Vol. 1 issue 1 2 -...

Life & LettersAn Intellectual Spirit

in the Humanities Institute

Pro Bene Meritis Winners

Racial History ofMexican-Americans

A publication of the College of Liberal Artsof The University of Texas at Austin

Volume 1 Issue 1

Life & LettersVolume 1 Issue 1

The College of Liberal Arts at The University ofTexas at Austin publishes Life & Letters foralumni and friends of the College.

Editor:Robin Stanton Gerrow

Contributing writers:Grace BernhardtRhonda CloosChrista French

Photographers:Marsha MillerMark S. Rutkowski

Alumni Editorial Advisors:Michael ApplemanCoby ChaseJoan Fitzgerald Curry

Address Class Notes and questions to:Robin Stanton GerrowGEB 4.310/G6000College of Liberal ArtsThe University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX 78712

Email: [email protected] Address: www.utexas.edu/cola

Cover: Paul Woodruff,photo by Mark S. Rutkowski

In my nearly three years as Dean of the College ofLiberal Arts, I have had the opportunity to correspondwith many of you on a regular basis through email.Though I will continue to do so, email just doesn’t dojustice to some of the stories we have to tell.Welcome to the first edition of Life & Letters, a newpublication for alumni of the College of Liberal Arts.In this edition you can read about a professor whoturned her interest in her family background into 10years of academic research and the publication of anew book. You will also find articles about four men,our 2002 Pro Bene Meritis honorees, who have madeoutstanding contributions to the liberal arts. There arearticles about our innovative programs and opportuni-ties, the successes of our alumni and students as wellas our outstanding faculty.

The goal of this publication is to keep you informed and connected with theCollege as well as with your former classmates and professors. I think you maybe surprised at some of the changes on campus, and even more surprised atwhat your fellow alumni have accomplished.

Beyond the information you will find in Life & Letters, we have also madesignificant changes to the College’s web site to better reflect the activites andgoals of the College and the University. The site is updated nearly every daywith notices about events and speakers, online publications and press releases. Itis also a great opportunity to read exciting stories about our students and theiraccomplishments.

I never tire of hearing how you have used your liberal arts degree to obtainsuccess in your professional and personal lives. I hope you will be inspired bysome of the stories you read in these pages--and I hope you will share yourstories with us as well.

Richard LariviereDean, College of Liberal Arts

From the Dean

Contents

Features

Departments

The New Humanities Institute..................................3

Creekmore Fath .......................................................5

William H. Goetzmann ............................................6

James W. McKie .......................................................7

Paul Woodruff ..........................................................8

Alumni .....................................................................9

Faculty ...................................................................10

Research ................................................................11

Students .................................................................12

The Back Page ........................................................15

William H. Goetzmannpage 6

Martha Menchacapage 11

Jack Tannouspage 12

With all of the talk of building bridges andtearing down walls, you would think that Dr. EvanCarton was in the construction business.

Though the walls and bridges are metaphorical,Carton will still have his work cut out for him. Asdirector of The University of Texas HumanitiesInstitute, he has a vision of bringing theUniversity’s resources to the public.

“There are two very different types of bound-aries we need to break down,” Carton said. “Thefirst is between faculty from different depart-ments who have few opportunities to interactwith each other. The other is the wall between theUniversity and the larger community.

“These two missions come together in the

An Intellectual Spirit:The creation of the Humanities Institute

concept of the ‘citizen-scholar,’ which is also thetitle of the Institute’s newsletter,” Carton said.“Every scholar is also a citizen, and every citizen—given opportunity, encouragement, and a learningcommunity—has the potential to be a lifelongscholar.”

Less than a year old, the program has alreadylaunched an interdisciplinary faculty seminar anda successful public lecture series with speakers onsuch diverse topics as Islamic law, the Holocaust,and responsibility as an ethic. Another popularprogram has been Teachers as Scholars, a collabo-rative effort with area school districts that givesteachers an opportunity to come together asstudents to learn something new or deepen their

knowledge in any field that interests them, regard-less of the subject or grade they teach. Eightyteachers from the Austin area have participated inthe first year of Teachers as Scholars, and there areplans to expand it to reach all of Central Texas.

