed in the commencement program, and 89 undergraduate students are listed. 

I was especially impressed with how many of our BA students fall under the heading of “Graduation with Distinction.”  Of the 89 students, 22 earned the distinction of Cum Laude (GPA between 3.4-3.7), 13 earned the distinction of Magna Cum Laude (GPA between 3.7-3.9), and 6 earned the distinction of Summa Cum Laude (GPA between 3.9-4.0).  This total comes to 41 students. I am very proud of all of our graduating students, but I want to mention by name the 6 students who earned the distinction of Summa Cum Laude.  Their names are Kellyanna Grace Atwell, Kristina Marie Duemmler, Lydia Ashlee Hopkins, Alyson Mary Jordan, Sarahan Elizabeth Moser, and Marissa L. Neale.  

I also want to mention by name the 12 students who graduated with English Honors.  Their names are Edison Gabriel Angelbello, Kellyanna Grace Atwell, MaKalea Danielle Bjoin, Catherine Joy Butt, Kristina Marie Duemmler, Lindsey Taylor Herndon, Hilary Claire Hoyt, Alyson Mary Jordan, Mark Jarrett Moseley, Jr., Sarahan Elizabeth Moser, Marissa L. Neale, and Emily Ann Sanders.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Liz Miller recently presented an invited talk on the topic of agency and language learning at the University of Essex, in Colchester, England.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

May 14 — Final grades for the Spring 2019 term must be submitted by Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at noon.

May 20 — The first day of class for the first summer session is Monday, May 20, 2019.

Quirky Quiz Question —  According to the 2019 Spring Commencement Program, the UNC Charlotte Bell was donated to “Charlotte College in 1960 to be rung on ceremonial occasions.”  One such occasion took place on March 2, 1965.  What was celebrated on this occasion?

Last week’s answer: Thomas Jefferson  

The third president of the United States once wrote, “Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.”  What is the name of this president?

Keeping Vigil —  Like 7,000 other members of the UNC Charlotte community, I attended last week’s vigil for the victims of the tragic shooting that took place on our campus on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.  A group of remarkable students organized and held the vigil just one day after the shooting.  Bryn Chancellor and I sat together, and we both felt moved by the students’ compassion for the victims and victims’ families and the students’ resolve not to let this tragedy undermine their commitment to their university.  Over and over, the students used the phrases “Niner strong” and “Charlotte strong” when expressing their responses to the shooting.

After the vigil, I retreated to the solitude of my office for half an hour and quietly reflected on the experience of attending the vigil.  I started thinking about the word vigil and its sister word vigilance.  Both words come from the Latin word vigilia, which means wakefulness.  As the word has evolved, vigil now means staying awake, being watchful, keeping guard.  The phrase keeping vigil means being present and attentive even when one would normally be tired or asleep.

For our students, the vigil that they attended last Wednesday gave them an opportunity to take comfort by spending time in the presence of their fellow students.  It also provided them with an opportunity to articulate the importance of guarding, in a deliberate and attentive way, their identification with UNC Charlotte.  That is why almost all of them wore their Forty-Niner tee shirts to the vigil.  The students left the vigil knowing that they were about to face difficult days in the aftermath of the shooting, but they also came away with a renewed sense of vigilance in terms of their refusal to be defeated or defined by the shooting.

As a member of the UNC Charlotte community, I can relate to the sentiments expressed at our students’ vigil.  However, my personal response to the shooting is also tied to my role as a faculty member.  When I first learned of the shooting, I told my wife that this tragic event was taking away the joy that I have always associated with teaching.  The day after the vigil, I spent nine hours in my office dealing with the aftermath of the shooting, meeting with distraught students and faculty members and attempting to answer the countless emails and phone calls about the hastily revised finals schedule.  For much of that time, I just wanted to go home and take our dog for a walk.  For a few minutes, I even contemplated retirement, but then I thought about the students’ vigil.  I thought about their resolve not to let the shooting rob them of their college education, and it dawned on me that I could and should learn from our students and emulate their vigilance.  

I left my office about 6:30 on Thursday evening feeling physically tired but also feeling like I had just awakened.  I realized that I needed to stand guard against the temptation to let the shooting and its aftermath undermine my commitment to teaching our students.   As I drove home that evening, it occurred to me that I wasn’t just keeping long office hours that day; I was, in my own way, keeping vigil.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

May 8 — Paula Martinac will launch her new novel, Clio Rising, at Park Road Books on Wednesday,  May 8, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. 

May 11 — The Commencement for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. 

May 14 — Final grades for the Spring 2019 term must be submitted by Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at noon.

Quirky Quiz Question —  The third president of the United States once wrote, “Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.”  What is the name of this president?

Last week’s answer: Queen’s University

Deje McGavran taught as a lecturer in our English Department for several years before joining the faculty in the English Department at a sister institution of higher education.  What is the name of this sister institution?