U of MN, Morris 77-8

September 4, 1977

Dear Family,

As we prepare for the new year, I hope the cyclical resolution and enthusiasm pervade, your environment. I am filled with hope and anticipation.

My first full week in Morris has been quite pleasant. My office phone number is: (612) 589-2211 Ext. 403. You can reach me at that number only during office hours. Calling out through it will be awkward, at best, so I am having a phone installed in my apt. on Fri.

I have established something of a routine. An invigorating 2.8 mile square on. dirt roads exists by the gym, so my daily run is enjoyable. The campus library receives three of my favorite periodicals, WSJ, NYT, and TLS, so I am not lacking for intellectual stimulation. Their professional journal subscriptions are skeletal but the loss is not mine. Dr. Kahng has informed me that my library ordering budget is fairly large and I should not be impeded or intimidated in ordering books or subscriptions.

My office is pleasant and functional. I have already covered most of one wall with my art-postcard collection. Though only one secretary is here and only a student looking for summer employment, she has been helpful and efficacious in typing cor­respondence and lecture notes. Rapidly and somewhat involuntarily I am becoming privy to the existing academic intrigue and politics.

The furnishing of my apartment is nearly complete. At a house sale I bought two studio couches (which open into double beds) and 3 wooden chairs. The swatch of mater enclosed covers the couches and a chair. (The material cost $1.17 /yard and the bolt was 60 inches wide!) The carpet is gold and the walls, white plaster. My bed consist of: 6 8" X 10" X 16" cinder blocks supporting a 54" X 76" 1/2 inch plywood board, on which rests a 4" foam mat. The arrangement is quite comfortable and inexpensive. All I lack is a bedroom dresser and a dining room table (I am currently using a spare card table lent by the Grohs's). The curtains given to me by Roy and Maggie fit in nicely. The rear derailleur (a cheap Shimano) has bent out of shape on the bicycle I am using, so I will have to see about getting it fixed; no small task in a town of 54

Yesterday I had supper at the home of Dr. Kahng. Though I do not really know the Kos, I would hypothesize a similarity, all the way down to his wife's mother, who lives with them and does not speak english. They straddle a somewhat spacious plot and have the desire and enthusiasm to garden. Thus I left them with a pail of cucumbers and other assorted garden grown vegetables. They are quite gracious and charming and I hope to entertain both them and the Grohss for supper soon.

My lecture preparation is progressing adequately. Classes start Mon, 9/26 and I expect to be ready by then. Last year's graduating class had only 15 Bus. Econ, minors (as you cannot major in the discipline) so I do not expect to be overwhelmed with, student demands on my time.

I am 2/3 of the way through After Auschwitz, by Richard Rubinstein and given to me by our Richard. I am finding it stimulating and enjoyable and considering its date of publication, 1966, tremendously prophetic. One of the most articulate and eloquent thoughts of his is the theme of Jewish "Supernaturality", a concept also discussed by Bellow In To Jerusalem and Back, though there, at a more manifest level.

September 11, 1977

Dear Family,

A hearty New Year's Greeting to you all! I trust that everyone is sharing this radiant and majestic fall with me.

The past week was fun and fulfilling, as has been most of my stay here thus far. On the gastronomical side, I went shopping at the local supermarket (Supersaver) with an upstairs neighbor, a local high school teacher. I also went to a "farmer's mar-ket with Roy and there purchased 11 lbs. of tomatoes for $1 and a humongous cauliflower for $0.50. Roy and I also harvested part of the vegetable plot left by Hilme Elifoglu.

Hilme is an Asst, Prof, in Economics here. His father is in the throes of death in Turkey and so Hilme would like to be with him this year, nothing very unusual. The rub is that only two weeks ago did Hilme express his desires. Last week an acceptable individual's name was found in Sun's (DrK) resume file. He was interviewed by us last week on a conference call basis. The complication arose because the UMM has a visiting philosopher (J.L. Mackie) coming this fall and the; philosophy dept. has been negligent in securing for him adequate quarters. Thus the academic dean, Gordon Bopp, who naturally has a vested interest in Mackie?s comfort had to pressure (a verb the dean is well noted for around here) Hilme into a three month lease for Mackie and the balance for Hilme's replacement, Changnee Chae.

The conference call itself was an amusing affair. Present were: Bopp, 0. T. Driggs (Divsion chrmn. and a History Prof.), S. K., R. G., and myself. No real. politics "were present but the air was nevertheless filled with intrigue. My stay here could conceivably be more than one year, though this prospect is slight. A short run result is that I will be living one floor below Mackie, as Hilme and Iare in the same apt. building. I have requested recent articles by him from the librarv, and 1 look forward to stimulating dinners and discussions.

My health and overall body condition are good. I have been running a dif­ferent course which takes me 3 miles into Western Minn, farmland. Though most of the harvest is in, the colors and mood are still overwhelming for a city boy like myself. Golden fields and rustic trees evoke shades of Impressionism in their beauty and innocence. This week I averaged 4 tomatoes and pears/day.

My progress on course preparation is satisfactory. I have the basic outline reading list, and lecture content settled and the process is now one of polishing and possibly reducing the course objectives, depending on the class size and background of the students. The course pre-registration was a scant 10 which people here feel will end up around 15.

On Friday, a phone was installed in my apt. the number is: (612) 589-2139.

Yesterday I attended a football, game, pitting Last year's Northern Inter­collegiate Conference (NIC) champs, the UMM Cougars, against the NCAA Dvision II (the size of our school) 1976-7 Champs, the St. John Johnnies (complete with their beheamoth 6'7" 270 lbs. defensive tackle). Morris creamed them, 16-3. I have great expectations for this team. It seemed as if the whole town turned out as I recognized many faces.

I finished After Auschwitz this week and am back to the usual TLS, NYT and WSJ faire. Rubinstein was quite clear in his elucidations of the lack of US residents appreciation and awareness of the trajic in life. CClearly we Jews are uniquely qualified and will be until the end of our days on this planet.

One of the more productive means by which I can favorably enahce the prospect of being asked back is to make Gordon lood good via my publication in the Minnepolis paper. I do not think the task is insurmountable and since I cannot sing or dance, I had best get my publication track record rolling. I have an idea brewing that I expect will reach print. More details when (dn if) success appears.

September 25, 1977

Dear Family,

Though I have not really heard from anybody out there recently, I trust that this letter finds everyone in the best of spirits and health. I am doing well.

The quarter begins tomorrow and I am prepared enough to face it. My first week’s lectures are now fairly complete, the reserve readings (3 copies) are at the library, and course syllabi are mimeographed and ready to be handed out. As of Fri., less than 5 copies of the text had been sold, but that’s not my problem.

This past week has certainly had its share of festivities, formal and otherwise. Tuesday was the annual faculty-staff picnic at the home of Asst Provost Steve (wife - Arden) Granger, 1009 W. 4th, on the north shore of Lake Crystal. True to form, though unlike my previous 22 years, I came overdressed in a Sports coat and tie. The gratuitous refreshments provided to the 100-person crowd was quite standard picnic faire: hot dogs, potato salad, beer, etc. I brought some of my whole wheat bread, which was naturally quite well received. I had a fun time and am quite confident that I was my usual "charming" self (Sincere sorrow was expressed to me when I declined to join fellow faculty joggers and their wives for further comradeship at a local bar afterwards) Of all the single women I met, only one (Sue Brower) appears to warrant consideration as a friend. The shallow lake freezes in the winter providing year-round recreation opportunities. At the close of the affair, I conversed with John Mackie for the first time and rode home with him in a ride provided by Phil. prof. Howard Wettstein (whose wife is Orthodox and on the Univ faculty also). (Wettstein left Wed. for Minneapolis and a hotel room near a Schul.) To date, I have enjoyed all our conversations. My hasty ascriptions were corrected by him and he subsequently gave me an illuminating article that he is refereeing on the subject of prudence vs. morality. I have also borrowed from him a copy of his latest book which has not yet been published in this country. It is entitled Ethics.