“Teachers as Scholars provides a unique type ofprofessional development and personal intellec-tual development for teachers,” Carton said. “Andthe district administrators who support it under-stand that students at every level are best servedby teachers who are stimulated and growingintellectually.”

Another project about to be launched by theInstitute is in collaboration with the Austin PublicLibrary system. “We want to develop discussion

The University of Texas Humanities Institute will sponsor this five part seminar,meeting each Monday evening in April, 7 to 9 p.m. on the University campus.Registration is open to all adults and teenagers who wish to explore how to "read"classic and contemporary film and TV images of American families and family rela-tions, and how these images represent us to ourselves. Each session will involve amixture of faculty presentation, participant discussion, and group viewing and analysisof many clips from movies and TV shows that depict American families.

groups with faculty at library branches,” Cartonexplained. “We are working with the libraries toprovide relevant topics for different communitieswithin Austin. It’s another way to take the re-sources of the University out to the public and tobring into the University’s sphere the interests andideas of citizens beyond its walls.”

Because the Institute draws on the intellectualassets of the entire University, it has become avery versatile organization. It was this versatilityand flexibility that made it possible for a paneldiscussion to be quickly put together in the wakeof September 11. The event drew more than 300people.

“One of our strong points is the ability todevelop topical programs on short notice,” Cartonsaid. “We had an unprecedented situation wherepeople were thirsty for information and therereally was not a specific area of the Universityresponsible for meeting that need. By tapping intothe personal experiences and professional exper-

--Robin Stanton Gerrow

MIRROR ON THE WALL:READING HOLLYWOOD'S IMAGES

OF 'THE FAMILY'

April 8: Throwaway Lines and Disposable Women:How “Stepmom” Packages the Culture of Divorce

April 15: Everyday Relations: All Sorts of Families on TVApril 22: Spy Niños: Robert Rodriguez Re-Imagines the American FamilyApril 29: Reading Family Pictures: Strategies, Questions, Conclusions,

New Directions

Seating is limited. Registration fee for the series: $35. For reservations, call 232-9463or email The Humanities Institute at [email protected]. For moreinformation on this and other programs, visit the Humanities Institute web site atwww.utexas.edu/cola/depts/huminst

Dr. Mia Carter (left), of the Department of English,facilitates a group discussing during a Teachers asScholars session.

tise of our faculty, we were able to provide per-spectives from different parts of the world. It wasa great gift we could provide to the community.”

More than sponsoring lectures, Carton is craft-ing the Humanities Institute into an interactiveforum where ideas are shared and partnershipsformed.

“We really want to create a public intellectualspirit,” he said. “The goal is to further democratizeaccess to the humanities and make more of aneffort to reach those not comfortable, or familiar,

with the UT campus.”Carton said, “We involve not only a wide range

of people from the college, but also from thecommunity who want a vehicle for participating.Some of the programs—like our ‘Summer Conver-sations’ series—started with ideas from thecommunity. It’s great to hear from those whowant to be involved. The success of the Instituteultimately depends on the participation of citi-zens.”

The Pro Bene Meritis Award is to honor individuals who are committed to the liberal arts, who havemade oustanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits, or who have participatedin service related to the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. This year’shonorees, Creekmore Fath, William H. Goetzmann, James W. McKie and Paul Woodruff are profiledin the following pages. Stories by Rhonda Cloos, photography by Mark Rutkowski.

Pro Bene Meritis

Creekmore Fath

Creekmore Fath has enjoyed a politically activecareer, a successful law practice and a strongcommitment to the University of Texas. He wasborn in McAllister, Okla. in 1916. Raised in Ciscoand Fort Worth, he moved to Austin in 1931.Following graduation from Austin High in 1933,Fath studied economics at the University of Texas.A Curtain Club member, he appeared in “HayFever,” which marked the opening of Hogg Memo-rial Auditorium. Miss Ima Hogg attended thepremier.

