SCHOOL DAZE (Part Two)

Although Professor Liebling may have been the Beau Brummell of the faculty uniform, Professor Taser was his intellectual and academic equal, and was considered;  “the” professor whom students wanted to be the chairman on their committees. He had written the book that had attracted W.S. to the master’s program in the first place, and my husband was thrilled when Taser consented to chair his committee.

Just having mustered out of the army, where he had been an officer, W.S. was used to a certain amount of positive, superficial and insincere attention, so it was quite a comedown, when the man whom he had induced to become his chairman, had difficulty remembering his name.

“It’s not just my name,” he wailed, “Taser can’t remember anybody’s name.” Commiserating with him, I suggested, “Maybe it’s just you.”

 “No,” he replied. “I know this as a fact. He doesn’t remember Gregg or Todd’s names either. The three of us are in his class, and we three are working on the same research project with him, and he can’t tell us apart.” “How do you know this?” I asked.

“He always insists that the three of us come to his office as a group, claiming that it will save him some time.”

I said, “Well, that makes sense.” “Yeah, but he always insists that we stand in the correct order.”  “Correct order?”

“You got it---standing from left to right---it’s Greg, Todd and then me!”

Being in terror for their academic mortal souls, Taser’s three graduate students did what they were told. Years later when Greg, Todd and W.S. would run into each other at professional meetings, they would still stand in that order. No matter how crowded the room or enlightening the conversation, W.S. always knew his place---the Right! He was always right.

Esther Blumenfeld

CROSSING WITH THE BLUE LIGHT, Blumenfeld c. 2006