On Wed morning the nine new faculty members were given ten-minute presentations by various administrative department heads. Gordon organized and ran the meeting. The amusing highligh was when opeing speaker Steve Granger in response to Gordon, who had answered a question asked of Steve about the policy of “Incompletes", steamed, "Oh! He just doesn't want me to say anything liberal!”

On Yom Kippur, the Provost held his cocktail party, as expected. I arrived in the affair's only three piece suit and presented the hostess with some banana bread. The most interesting person I met there was another Phil. Prof, Peter French. He is currently being funded for research in financial philosophy and some day I may even get in on it. At the reception I also met another of my neighbors, Joan Demaretsky, Apt. 103, who is also a new faculty (along with Gregory Page of Apt. 104) (1, as you recall, am in 102). As Joan and I were talking background geography, we started talking about Long Island where ,Joan is from .As 1 revealed to her my Seaford origins, she related of a great new jazz club that has sprung up there. Peter overheard us and came over to own up to his Long Island roots.

The week also saw my asset holding expand further with the acquisition of a walnut and glass coffee table. It is my most expensive piece of furniture to date, but at 20% ($10) under. material costs, I am not complaining. I also purchased two end tables and a shoeshine kit at house sales. At hardware stores I got ¼ inch wooden mats for my prints along with shellac and a paint brush.

I hooked up a speaker to my stereo last night and low and behold!, out came music. My joy at its functioning is overwhelming

As of now, the prospect of an apartment-mate looks bleak. As I am truly enjoying my privacy, my sorrow is minimal.

BBefore I forget again, Morris has TWO stoplights, both on Atantic Ave. One is at 7th and the other at 5th. Also, the town’s three-storey building limitations is only indirectly from the height of the water tower. Apparently the fire engines cannot battle any higher blazes.

My weight is down to 134 lbs.


October 2. 1977

Dear Family.

The first week of classes has coe and gone and I am surprisingly virtually the exact same person that I was a week ago. How about you folks? I trust that you kept your cool under the fire of the week's revolutions.

My class ( Business Economics 3200, Financial Management) has 10 students. 5 are juniors and one ( a senior) is a female. My planned lectures appear to be palatable and convincing enough to maintain attention and attendance. My mastery and control of the material are sufficient to foster respect. The feedback that I have gotten thus far in the form of text problems as homework and a multiple choice quiz demonstrate that the class has an adequate competence with the material.

Thursday night I had J. L. Mackie over for dinner as planned. The faire was my standard, the "House Special (see enclosed invite). The conversation went well enough. Most of the conversation initiatives were my own. I had finished his latest book, Ethics and was able to offer some reasonably intelligent comments. I think we both came away with an enhanced respect for the other. He is leading an inter-disciplinary seminar on "The Nature of Causation" (or some-thing to that effect). I attended the first session and think I'll attend no more due to its abstract and (perceived) esoteric content. That evening (Wed) He joined Ron (Imperial Apt. 301) and I in our weekly jaunt to the supermarket. ( I naturally took twice as long as them and bought three times as much.).

Friday night I was invited to the first "party" of the year at the home of Rob Lavenda. a new Anthro prof. The party capped a feeling that had been brewing all week, that a Bus Ecn teaching position at the UMM is not a viable goal. That scarcely a nubile candidate exists is assumed. The intolerable lack is that of community. The prerequisite of fitting in here is to belong to that 99.9 % subset of the U.S. household population that owns a TV and to acquiesce in the resulting lethargy.

The conversation among the women instructors ranged from projecting what life as an M.B.A. must be like to the sad recollection that the recent removal of "Star Trek" from reruns limited the prime amusement of a Soc prof. (It seems she got stoned and was enthralled by it, a habit that I passed through and outgrew at Penn). 16 faculty showed, not one of whom was tenured. During my hour and a half stay (with a hasty departure with the introduction of a TV into the main conversation area) I enjoyed my chat with only Howard (phil.) and his wife Barbara (secondary ed.) Wettstein. They are from Brooklyn and products of CUNY. (his undergraduate days were at Yeshiva U.)Howard was reticent about discussing their potential future at UMM because of his uncomfortableness with the thought plus the inherent leariness of revealing anything personal in a small town.

My athletic routine is down fairly pat with favorable results. My weight is still around 135 lbs. and I am running 5—10 % faster than when I got here. Here, for the first time, I can enjoy a dip in the pool after my sauna. On the days of inclement weather ( with the future addition of impassable roads) I lift weights on a Universal.

Another irksome manifestation of the provinciality of the town is that in spite of three supermarkets, yogurt without sugar and stoned ground wheat thins (made in every civilized country but this one) cannot be found. A cue of names must be formed and then the natural food co-op buys a case.

Last night I went to see 'Old Times,' a play by Harold Pinter performed in the UMM Fine Arts Center. As a highlight of my cultural week. it was worth the $1 admission.

This coming week I will be entertaining the Grohs'. Kahngs,' and Prof. Mackie again.
Judy should meet some. if not all of these people. when she arrives.

My first (and subsequent) pay check was chomped down a whopping 30.1% by taxes. Minnesota's highest-in-the-nation income tax more than makes up for its second place standing in "quality of life" ( CA is 1st).


October 9, 1977

Dear Family,

A hearty greetings from the annual "Introduction to Winter" weekend, here in frigid Morris. Even now, as I gaze out the Division windows, the mammoth trees forlornly (?) lose their leaves, one by one.

The past week was generally quite pleasant due to sister Judy's presence. Her .arrival was by no means unexpected, yet the skepticism of disbelief made her actual reaching of Morris (ahead of the expected time and w/o expected notice) all the more thrilling. Haim, Judy and I had about as much fun here as the environment would permit. Their basic goal of maintaining and sustaining health was also met. Haim successfully recovered from his cold and Judy just as resolutely staved off another bout of cold symptoms.

They arrived on Mon. afternoon. Tue. night I had Ray and Maggie (Grohs) here for dinner; The evening went quite well with the basic awkwardness being that of too much food (the teamwork preparation had proven too efficient). A significant amount of the time and mental concentration was spent on planning their future itinerary. I dare say my assistance was of more than moderate significance. Thurs. night we celebrated their stay here with a night "in town," highlighted by a visit to my bank (which was celebrating the official opening of its new building) where we received free cups and funnels (bearing the imprint "funnel your money with...") and dinner at the most highly recommended restaurant in Morris, The Diamond Club (under the Met Lounge). For the tab ($25), the food was barely adequate.

Their departure Friday was accompanied by sad farewells and an all-day cold wet frost that turned Fall into Winter. (I heard from them last night and they had safely arrived in Rocky Mtn Natl Park, bypassing Denver because of a late arrival.) Friday night I went to my first student party here. It was an enjoyable enough affair as the 4 male hosts are all good people. The evening's mood for me was one of cautious familiarizing and deja vu. No nubile candidates emerged, but at least I see a reason to maintain a glimmer of hope. The journey homeward at 3 A.M. was highlighted by passing the revolving temperature/time sign atop the Citizens Bank Building at 6th and Atlantic. The notable aspect of this routine occurrence was the temperature was 0° C (32° F). Winter has arrived. Even during the party, new arrivals spoke of falling snow.