In 1935, Fath began studying law at the Univer-sity, and received his license in 1939. A New Dealactivist, in 1940 he was invited to WashingtonD.C. as a lawyer for the Tolan Committee, whichstudied destitute migrant workers. At Fath’s firstmeeting, Congressman Tolan warned that theCommittee would fold if it did not present aninnovative congressional testimony in December.Fath suggested that Mrs. Roosevelt testify on theCommittee’s behalf, something a First Lady hadnever done. He phoned the White House, andbluntly asked if the Committee could “use” Mrs.Roosevelt to testify. His direct approach worked,and he was invited for tea in the Red Room. TheFirst Lady ultimately accepted his request, and her

testimony drew 50 members of Congress, Speakerof the House Sam Rayburn, and extensive mediacoverage.

A short time later, Fath met President FranklinD. Roosevelt, and was offered a presidentialappointment as counsel to the St. LawrenceSeaway & Power Project. In 1942, he was namedcounsel to the Senate Committee on Patents,investigating German cartels with Americancorporations, and was later head of the CartelDivision of the Board of Economic Warfare.President Roosevelt depended on his young aideand said, “Creekmore Fath has the best politicaljudgment of anyone his age in Washington.”

Fath joined the U.S. Army in 1943. Soon aftercompleting basic training, President Rooseveltpersonally assigned him to the Office of StrategicServices and he worked in the White House. Afterhis army service, he was one of two directors ofthe Democratic National Committee, and laterserved as Assistant to Cap Krug, PresidentTruman’s Secretary of Interior.

In 1947, Fath married Adele Hay Byrne, agranddaughter of John Hay, who was a secretaryto President Lincoln. The couple moved to Austin,where Fath had a successful law practice. For

many years, they divided their time betweenAustin and Washington. During the 1950s, Fathparticipated in Senator Ralph W. Yarborough’scampaigns. In 1960, he was named counsel to the

continued on page 13

A New Deal activist

William H.Goetzmann

Professor William H. Goetzmann brings a greatdeal of honor to The University of Texas atAustin. Born in Washington D.C. in 1930, hegrew up in St. Paul, Minn. before moving toHouston in 1944. He was salutatorian at St.Thomas High School, and turned down a St.Louis Cardinals scout’s offer to accept a YaleUniversity scholarship.

In June 1952, Goetzmann graduated Phi BetaKappa and magna cum laude from Yale. He chosegraduate studies over an alternate position on theU.S. Olympic Fencing Team, and received his

doctorate in American Studies in 1957. Hisdissertation, “Army Exploration in the AmericanWest, 1803-63” (Yale University Press), receivedthe campus wide John Addison Porter Prize andthe Buffalo Award of the New York WesternersPosse.

Goetzmann was a Yale faculty member until1964, when he was asked to found and developthe American Studies program at The Universityof Texas at Austin. Under his 16-year direction,the program achieved recognition as one of thetop in the nation.

On May 1, 1967, after he returned from afternooncoffee in the Student Union, Goetzmann noticeda crowd of his colleagues outside Garrison Hall. Atelegram had just arrived, announcing that hissecond book, “Exploration and Empire,” had wonthe Pulitzer Prize in History.“That was a great moment,” he recalls. “It was likewinning a gold medal in the Olympics.” He spentthe following year as a Fulbright Visiting Lecturerat Cambridge University.

Upon returning to Texas in 1968, he continuedto direct the American Studies program, andchaired the History Department. That same year,he developed the University’s first women’sstudies classes. Meanwhile, he compiled thehistory maps for the first official U.S. atlas, pub-lished by the U.S. Geological Survey, and scriptedthe Survey’s renowned traveling exhibitionentitled “Maps and Americans.”

