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I am still devastated as
everyone else is, by Ann's death. Your plan to get friends'
stories is absolutely perfect, but I can't think of a word
to tell anything meaningful. I met Ann the first day of
class in September, 1972. It was my great (underlined if I
knew how to do it on this machine) pleasure and satisfying
experience to take seminars and classes she led and have
Ann for my advisor on my project and suggest titles in
directed reading that academic year. You all know the awe
she inspires. Her assignment of keeping a journal in my
case meant reacting to the books I read from my experience
of almost 10 years teaching first grade. Well, everything
went beautifully except that when she returned my papers, I
was unable to read her comments. Certainly she expected
students to read her evaluations and certainly I felt I
could not admit her words were uncipherable- and to this
day I cannot read her evaluations. We had a good time at the
presentation of my project and perhaps that led to our
friendship which I dearly held. And I did learn to read most
of her words. For the past several years I
sent articles from the Washington "Post" dealing with issues
we both felt important. Now I only skim the paper, unable
to face the reality that I have no one with whom to share
these reports. And on my table on the 9th of July was a
pack to send her and ,Pat tells me, she had a magazine
article on the hula to send me. Thirty years - minus a few
months - was too short - far too short - for my knowing her.
She was the perfect friend - hospitable, never
complaining about what must have been terrible pain and
physical aches, accepting of one's stupid behaviors
sometimes, concerned about and listening to one's
problems, funny , worldly - just perfect. Margaret Zierdt
Thirty years - minus a
few months - was too short - far too short - for my
knowing her.
margaret.zierdt@juno.com