This past week was one of the more difficult for is finally through with review and accounting and is now progressing onto topics on which I can intelligently comment. My class size has stabilized at 9. Everyone seems to be making passable progress.

Preparation for next quarter is increasingly occupying my time . Already I am beginning to sense that my efficiency and productivity are impaired as I cope with self-imposed loneliness and isolation. I am filled with my share of general confusion and getting older certainly does not help.

The week's irritating aspect centered around my dropping of my contact lens down my bathroom sink. I fear it is lost. I called my Cleve. optometrist to have it replaced. Since it will cost $40 and I recall a NYT ad for soft lens at $99,. I'll wait until I get into the city and then make the purchase of an old replacement of new soft lens. Other than my vanity the most critical effect is that of my veritable blindness in the sauna. (1 am exaggerating as I can still read and quite distinctly make out shapes and forms.

Please note that 1 have made a reservation for the 11 of us to visit the Barnes Foundation Art Collection in Philadelphia on Friday morning, 11/25. The gallery is small but exquisitely tasteful and illuminating. I do hope that you all can, and desire to attend with me. I am hoping to catch a 5:55 PM out of Minn. on 11/18 and an 11:00 A.M. out of Phila. on 11/27. These flight plans may be altered as the schedule demands.

Life as an instructor is generally quite easy and somewhat edifying. I particularly enjoy receiving free books. My take to date, here at Morris, is about 8 books. The accompanying respect and other secondary benefits are also quite pleasant. I am to meet with the main faculty benefits officer this week where I will inquire about my high-option Blue Cross surgery coverage. I also expect to receive a travel subsidy to NYC around new year's ostensibly to attend the Amer. Econ. Assoc. meeting.

October 16, 1977

Dear Family,

Greetings on the anniversary of my birth! This yearly date is rarely a particularly intense experience, probably due to familial socia1ization, yet the potential for searching introspection exists. I-can only hope that today marks a truly serious effort. Needless to say, I trust that the health and well-being of all of you, depending on your status in the life cycle, has at least not deteriorated appreciably. I look forward to the upcoming wedding with great hope and anticipation of, among other things, seeing everyone in good spirits (or not).

I dwell on the future because the present is so mundane. One definition of a provincial environment is that virtually all mental stimulation is internally generated, a description of Morris. The highlight of the past week's social enlightenment occurred at the Kahng's home on Fri. evening when the annual Econ. faculty get-together took place. By now, you should already know who was there, the Grohs', Wangness,' Mr. Chae, and I. The local High School football team was having its homecoming, so absolutely no babysitters were available. Thus the Ryans (He teachs 1 section of Acctg and is a full time CPA) were unable to make it, the Wangnesss left early to retrieve their sons at the movie house, and the Grohss brought their son Michael. The evening was not really too much, though I had a good time.

As recorded last week, the trees are still losing their leaves as I gaze out the window. The rate is faster, though, and by next week I am confident that this limited view will be quite desolate and forlorn.

Teaching is progressing adequately. Class attendance is dropping precipitately, though, and I am thus fairly concerned. My lectures are quite advanced, somewhat abstract, and usually disorganized. The homework demands are also substantial, so I can empathize with their frustration. I stop short of sympathy, because my presentation is drawn from practical and useful coursework that I have encountered. They are to an extent getting premium quality at bargain prices.

Three weeks of classes have elapsed and I am beginning to brew plans for a mid-quarter "respite." I hope J. Mackie will consent to being the guest of honor, thereby insuring the affair's success. My circle of acquaintances is relatively small, but I think that I could muster a credible showing.

I will probably purchase two speakers this week. My patience with the current state of affairs is rapidly decreasing as my savings is increasing. I have been shopping for ages (elasticity is greater over time) and am thus pleased with the prospect of two EPl 100s at $59 each.

In line with my increasing awareness that UMM is not a viable goal, I am preparing to either re-enter the world of graduate study or enter the commercial world, either in the States or Israel. To present myself adequately I am in the process of rewriting my resume. The problem is that I do not really have that much new to add.

Thus, the first step is to get an article published, as realized and noted previously. In this case, though, realizing the problem is far less than half way to successful solution. Currently I am placated by the rationalization that course preparation takes up all my time. Something by early Nov. would seem imperative; though.

Nothing new, physical-wise. My weight has creeped up to 139, but I am far from concerned. Beans and cheese- continue to dominate my diet, if not my dreams.




October 23, 1977

Dear Family,

Allow me to greet you with a sincerely felt regret at the increased impersonality of my correspondence to you. The switch was unavoidable and the substance will be virtually the same. In other words, please stay tuned.

The past week moved by in much the same manner as does all time here. Interaction and general movement are on a generally slow pace here.

Last Sunday I culled some relevant facts from various articles on "Understanding the New Futures." Roy Grohs's opinion of the effort was that it was "Much” (his emphasis) too technical and it needed a great deal of expansion and a more sophisticated clientele than the popular one that I had planned. I started this week on a more accessible topic, stock market investment, and I'll duly report any progress.

Wed. night was a philosophical colloquium with papers delivered by J.L. Mackie. His observations and comments were highbrow and enjoyable. The recent overlap of theoretical finance and philosophy, in the form of alternative state-world methodology, leaves much room for ponderance and thought.

Thurs. night I had Steve, Dave, and Tim over for dinner. These students are 3/4 . or the household that hosted two parties that I have attended (the second was yesterday). Everyone had the "House Special. Good times were had by all. All of them are good people and consequently there house is generally buzzing with more people than can be found elsewhere. Dave and I have many common interests: Patti Smith, vegetarianism, stereos, etc..

This weekend was homecoming. Naturally the cougars won with a trouncing 20-0 over rival St. Cloud (they are 5-0 in NIC competition). For me the climax was the above noted party on Sat. morning. It was to be a pre-game champaign breakfast but I personally was in no mood or condition to remain an immobile viewer of any outdoor athletic competition. Through a misunderstanding, I also missed the Provost's post game reception. A party last night at the Apt. of a T.A. was quite dead and uninspiring.

The most enjoyable aspect of the breakfast was my meeting of a sophmore, Laurie. We are to see "Seven Beauties" here at UMM on Tue.. I have been quite desirous of seeing this unique Wertmuller film for some time and I look forward to the evening with great anticipation.

My plans are progressing adequately for a mid-quarter respite. It will be held Tue. 11/1 at 7 P.M. J. L. Mackie will be "co-hosting" it with me, so I expect a goodly crowd.

BuEc 3200 was reasonably enjoyable this past week. I have given up worrying about attendance and homework as most of the people show up most of the time and most of the students turn in the homework due.

The town of Morris was a feature in the Minn. Tribune last week. Among the relevant facts were that the Univ. is the largest employer with 305 employees. Storage and processing of grains, mostly corn, are also a major source of employment.
The library is proving to be the major savior of my sanity and production ability. All the periodicals are shelved together in an accessible frontal location. Thus through reading at my apt. I am able to stay current in: the NYT Book Review, NYReview of Books, New Statesman (British), and a whole host of other general and specific interest magazines. The small nature of the library is much more limiting in all other aspects, though. The hours that it is open are basically adequate for me.