Goetzmann’s work appears to focus on theAmerican West, although he sees his westernexploration science and art books as metaphorsfor American cultural and intellectual history. Hewrote and developed “The West of the Imagina-tion,” a six-part PBS series that aired in 1986 andwon the blue ribbon at the American Film and


A lifetime ofachievement

James W. McKie

Professor Emeritus James W. McKie has mademany notable contributions during his long-termrelationship with The University of Texas atAustin. He was born in Los Angeles in 1922, buthis parents returned to Texas, their home state,and he grew up in El Paso.

McKie entered The University of Texas atAustin shortly after the start of World War II.The Depression years had sparked a desire tounderstand the causes and solutions for such aprofound economic downturn, and he studiedeconomics. The state’s energy-based economysubsequently stimulated his initial interest in oiland gas.

After receiving a B.A. in 1943, he joined theArmy Air Corps, and was eventually assigned tothe Pentagon. Following military service, hecompleted his M.A. from the University in 1947.He married Austinite Alice Catherine Whartonthat year, and the couple moved to Massachu-setts so that he could attend graduate school atHarvard, where he received an A.M. in 1949 anda doctorate in 1952.

McKie has been a faculty member at WilliamsCollege (1951-52), Harvard University (1952-54), and Vanderbilt University (1954-71, Depart-ment Chairman, 1965-68). He was a visitingfaculty member at Harvard and the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley; and a Senior Fellow at theBrookings Institution.

In 1971, McKie returned to The University ofTexas at Austin as Dean of the College of Socialand Behavioral Sciences, a new branch of theformer College of Arts and Sciences, whichultimately became a part of the present Collegeof Liberal Arts.

McKie believes that the liberal arts form anessential part of any person’s quest to becomewell educated. While serving as dean, he workeddiligently to secure resources for the large numberof students the college attracted. He remainsgrateful for the assistance of many talentedindividuals, including Robert D. King, who suc-ceeded him as Dean in 1976, and his dedicatedassistant, Barbara Myers, who later became anAssistant Dean.

In 1979, McKiebegan a term asChairman of theDepartment ofEconomics. Heworked to establish acurriculum thatoffered both institu-tional and theoreticaleconomics, enablingstudents to benefitfrom a well-roundedapproach. Building theundergraduate pro-gram was another areaof focus.

McKie was an activeconsultant to corpora-tions and the U.S.government. Heserved on PresidentJohnson’s Task Forceon Antitrust Policy andwas Chief Economiston President Nixon’sCabinet Task Force on

Oil Import Control.McKie’s research in the energy industry earned

high acclaim. A distinguished author and editor,his work appears in numerous books and profes-sional journals. He has served on many commit-tees, and has received numerous awards andfellowships. He was President of the SouthernEconomic Association, a member of TimeMagazine’s Board of Economists (1981-84), andin 1983 was named the Edward Everett HaleCentennial Professor of Economics at the Univer-sity.

McKie retired in 1990, and is pursuing lifelonginterests in reading, travel, the arts and literature.He and Catherine, his wife of 54 years, have threechildren and one grandson.

Economist and consultant

photo courtesy of Julie McKie

Paul Woodruff

Professor Paul Woodruff offers dedicated leader-ship and profound personal integrity to TheUniversity of Texas at Austin. He was born in1943 in New Jersey, and was raised primarily inwestern Pennsylvania. He graduated valedictorianfrom St. Albans High School in Washington D.C.,and his yearbook entry predicted that he wouldbecome a philosopher. Woodruff received two undergraduate degrees: anA.B. in Classics (Princeton University, 1965) and aB.A. in Literae Humaniores (Oxford University,1968). Following commencement from Oxford,Woodruff returned to Princeton as a doctoralstudent. His academic plans were placed on holdwhen he joined the U.S. Army in 1969.