My athletic endeavors were given a jolt when I broke the plastic sppedo laces on one of my running shoes. I have still been unsuccessful in mending it.

Less than one month remains until the big event. Note that I am enclosing a copy of the confirming letter to our Barnes Foundation admission.
Be well.




October 30, 1977

Dear Family,

I trust that this letter finds everyone in the best of health, happiness and spirits. I am in a generally joyous mood as the week's productive efforts were substantial and I have many pleasures to look forward to in the immediate and distant future.

On a professional level, Roy liked my second piece and though we had trouble thinking exactly what was the most efficient choice for publication, I submitted to the Minn. Tribune, Business Editor as a Sunday Free-lance piece. The article contains a substantial amount of paraphrasing of previously published material (mostly from the WSJ) and though I duly give credit where due, I am not particularly proud of it. In any event, as usual, I hope for 'the best and expect the worst. I am pleased with the 500 word essay that I wrote yesterday, thoughts of a Post-Nixonian Ex-Democrat. It may go somewhere other than the circular file.

Last Tue. I went to see "Seven Beauties" with Laurie, as planned. I agree with the critics who for the most part share reservations about the films message. It was certainly. packed with the brio that I usually associate with Wertmuller’s flicks. The social aspect of the evening went passably, if uneventfully. The evening's festivities prompted 8 lines of verse which are replicated below. The lines are not my best, but credible and sincere nonetheless.

This past Tue. was also a division meeting, the purpose of which was to ostensibly debate the merits of retention for next year of two junior history faculty. The event felt like a reverse purge trial as virtually all the history people and others bubbled over with good and pleasant things to say about the candidates. After two hours of this thorough and appreciatory expression of "sincere" sentiment, I offered my one comment for the day (the meeting's last) of my appreciation to Mimi for her subscription to and deliverance to my mailbox of a daily NYT. (I offered this as a "summary of the discussion" thus far). The whole affair was instructive if somewhat boring and inconsequential. (We don't even vote on them until next week.)

The net result of this coming Tue. (11/1) mid-quarter respite will be to alienate me from my Soc. Sci. colleagues, rather than ingratiate myself to them as originally planned. This misfortunate eventuality results from an oversight by me because 11/1 is also the date of the quarterly inter-disciplinary Soc. Sci. seminar. This combined with my unbelievable Sept. photocopying bill ($100 compared to discipline norms of under $15) reinforces that I will not be here next year. In a way, this information coming so early an liberating in that it permits me to wholeheartedly orient myself to maximizing my opportunities.

As previously lamented, I still feel that most of my colleagues are "turkeys,” though I do expect to see them after Thanksgiving. With a smaller turnout Tue and a more desirable one at that. I'll still have a good time. Other minor hassles have cropped up in relation to it, so I have resolved to avoid week-night affairs if possible.

On Thursday my speakers arrived. Attaching them led to the revelation that my pre-amp was badly malfunctioning. I then practiced a little "Zen and the Art of Stereo Maintenance" and received very positive vibes (images of self-worth) when the system subsequently performed flawlessly. I am content with the sound and do not anticipate any further additions this year.

The routine of teaching is becoming easier. This basically stems from the attitude of students and the fairly high level of competence and attention that my lectures demand, actualities are virtually the same as last week.

I received approval this week for the standard 50% of my proposed budget ($360) for attendance at the AEA meeting in NYC 12/27-30. I may be hard pressed to spend that much, The 50% subsidization comes from (through?) the academic dean.

I am currently reading From Oedipus to Moses: Freud's Jewish Identity in addition to the usual. The author Marthe Robert has written other works on Freud that I have read.' This: one was published only last year and I have previously never been exposed to any systematic or substantial analysis of the subject. It is very illuminating as Freud's infantile relationshlp and disdain for his semi-alienated religious father and the catharsis provoked at Jakob Freud's death prompted Interpretation of Dreams and ultimately psychoanalysis. His subconscious torment as a Diaspora Jew is also a notion that strikes a resonant chord within me. His second (and last) catharsis resulted partially from the onslaught of old age (specifically an excruciatingly painful jaw cancer) and of course, the rise of Nazism. . His motives in offering Moses as an Egyptian was to a absolve his ancestral “handicap” and “guilt.”

November 6, 1977

Dear Family

As we approach the momentous occasion, I trust that everyone is savoring the experience and experiencing heartfelt joy. Life here this week was generally boisterous.

My Tue. “Mid-quarter respite” was a pleasant affair. About 25 people showed, mostly faculty and wives. Unexpected guest was Donald Davidson a notable philosophy Prof delivering a colloquium here at UMM. The food spread was typically opulent, if somewhat bloated on the carbohydrate-calorie scale. The disappointing absence of nubile prosects was not from lack of trying. Only one of my students, George Hinderacker showed.

On Tue. I also scored (what I hop is) a significant victory in my battle against the cockroaches. In a moment of pursuit and cunning, I recalled J. Bronowski’s remark of the first known man-made painting. It is on a wall in a cave (in Western Spain? ) and is thought to have been painted in this dark spot so that when a hunter flashed a light on it, he would be able to picture the hunting scenario as it would unfold, an act of present transcension for future thought. I dusted critical spots that I hope they transverse with Ajax which would kill them if they in fact walk on it, ingesting the poisonous compound in their routine cleaning (licking) of their legs.

I attended Davidson's speech Wed. night: entitled "Is Psychology. Scientific?" I had also read his recent J of Phil article earlier in the day, which dealt with a related topic. The whole venture seemed to lead nowhere. Not once was the idea of unconscious brought up and when I approached him on it later, he regarded it as only one of many competing theories. I felt that his only point is that the unconscious is unquantifiable. After his talk, a party was held at Howard and Barbara's home.

Last night. I briefly stopped in at a party upstairs in Marvin and Ron’s apt. That the sing1e women present were almost all pedantic schoolteachers made the atmosphere slightly depressing and so I had to leave.

Not much new to say on the professional level. I have gone through several drafts of “Ruminations of a Post-Nixon Ex-Democrat" and hope to get, something off this weak. Unfortunately I am at a temporarily (hopefully) lull in the process of idea germination.

I will probably not attend very many division and campus assembly meetings from new on. Quite simply, their lack of relevance is the major reason.

The BuEc 3200 class is over 2/3 of the way through the text. And thus suriving the quarter seems quite imminent. Plans for the Thanksgiving "mid-term" and guest speaker are progressing well. I take delight in making personal embellishments as juicy as possible. .

I saw "The Conversation" on Fri.. night. Other than its predictability and blatant attempts at psychological play on overt fixations, I enjoyed it. Gene Hackman acted well.

After a state of temporary repair, the top left Speedo lace on my jogging shoe (L) broke for good. My running has been so mediocre, though, that I think the overall effect will be marginal. I am lifting weights on a more regular basis and thus hope to show improvement. People still comment to me on my shaving and reading the NYT in the sauna but it has long since stopped phasing me. I have stopped my dip in the pool due to concern with my right ear.

Preparations for next quarter are moving slowly. This week I selected the texts. I expect 7 students in Investments and 45 in Acctg. I will probably only have 1 T .A. with experience in Acctg. I am authorized to hire 2 T.A.s for 8 hrs per week for 2 qtrs (each). The problem is finding eligible and capable students as most of those who do well also transfer to the main campus shortly thereafter to pursue Bus. Admin.

I have been fairly successful in routinizing my sleep to get 6 1/2 - 7 hrs per night.

The Student run radio station KUMM is quite enjoyable, if a little to "progressive" for my tastes.. I generally prefer it to casettes. The hourly UPI dispatch is enlightening.

Be well


December 4, 1977

Dear Family,
Greetings from frigid Morris. I have been back a week and fortunately I am to leave in four day's time. With so much movement on the horizon for this body, the week has virtually flown by.

The Thanksgiving Vacation mail pile-up was not overwhelming. In fact within 24 hours of return, the aura here was like a Dave Mason song, “lt's like you never left.” The air was filled with some sense of finality and climactic anticipation as classes roll to a close. The social reaction is pervasively jubilant euphoria.

My social wind-up started with dinner for John Mackie. The affair was informal and efficient and the mood was pleasant. The next night, Fri., I was invited to dinner at Ray and Maggie's. Last night was a two-part party beginning with a pre-concert cocktail party and followed by a more typical student party. Both were instructive, if somewhat destructive physiologically. Tonight I am making dinner for the student who proctored my mid-term. Tuesday night is the culmination when I will make dinner for my class, attend a huge bash on the other side of town, and frantically tie up last minute affairs and packing for departure on Wed morning.

Planning for next quarter has progressed adequately. I have been derelict in preparing for Investment Fundamentals but the motivation for correction has been surprisingly short and late in coming. I hope that two weeks at the homestead will be facilitative. The major preparation of Mgrl. Acctg. is complete. With the overwhelming abundance of Accting aids for the text, all I need are a few good jokes and a modest degree of competence. I expect enrol1ments of 40 in the Acctg. and 4 in Investments.

I expect that I will be a Disc Jocky next quarter with a weekly three-hour radio slot. The station is totally student run and I am on very good terms with almost all the executive staff. All parties encountering the idea have been enthused about it.

The big news of the week arrived with Monday's mail and a letter from Chase Manhattan V.P., Dennis S. Soter. He invited me to lunch and a visit with Chase Financial Policy on Thursday 12/22. I will forward some of my writing to him so that we can have something to talk about. I am trying to be as rational and calculating as possible in the use of my time in NYC. I will send a copy of my resume and "Guide to.. academics as well as executives that I expect to see in the banks and at the convention.

As for my deeper thoughts of the week, they were mostly of an uplifting nature. One of the more pleasurable aspects of coming back was the pile of periodicals that demanded my perusal. My current belief is that a big step between me and long term growth is long term facilitation. Experiencing some of the joys and beauty of the recent matrimony. Their noble Zionist attempt and humanic passion of beauty, truth and justice has kindled within me longings for stability, community and a fulfilling future.

This week I started jumping rope as the winter alternative to the daily jog. My weight-lifting prowess deteriorated only slightly with the break. I expect that Dec. will see me running a lot more and lifting less.

My professional library is already quite substantial. I have enough material now to keep me interestingly reading for a year. I look forward to some day catching up with the rate of inflow so as to at least stop falling further behind the accumulation.

On Fri. I got a tour of the UMM art gallery's current display by the artist, my 'neighbor, Greg Page. What I found striking was the degree of subtlety and sophistication with which he had synthesized his various motivating factors and desires. His art deals mostly with structure and texture and transcended the overt psychological identities that I feel plagues most of the artists in the area.

Be well.


January 3, 1978

Dear Family,

How fast 1700 miles does travel!! I can barely believe that I am here for the next six months. My joy at the previous six weeks of experience with all of you is unbounded. I cannot describe the profundity with which I view our time together and the joy and concomitant humility with which I view you folks, my past, present, and future. The myriad of sensations and feelings of emotional security and attachment inspire me greatly. The memorable treasure of this simcha shall last a lifetime. For this, I am eternally grateful to our holy couple in Jerusalem Ellen and Reuven Levinson. Their (your) lifelong perspective, bespeaks a dignity and morality that I find truly heartwarming,

On a professional level, I took ½ step out of Morris. I made lots of contacts (one of whom called here today before I arrived back) but nothing definite has materialized. 1 have returned and refreshened anew. Realistically, I am beginning to appreciate that my resume entree: University teaching experience in:... will be taking a lot more time than has been devoted thus far, so my advancement in the next six months may not be as tangible as I would have preferred. Still I claim competence so I should at least offer it.

The final leg of my journey here (from Cleve to Morris) was the most fraught with hazards. Checking in at C1eve Hopkins, I splurged and tipped the bellman $1 to check me in, while I shared parting thoughts with Mom. The move turned out to be the best of the day, for when I arrived at the gate (5 minutes before takeoff) only 1st class seats were available. The flight was 1 hr late into Chicago so that I missed my intervening connection. My original flight ended there but by the time it arrived, I was too late for the only 5:40 bus to Morris so Northwest Orient Airlines put me up in Minn. for the night, with dinner. Since I rode 1st class all the way and I did not use my Chi-Minn. ticket, I felt OK about the whole deal (plus I am getting a half subsidy of the whole faire from the U).

Nevertheless, I missed my opening classes today. Inv. Fundamentals (BuEc 3205) has 5 students, none of whom I have heard of, and Intra to Acctg has 53! My forte was last quarter, so you can understand my trepidation. My planned night course does not seem to be eliciting the expected demand, so I will have time to try a weekly DJ slot, as planned. It will Probably be either a morning or weekend 3-hr spot.

I look forward with great anticipation to the next half year when I can see you all again on the 8,000 mile journey eastward. As you can see, it will never leave my thoughts.

The most amusing aspect of the conference was knocking on the door of a noted Professorts Hotel room and encounter him recovering his composure in the midst(?) of sexual activities. Ah well! to each his peccadillo.. Some of it was inspiring and even ennobling with my intimate connection to a whole host of attending participants. The whole east coast was, as usual, facilitating and efficacious. I got intellectuality in Boston, family and commerce in NY, and a flash of the past in Phila.

This coming week of settling down will entail a lot of ego definition. First on the agenda are cleaners and the grocery store. The temperature here drops below 0 degrees F at night and I need all the clean coats that I can muster. What I found amusing over this past break was that my commuting time is not significantly different from the avg. American 15 minutes, and that the consumption of Television on average doubles for a man after he gets married.

I do hope to hear from all of you in the coming months, though you'll keep getting these even if I do not. Feeling and knowing that all of us can and desire to share our future realities is the essence, if not the ultimate, of life

Be well


January 9, 1978

Dear Family,

Morris is downright inhospitable this week as I experience a low of my life, -60 degrees F. I find that in anything below –20, I have pretty much the same sensation that it is only a matter of a few short minutes before frostbite of the nose strikes. As I lost my ski cap I purchased a new hat at Gibson’s. It was a comical $1.99 as it conjures images of both Moscow and cops bu it is warm, and I am not looking for a wife in this climate, so I wear it.

Otherwise, my second quarter is proceeding adequately, Acctg is leveling off at about 45 and my investments course is practically down to 0. I am enjoying the acctg as it is a new pedagogical sphere. Suprisingly, it represents the most likely job candidate for next year as Dr. Donald Cell of Cornell college (Mt. Vernon, Iows 52314) who I spole to at the ASSA mmeting infomed me that I am a leading candidate for an Asst. Prof. In Acctg. As a tenure track spot, I could have time and ability ( U of Iows is 20 miles away) to get the PhD. I am following up other leads made at the convention as well as typing up PhD (and DBA) applications this week. What a hassle, the whole experience is enough to dread. I got a rejection letter from Chase Financial Policy on Thurs.