His military service included one year in Viet-nam as an Intelligence Advisor in the IV Corps.He was stationed in Chau Doc, a town on theCambodian border. After promotion to the rank ofCaptain, he was Mission Commander in a numberof nighttime helicopter missions, before the daysof GPS and advanced night vision technology. Henow reflects back on his Vietnam service as aleadership building experience.After the service, Woodruff resumed doctoratestudies at Princeton. He had developed a keeninterest in Greek philosophers, and Vietnamstimulated a desire to study important ethicalissues. In 1973, Woodruff completed a dissertationentitled, “The Euthyphro and the Hippias Major:Two Studies in Socratic Dialectic.”

Shortly after receiving his Ph.D., Woodruff

joined the Depart-ment of Philosophyfaculty at TheUniversity of Texasat Austin. Hisleadership capabili-ties quickly becameapparent, and hetwice served asAssistant Chairmanof the department, in1976-78 and 1979-81. In 1987, he wasGraduate Advisor,and he chaired thedepartment for threeyears beginning in1988.

In 1991, Woodruffbecame Director ofthe Plan II HonorsProgram, a position he still holds. In 1996, hechaired the Faculty Council, now known asFaculty Senate. He is recognized as a hard-work-ing, effective leader with a high regard for schol-arly achievement.

Woodruff is a well-respected educator, andbelieves that knowledge of the great works of thepast is not an optional component of a well-rounded education. In the Plan II Honors Pro-gram, he has taught philosophy and world litera-ture courses. Outside of Plan II, he teaches ethics,

aesthetics and ancient philosophy. He won his firstteaching award in 1971 when he trained soldierswho were heading to Vietnam.

“They liked what I taught because I told themthe truth,” he recalls. In 1986, he received theHarry Ransom Teaching Award, and is a memberof the University of Texas Academy of Distin-guished Teachers. Students often say, “Don’t misshis philosophy course!”

Woodruff’s current research focuses on the


A philosopher anda playwright

“As a Plan II student, I was encouraged tothink critically and give back to society, espe-cially in my Social Sciences class that gavecredit for volunteering at local schools inAustin,” said Steven Farr, newly appointed VicePresident of Training and Support for Teach ForAmerica.

“Over the course of my four years at UT,education was an area I kept coming back to,”Farr said in recent interview.

Convinced that he could not ignore a “nag-ging sense” to improve the state of education,Farr deferred law school and became a corpsmember for Teach for America upon hisgraduation in 1993. As a corps member,Steven taught high school English and Englishas a Second Language for two years in Donna,Texas.

Farr recalls what he claims were the “longesttwo and a half days of my life” when hebrought 40 kids on a field trip to the Universityof Texas. “Dr. Carver, Dr. Vick, the alumnicenter and the College of Liberal Arts openedthe door and hosted all these kids, allowingthem to look under the hood to see whatcollege is all about.”

“My confidence and ability to think criticallygrew exponentially, and I cannot think of a

position of greater responsibility thanbeing accountable for the education of160 students.” His experiences teach-ing in the Rio Grande Valley furtheredhis sense that he had a personalresponsibility to help as many stu-dents as possible, and shaped hisstudies as a law student.

At Yale University Law School,Farr focused his energy on educationequity issues and continued tovolunteer in the classroom. Alongwith a couple of his peers, Farrdeveloped and co-taught a unit onlaw for fifth graders in New Haven.As Vice President of Training andSupport, Farr has many goals forthe organization.

“Teach for America has a greatopportunity for growth, and we are looking todouble the size of the corps in the next couple ofyears while improving the quality of our teach-ing,” Farr said. “I’d like to think we’re increasingthe number of teachers who are increasing theacademic success of students while closing theeducational gap between kids in suburban andrural communities.”

Teach for America

Sense of responsibilityleads alumnus to a life ofeducational involvement

--Grace Bernhardt

Teach For America is the national corps ofoutstanding and diverse recent collegegraduates of all academic majors who com-mit two years to teach in urban and ruralpublic schools. For more information, visitwww.teachforamerica.org

ALUMNI

College students can be atough audience, according toThomas J. Garza. “But,” hesaid, “being a frustrated actorhelps when it comes toteaching.