My DJ slot on KUMM (“89.7 on your FM dial”) is Sat. 10 AM to noon. I have had some training and will get more this week. Last Sat. night I was at a party at the home of Steve, Dave, Kevin and Tim, 4 DJs and senior exec of the station….I have been hanging around with this crowd since I got here, so my slot is no news.

One of the few pleasures awaiting upon my return was catching up with my literary periodicals, particularly the TLS. I am coming to a profound appreciation for the different mode of literary criticism as between Freud and Marx, who stand apart from the novelistic creative process while concentrating on the psychopathology and V. Woolf, who veritably shines as a literary critic whith her avocation for retracing though processes and her empathy with authors.

I am slowly getting back into a physical fitness routine. I expect to play paddleball this quarter on a faily regular basis. Rope jumping, weight lifting and head-standing will continue to represent the stable elements of my athletic endeavors.

My Hebrew studies are progressing, if somewhat slowly. Nightly I try to say the Birkat Hamazon. I use a kippa and siddur from the wedding. I do so want it to be more than just a memory.

January 15, 1978

Dear Family,

As we approach the most formidable and inhospitable days in the Morris winter, I have great motivation and time to pause, ponder, and introspect. The musings of ths week brought conviction to the belief that my status as a husband and father is much more intrfgal than as an academic (successful or otherwise). Furthermore, I am always redrawn to the statement of Jeff Jaffe (Wharton Assoc. Prof. PhD U of Chi) that a correlated variable with successful completion of the PhD was a married status. I can certainly see living the next 5 years easier without a PhD than a wife.

Such are the predictable lamentations of this anxious and lonely Jew, ballting alienating and absurd existentialism in his trajic quest for commitment and engagement.

I had my first DJ slot yesterday morning. The event was hectic and undeniably fulfilling. Hearing my voice on the air is of course, a "trip," but the rest of the details are what add life and meaning to the effort. I will start recording my show and send them to any interested parties out there. I will now have both reason and motivation to keep my musical tastes current.

Friday we received the student evaluations of last quarter. Disappointingly, the BuEC 3200 students were "neutral" towards me. I do not know what this means as far as my future here is concerned. The Econ Dept. is having an extremely difficult time finding a PhD replacement for me. Expansion of the business program here is on the horizon and as a first step, consolidation of 5 part-time taught classes into one 2/3 MBA equivalent position could occur. This position would probably pay $10,000 for 2 Qtrs (4 courses) per year. The expansion would be to a full time MBA. My interest is only the sort-run in that I could then spend next summer and fall in Jerusalem looking for a wife and generally checking out the Israeli scene, come back for two qrts,. and then be ready for life's next adventure (PhD enrollment?). It is an option that gives me thought, compared to next year identical or radically different from this one.

This afternoon after a tri-weekly weight-lifting session and a dinner of Whole Earth Legumes, I will indulge in the US annual cultural event,…The Super Bowl. I expect some memorable sex and violence for the $200K+ per minute advertising cost. I will watch it upstairs with Ron and his Principal and wife.

I played some exciting paddleball this past week and hope to continue regularly.

Virtually all the job and academic applications and transcript and recommendation requests have been sent. This week in the mail I received a follow-ip letter of interest from St. Martins's college in Olympia, WA and an unsolicited application invitation from Ill. State Univ. for positions in Finance. I responded to them both that I would consider only an Asst. Prof.

Be Well.

Jan 29, 1978

Dear Family,

The week that has passed by since I last spoke has been for the most part, the frustrating trade-off between wisdom and knowledge. I have tbe wisdom to know where I should be and what 1 should be doing all the way to peaking out as a $56,000+ Washing technocrat (PhD, JD) in 15 years, but the knowledge that I lack could tragically take a whole lifetime, and obviously more, to acquire. The "pristine" Morris environment only serves to enhance these feelings.

The upcoming "Mid-Quarter Respite," (invitation enclosed) could just as well be entitled "Aspiring Technocrat's Debut" in the fluid viscous Washington environment. I am hopeful and expectant of drawing a larger percentage of my class and more faculty, as a am not alienating my Division colleagues by holding it on the exact same night as a formal Division I function. Still, my main draw last quarter John Mackie (and with him world famous Donald Davidson) is long gone. I am planning on the usual unprocessed nutrients, baked carbohydrate concoctions, juices, and brewed and fermented alcoholic beverages.

The weather here is, of course, unbearable. I have saved the observation until the third paragraph because I am getting an overload of it from everybody, here and there. Our daily temperatures are –10 degrees F and with wind chill, ~40 degrees F (or C). I have taken to wearing a sock over my nose and mouth until I can buy a specially constructed foam
(washable, reusable, and therefore $4.95) or paper ($1?) construction. I am waiting
for my next shopping trip (2/1) or milder weather, as even the short walk from my office to the apt. leaves my nose severely windburn.

I am acquiring specific competence in a number of areas. I am finally and inevi­tably reading my texts for next quarter. I am choosing then both, so I am comfortable with Business & Society by George Steiner and Management Classics, edited by 2 U of Houston Profs. Steiner's office was next door to Dr Weston’s, so I know something of the man. The book almost puts one to sleep but it provides a very directed path and loads of supplemental possibilities for classroom discussion. With the impending commencement of the course I am increasingly less motivated to question the worth or meaningfulness of this format The Mngmnt text has 40 contributed papers, which makes for a nice 2-per-class session. Both books have multiple choice questions for chapter / article which I plan to give them to add to the reward motivation of reading the book. I will heavily weigh classroom participation. As Dr. Steiner said to me, "Get them talking." I will feel quite accomplished if I can do that here.

The Acctg. is going well. We spent practically all of last week on Chapter 7 "Differential Costs and Revenues," or some such, and I think everyone was ready to move on. I had little attendance loss through the first three weeks, but the expected exo­dus is beginning to take place. I expect to give final grades to 39/52 names on the final roll (75%, the SS norm). Investment' Fundamentals is virtually in limbo. I there­fore am reading the text, for the first time, at a less than frantic pace, and should finish it within two weeks. The book, Fundamentals of Finance by Eugene Fame, is both eloquent and concise. I am learning a real skill of efficiency testing from it and sincerely expect it to ferment into publishable ideas. My reading in econometrics per se is temporarily suspended. After my reading for next quarter is done, I will get back to this necessary statistical underpinnings. My last sustained intellectual endeavor of Hebrew is continually progressing if at what seems an intolerably lethargic pace.

I received frustrating news from U of TX, as they finally sent me forms which are due 2/1 with three supporting recommendations. Reading yesterday's UPI with the news that Brownsville TX with 73*F was the warmest spot in the continental U.S. and that horrendous weather had hit NC made the realization that Austin TX was probably going to be the only warm school that I picked. I am still expectant and hopeful of "warm" receptions everywhere.


The radio show yesterday was technically adequate. My projection still needs worka though. The whole process is lots of fun and I really enjoy my slot. A party the night before at the home of a zany fellow DJ only slightly impaired my motor and neurological functions.

Be well.

*****************

****************

February 12, 1978

Dear Family,

I can now extend you greetings from the longest winter in the history of Minnesota. Since December 12 when the termperature had the audacity to reach 35° F, we have been below freezing, a record 58 days, that show no sign of abating. This week was mostly in the teens and twenties and it felt like a heat wave. Acclimation to this climate after a year in balmy L.S. has been one big chill, but I suspect that the worst is over and spring should be here within a month. I trust that you are sharing similar sentiments.

The past week progressed fairly well. As there were no particularly unifying themes, I will recall the event in a fairly chronological fashion. Tuesday night after the KUMM meeting I had 4 DJs over (including 2 Acctg students) and we polished off two more gallons of the remaining keg of beer. On Wed. I returned the keg after emptying the remaining three gallons down my drain.

Thursday was my second Acctg mid-term. It should prove to be an overall less traumatic event than the first one. My second T.A. graded them, so my burden was certainly lighter. Afterwards while partying at the home of two accounting students, an officer of the law arrived and served them with a summons from their landlord for failure to pay the rent and general damages. The whole complaint has the appearance of a rigging as one owner's wife works at the courthouse and the other notarized their complaint. Ah well, small town drama.

While speaking with Howard Wettstein later in the afternoon, he related to me his saga of having received daily unsigned notes for the past month from an evangelical. This past week the author finally identified herself as the wife of a Poli Sci Prof. The incident certainly spurred my desire to leave.

I did not have much progress this week as far as my future goes. I am sending about 3 applications per week to advertised teahing jobs…. I heard from DrW twice during the week, with the net result that he kindly sent recommendations on my behalf.

Fri and Sat. were spent mostly recording albums on cassette at 609 W. 6. I added over a dozen to my collection. My DJ slot was as enjoyable and uneventful as expected.

Only now am I beginning to utilize the division secretary in an efficient manner for personal accumulation. This process basically consists of requesting photostatic copies of articles through our library system and requesting papers from people who present their ideas at the ASSA convention. My personal aggrandizement of my library continues unabated. I expect the process will begin to decelerate as my convention requests finish arriving.

I played Eliot and Howard in paddleball this week, resoundingly defeating them both. I will seek tougher competition so that at least I will recall what defeat feels like. The weightlfting is progressing adequately, though occasionally I get terrific headaches from it. I suspect the pain arises from lack of oxygen or humidity.

As usual, I have only myself to chastise for not having my intellectual "act" "together". My progression for the week was minimal and the new week brings the typical resolve to be more efficient and effective.

My roommate moved out awhile ago and I kept on forgetting to write you this fact. He found a cheaper place (5 blocks farther away) and I suspect by now he may even be back with his wife. He paid his rent and we parted friends. I am not expectant of finding another and with less than 4 months to go, I am resolved of the current situation.

The tentative end-of-quarter plans are for me to leave here 3/10 and return 3/26. As of now, I will spend most of the time in Cleve. With a probable side trip to Columbus a 2-day stop in Chicago visiting Esther Shaira. Fri night, 3/10 I hope to see Dylan's Ronaldo and Clara at the movies in Minneapolis and Sat. 3/11 to get a free comprehensive ($65 value) medical check-up before departing for Cleve. More definiteness will be established as the time approaches.



February 19, 1978

Dear Family,

The cold continues. This observation about wraps up the news from Morris. We are 10 days beyond the record of 54 days in a row below freezing and no sign of abatement exists. My health has remained unscathed by the winter's brutal forces, but I expected it to. The climate has certainly made me into a tougher individual than if I had remained in L.A.

The real event of the week occurred Wed. afternoon when the two candidates for my position were given a telephone interview… Both candidates exceed my own qualifications only in that they have their PhD. Be Uzaro, choice #1, will probably not come here as his asking wage of $23,000 at the Asst Prof level is about $5,000 more than Provost Imholte will spend. Suk-Mo Ku has impeccable references, diligence and determination. He know no Acctg, Bus and Soc, or Mgmt Theory, barely speaks English and has taught only 1 Qtr of introductory econ. Before I vehemently plead my case I will let a little time pass so that I have a better idea on my future options. The people who will benefit least from these 2 PhDs are, of course, the students. Both candidates are truly economists and are far removed from the business questions and interests that the students have and raise. Predictably, as the two-hour session digressed and prepared to disband, personal and professional digs and jabs were voiced, not the least of which was an unflattering comparison of the Ibo tribe of Nigeria (presumably Uzaro's tribe) to the Jews.

I am developing competence and efficiency in the expansion of my professional article collection. The efficiency is coming from overcoming my disinclination to burden the division secretary with my requests. I do not care too much about anything around here anymore, least of all the opinions of my colleagues and secretaries. Textbooks are still flowing in. With all of this intellectual capital, leaving academia becomes a harder and harder decision.

On Thursday I witnessed the legal skirmish of Dick and Eliot. The event was quite anticlimactic as their landlord dropped the specific complaint in return for their vacating of the premises by March 1. Damage charges may still follow.

That night I went to the Globe, Morris's only disco/bar for the first and probably last time. It is very close to my apt. and I am glad to report how little I have missed by not going there sooner.

Last night was a fairly undistinguished party. It's only notable aspect for me was the possible befriending of a woman student. The women here are so unimpressive that with each one I meet, my desire and inclination for friendship is less and less. I would have to label this a continuing disillusionment of expectations.

This evening I will be hosting Barbara and Howard Wettstein for dinner. Her being kosher naturally complicates the whole affair, but at least I know what it means and can attempt to logically deal with it,. A rarity she is grateful for. If any dialog occurs, it will certainly be the intellectual highlight of my week.

With about 3 1/2 weeks of class remaining in this quarter, everything seems to be under control. I am not looking forward to handing out final grades because I may have to give "no records" to students who have taken the exams and occasionally show up to class. I expect that a few of the students will take me up on my standing invitation for dinner.

The response to my two spring qtr courses should be substantial with at least 12 students per class. Preparing, thinking and worrying about them is taking increasing amounts of my time. I still have a substantial amount of reading to do in the texts before I can begin to integrate outside material and plan a course format and lectures.

My two T.A.s are working out well. The funny and ironic aspect is that I am having them gather information that I did as a T.A. and should have retained. Of course my salary was 3/2 theirs, but no matter as they are just as capable as I was.

Nothing new to report on the food consumption of weightlifting endeavors. As with my general intellectual advancement, progress is slow, if somewhat steady. In an effort to overcome my anemic-looking skin, I am going back to a daily 15-minute sun lamp exposure. Significant results will take awhile.

I have been submitting my manuscripts of "Ruminations…." And "A Guide to…" to numerous periodicals for some time. According to the signatures, I have gotten personal rejections from Norman Podhoretz and Bill Buckley, among others. I remain undaunted by this initial failure.



February 26, 1978

A March greeting to you all! I trust that for all, this month will go out like a proverbial lamb. That it has come in like a lion, there can be no doubt.

The future is beginning to take form and definition. On Monday I received notice that my manuscript "A Guide to Profitable Equity Investing," was accepted for publication by the National Association of Investment Clubs in their 75,000 copy monthly Better Investing. On Tue. I received notice from Merrimack College in North Andover MA that they want me to interview there for a faculty position. As of now I am not going because they provide no travel subsidy, but with the news of my manuscript and my impeccable references to arrive on Mon., I expect that I will be able to get at least $50 from them, making it worth my while. I am very desirous of seeing people and Harvard in Boston, 30 miles to the south.

The temperature here has surpassed the unbelievable. Our sub-freezing weather was broken for less than eight hours when the thermostat plummeted again to our present 9° F. We did manage to set an all-time Minnesota record of 66 days, 18 hours and 11 minutes.