“There is an art and a craftto teaching,” said Garza, anAssociate Professor of SlavicLanguages. “I view my teach-ing as four performances aweek. Each performanceneeds a beginning, middle andan end, and most importantly,an audience response.”

Since coming to The Univer-sity of Texas at Austin in 1990,Garza’s research has focusedon language teaching andcontemporary Russian culture,but teaching is what he reallyenjoys about working at theUniversity.

“My first Russian languageclass in college is why I’m heretoday,” Garza said. “The person teaching the classwas able to convey the culture and everythingbehind the language. I felt awe at what the in-structor was doing and thought that if I could dothat, I would be very happy.

“When I was hired, I was aware that UT isconsidered a research institution and the impor-tance of research,” he said. “But it’s the teachingthat keeps me doing the research.”

Garza has managed to combine the two aspectsof his profession by offering courses that incorpo-rate his research. This year he is teaching “TheVampire in Slavic Cultures” which came out of hisstudy of Russian youth culture of the 1990’s.

page 10

Thomas Garza’s one man show

“I teach what I research,” he said. “If I can teacha course I feel passionate about, it helps me find aconnection and a way to get the material across tomy students.”

His peers in the American Association of Teach-ers of Slavic and Eastern European Languagesrecently honored him for his teaching abilitieswith the annual Award for Excellence in Teachingat the Postsecondary Level.

“When it comes to student evaluations, nothingpleases me more than to have somebody say thatProfessor Garza clearly enjoys teaching,” he said.


Class Notes

If you are an alum of the College of LiberalArts and would like to submit an item for“Class Notes,” send it, along with your majorand year of graduation, to Robin Gerrow [email protected] or mail toRobin Gerrow, College of Liberal Arts,G6000, Austin, TX 78712

Photo by Marsha Miller

FACULTY

David Dow Bentley III (History ‘62) is aretired educator now in a second career as aperfroming arts critic. Bentley’s column, “ThePeople’s Critic,” has been featured in newspa-pers across the country.

Bess Althaus Graham (Plan II, ‘77) andhusband Madison Graham (Architecture, ‘77)are partners in MRGA Architecture. Theywere recently recognized with an award forthe design of new administration areas and anew library at Hill Elementary School inAustin.

Gail Caldwell (American Studies ‘78, ‘80) hasbeen named an outstanding alumni for 2002by The University of Texas Graduate School.Caldwell is the chief book critic for theBoston Globe newspaper, and won the 2001Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Valerie Atkinson Brown (Government, ‘81)had a book, “Legal Research Via the Internet,”published in 2000. She currently is complet-ing a master’s in Legal Studies at SouthwestTexas State University.

Eberly Barnes Mareci(English ‘82), is Man-ager of the Marketing Creative Team atInformation Builders in New York, NY.

a legal system of exclusion.“The practice in Mexico, and later in the United

States, was that the legal system was used tomaintain privileges for whites and to excludeother races from those privileges,” Menchaca said.It took Menchaca nearly 10 years to gather theresearch for the book, primarily from the libraryat the UT School of Law, where she examinedfederal and state laws that governed the rights ofMexican Americans.

“I was able to examine the entire history ofMexican Americans through the legal research,”she said. “A lot of racial perspectives were encodedin the laws. Although research had been done onhistorical events of the border, I wanted to look atthe colonists and indigenous people and see howthe view of history begins to change.”

Menchaca found that laws concerning landownership had the most impact upon MexicanAmericans with a multiracial ancestry becausepeople of Indian and African decent were notpermitted to own land. In her book, she traces thehistory of racial discrimination dating back to theSpanish conquest of the Aztecs.

Beyond her academic interest in the subject,Menchaca maintains a personal interest as well. Inthe introduction of her book, she recounts thesearch for information about her own racialbackground, as well as that of her husband’s.

“In narrating the racial history of the MexicanAmericans,” she wrote, “I use the first-personvoice, because this is also my history, a positionedhistory.”

Those living in the Southwest UnitedStates are familiar with the role ofMexican Americans in the developmentof the region’s culture, but their influenceon the legal system as well as the multira-cial history of Mexican Americans maynot be a story they know. Martha Menchaca, Associate Professorof Anthropology in the College of LiberalArts, has taken a fresh look at the historyof Mexican Americans in her new book,“Recovering History, Constructing Race:The Indian, Black and White Roots ofMexican Americans ” “Prior to 1964, scholars felt that it waspolitically dangerous to examine theethnic background of Mexican Americanstoo closely,” she said. “This book differsfrom previous histories on MexicanAmericans and on the American South-west because the central thread of myanalysis is race relations. It also differsbecause I include blacks as importanthistorical actors rather than denying their

presence in the history of the Mexican Ameri-cans.”

Menchaca researched the racial background ofMexican Americans including American andMexican Indians, as well as the Spanish andAfricans that were brought to Mexico throughslavery.

“My primary interest was to examine race andlook at how history was influenced by it,” she said.What she found was that race was used to develop

Family history led thisprofessor to an examination

of race relations

The racial history ofMexican-Americans



RESEARCH

For most people, graduation from TheUniversity of Texas at Austin with one major isan accomplishment. Jack Tannous is about tograduate with five—in only four years. And thisfall, he’ll take his arsenal of intellect to Oxford,representing the University as a Marshall scholar.

His award, a token of Britain’s thanks to theUS for the Marshall Plan, funds a two- to three-year master’s study at a UK school of choice.Oxford houses one of only two English languageprograms on Christians in the Middle East,Tannous’s chosen field.

“Nobody ever talks about the Christians,” hesaid. “They’re the losers of Middle Easternhistory.” His interest is personal as well asacademic—his father’s family, back in Lebanon,follows Orthodox Christianity. “People thinkthat Arabs and Muslims are synonymous, butthey’re not.”

Tannous is already deep in Middle Easternlore. For his Plan II senior thesis, he is translatinga thousand-year-old Arabic text called the Kitabal-Diyarat, or Book of Monasteries.

“Basically, the book tells stories of IraqiChristian monks and their Muslim aristocraticpatrons,” he said. “This kind of work is like

writing western history from the perspective of the pagans.”And this is what the College of Liberal Arts is all about, said Tannous: “it exposes you to a broader

reality than what you see on TV, makes it easier to relate to people from different backgrounds.”With majors in Arabic, history, Middle Eastern studies, philosophy, and Plan II, Tannous’s interests

seem pretty broad. But he sees this kind of academic base as the essence of Liberal Arts, and hiscollege as the heart of the university.

“We’re not a trade school—we teach people how to think, to appreciate who they are and wherethey come from,” he said, smiling. “Science types think they have a monopoly on the truth.”

5 into 4 equals success forLiberal Arts student

Video Festival in New York. He and William N.Goetzmann co-authored the prize-winning bookof the same title.

In 1988, he wrote the National Geographicmagazine cover story, “Tell Me if Your Civilizationis Interesting,” commemorating the magazine’s100th anniversary. He is the recipient of numer-ous awards, fellowships and grants.

Since 1989, he has held the Jack S. Blanton, Sr.,Chair in History and American Studies. He vividlyrecalls traveling to Houston in the Universityplane with President William and Mrs.Cunningham to accept the honor at a dinner inthe Blanton home.

In November 2001, the Texas Book Festivalawarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award. InSpring 2002, he is receiving the Texas Institute ofLetters Lifetime Achievement Award.

A devoted professor with a keen sense of humor,Goetzmann’s classes have always been popular.He has created at least one new course everysemester since 1964, supervised nearly 60doctorial dissertations, and has arranged UTstudent fellowship programs at the SmithsonianInstitution and Buffalo Bill Historic Center inCody, Wyoming. He believes that a liberal artseducation provides an opportunity for students to“have conversations with the world’s greatestthinkers.”

A renowned author, Goetzmann has written 19books and hundreds of articles. He has editedbook series for Yale University Press, University ofTexas Press, and a 33-volume Explorer’s series forschools and colleges. He invented a board gamebased on the actual happenings of the RockyMountain Fur Trade, 1820-1840. His companysold all the games it could produce.

Goetzmann and Mewes, his wife of 48years, have two sons and a daughter, and fivegrandchildren.

Goetzmann continued

--Christa French

STUDENTS

virtues that shape a person’s character and behav-ior, and he has high regard for ancient Greekphilosophy. He has written numerous books,scholarly papers, translations and plays. In 1983,his play, “Ithaca in Black and White,” won the B.Iden Payne Award for best new play. His otherworks have received many awards and honors.

“Reverence” is the title of Woodruff’s latestbook, published by Oxford University Pressin 2001. The Christian Science Monitor recog-nized it among notable non-fiction for the year.

Woodruff and his wife, Lucia, have twodaughters.

Woodruff continued

Senate committee watch dogging the Kennedy-Nixon debates, which resulted in a sub-committeeappointment lasting five years.

A distinguished author, Fath wrote “BienvenidaHomecoming, A Texas Appreciation DinnerHonoring United States Senator Ralph W.Yarborough” (1970); “The Lithographs of ThomasHart Benton” (1969); “Yarborough: Portrait of aSteadfast Democrat” (1957); and “A Report on theEconomic Conditions of Texas” (1940). He iscurrently working on an autobiography. An avidreader, his personal library contains 40,000volumes.

The Faths offer generous support to the Univer-sity of Texas at Austin, and are involved with theLiberal Arts Advisory Council, Littlefield Society,Chancellor’s Council, President’s Associates, andEx-Students’ Association. Fath has shared hisWashington experiences through lectures tostudents. He values a liberal arts education be-cause “it provides a solid foundation for any careerthat a person pursues.”

Fath continued

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David Stanton (Government ‘95)recently proposed toXuan-Nguyen Huynh (English ‘91) atop Telegraph Hillin San Francisco. As part of the marriage proposal,David decided to establish a scholarship in Ngyuen’sname in the College of Liberal Arts.

Where did you get the idea to establish ascholarship?

I decided to ask Nguyen to marry me at the end of 1999. Iwanted to give her something unique and special. One day I waswalking around and the thought struck me—establish a scholar-ship in her name! Nguyen had been able to attend UT becauseshe received a scholarship and I realized I could continue thecycle. I could help Nguyen give something back to UT sincethey have given so much to her.

What did your fiancee say when you told herabout the scholarship?

Nguyen was ecstatic! She began to weep, smile, and shoutwith joy—all while trying to talk at the same time! The mostimportant thing Nguyen wanted to let me know was that shewas crying because she was deeply touched. To Nguyen, the giftwas an endearing way to honor the opportunity that she, as anunderprivileged child, had to better her life through education.

What would you say to other UT alumni who areconsidering establishing a scholarship?

It’s more realistic than you think! You don’t have to be oldand rich to establish a scholarship! Since you can fund it overfive years, you don’t have to give a big lump sum. Spread it outover the years like a car loan and it’s easily within reach.

Do you have a date set for the wedding?We’ll be married on Oct. 26, 2002, in Austin. Our wedding

colors are BURNT orange (of course) and black—a nicecomplement to our Halloween theme!

--Grace Bernhardt

The Back Page


For more than 30 years, Shakespeare at Winedale hasoffered students the chance to experience the Bard’s works in aunique setting.

A recent challenge grant awarded by the National Endowmentfor the Humanities has offered Shakespeare at Winedale a uniqueopportunity to provide for the security of the program.Shakespeare at Winedale has committed to raising $800,000 innon-federal funds over four years to match the four-to-onechallenge.

The awarding of the grant is part of a $3 million campaign toexpand the program and shift Shakespeare at Winedale fromdependence on individual contributions to secure funding throughan endowment.

For more information about Shakespeare at Winedale, pleasecall 512/471-4726.

photos by John Ruszkiewicz

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