I have sincere sympathy for the Econ faculty here as their scramble for a qualified replacement for me becomes increasingly frantic. It appears that the leading candidate is now neither of the two that were telephone interviewed and Sun is unwilling to keep me privy of the situation.

…

My past week was fairly active socially. On Wed I attended the final home game of the UMM varsity basketball team. They are NAIC champs and are traveling to Iowa for post-season play-offs. They are #2 nationally in small college defense. As my TA Jeff Hagen plays on the team, I enjoyed the victory immensely. Afterwards was a free concert by an uninspiring but competent loud band. On Thurs. I played bridge with three students who were beginners. I had a fairly enjoyable experience.

I am growing less fearful about next quarter as I formulate and formalize the class content. The examinations in both classes will consist of daily quizzes with no midterm or final. The long term projects in Business and Society are student-run mock shareholder meetings and a research project with the Mgmt & Org. Theory project will aim at a publishable article. The format of B&S will entail more class discussion. Neither will unfortunately be rigorously analytical enough for my tastes. A positive sign is that lots of former and present students are signing up, including all my TAs.

Not much new at KUMM. On request I was given permission to do an informal "KUMM Speaks Out", editorial, but I will wait until I have more than one essay to relate.

I suffered a minor tragedy last week when my hanging plant fell. It now appears to be dying a slow torturous death as when I grabbed it in flight, the soil and pot continued to fall and I was left holding the branches and roots. Replanting appears to have been ineffectual. On the brighter side, my apt. was sprayed twice for German roaches and now appears to be rid of them.

Last Sunday night's dinner with Howard and Barbara Wettstein was a pleasant affair. Their lack of mobility as professionals in the humanities and education is truly tragic. Tonight I will be entertaining four accounting students for dinner.

On Tue I will receive the physical check-up that I thought I would have to go to Minneapolis for. The traveling van is apparently as comprehensive as the in-office testing.

The art gallery here has a current exhibit of mild interest, Victorian Photographs. Predictably, it is their age rather than content which generally sparks their uniqueness.

*******************

*******************

March 13, 1978

Dear Family.
Greetings!rom the Cleveland Hts.homestead on this fairly mild late winter morning. My health and well beIng are good as I 'trust everyone else's is. .

The last week of winter quarter passed uneventfully in MorrisU. I ended up leaving Thursday morning and flying to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where I interviewed with Cornell College. .Earlier in the week I recieved calls from the Univs NC and Mich from professors deciding on my PhD candidacy. They both asked why I left UCLA and seemed to be satisfied with my response. I expect admission and aid ($5,400?) from both..

Cornell was. an interesting experience and I expect an offer from them and that I will accept it (assuming a rejection from Harvard). Its similarity to Morris is uncanny in many respects. My schedule there was as follows. Thurs night after dinner with Donald Cell and Hardie Park, two of the three Bcon faculty members, I presented my manuscript and general philosophy to a gathering of 15 students. Fri morning I met with the Dean. Financial V.P (and the woman I am to replace. Lunch with 5 faculty members was followed by an afternoon of individual meetings and campus exploration. The evening consisted of a meeting with other faculty members over Scotch at D. Cell's home. My flight to Chicago left Sat. morning at 10:10 A.M. The disappointing news stemmed from two basic causes, the school’s lack of funds, and the general limiting nature of' Christian dogma. The first was manifested is the bare minimum quantity and quality of supplies that faculty receive at Cornell, notably in significantly lower salaries than at UMM for example. Comell is now a generally secular institution with a. reasonably large Jewish representation, as the Dean and Donald Cell's family are Jewish. Still, I was asked many pointed, difficult, and even antagonistic questions and when I gave the expected or acceptable answers, the dialog stopped. No one seemed very interested in the depth or nature of my understanding or interests.

My desires and expectations. are that I would work on the. PhD at the U of Iowa while teaching. Both my colleagues and the administration were supportive of this idea. Francis Ayres, the woman I am to replace is currently a PhD student in Accounting there, and gave me enough info on the program for me not to rule out this idea.

The "exciting" aspect of the school is that this past week the faculty voted to change the academic calendar around so that students take only one course at a. time, for 3 ½ weeks per course. Faculty are required to teach only 7 courses per year.

Mt. Vernon, where Cornell is located, is a town of 3,200 and 1 stoplight. It is 20 miles from Cedar Rapids, an industrial town of 160,000 and 20 miles from 'the U of Iowa in Iowa City. Housing will not be cheap but the college has housing it rents and a. mortgage pool to draw from.

After arriving home Sat., I called my friend John and got invited to go skiing with him and some other friends. We drove to a cottage in Western .N., Y., on Lake Chautauqua and were set for a full day of skiing yesterday. I enjoyed myself immensely and am not too sore or injured today.

I will be here until 3/23 and hope to have my spring quarter courses all prepared by then.



March 22. 1978

Dear Family,

I trust that Spring has actually as well as officially arrived for you, as it has in Cle. Hts. We are enjoying reasonable and almost balmy weather here. Judy and I have been able to run a few outdoor miles together. If not consoled. I am at least placated by the knowledge that the barely acceptable temperatures here at my vacation destination are more civilized than the locale to which I will be returning shortly.

My spring break thus far has been pleasant and progressive. Last Thur-Sat I was in Columbus visiting Judy. The hick nature of the town and the inhospitable weather precluded much traveling. I nevertheless enjoyed glimpsing traces of Judy's community and routine. Her current living arrangements, if not housemates, are about as optimal as any that I have witnessed.

I have been down to CSU 4 times, mostly photo-copying the table of contents pages from recent periodicals in the field of Mgmt & Org. Theory as sources of ideas for the papers that I will be asking my students to write. I also ran into two dear friends from my MBA days. Sat night I went out with Carol Tay1or and we grappled with this lethargic city in one of the few reasonable manners by sitting and talking all evening in the corner of one of the few open bars.. The other friend was Ken Rose, who was a really close colleague.

Las't night Judy and 1 saw Warren Zevon at the Agora Ballroom. I had heard and had played a few cuts off of his recent (2nd) album while DJing in Morris and was quite favorably impressed. He proved to be an entertaining showman as well as leader of an accomplished band. Humourous highlight occurred during his rendition of a Muddy Water's Blues standard, 'I'm a Man" in which he moans out a "M ….A….N” That spell's maaan. THAT SPELLS MENSCH.. In context. the line was hilarious. but only his Jewish guitar players and myself appreciated

I am basically ready to head back to Morris though stays at the homestead never seem long enough. I am excited about and hopeful of some good news on the professional front shortly after I arrive back. Cornell and outside-shot Harvard are still my dreams.

Tomorrow I am flying to Chicago for a stay with Esther Shapira until Sat. or Sun. Her costume Purim ball is Tomorrow night.

March 28 s 1978

Dear Family,

Greetings from unseasonably pleasant Morris. The final leg of my return trip went from a snowstorm in Chicago to pleasant 50° weather. I. cannot say that I truly longed for or missed this place, but I was not saddened by my return. I am glad that my final quarter here has begun. The end is in sight.

The truth awaiting me on my arrival back was a rousing dose of humility. I got rejected at Harvard and Michigan, in my application for PhD admission. 1 will make no more boasts or even voice expectations until I hear some thing positive.

My classes this quarter are Business and Society and Mgmt and Org Theory. Each has around 10 students with an overlap of at least 5. Thus far, not too much to report, though I am some­what anxious over my less than thorough preparation.

I have begun running again after my 4 month winter furlough. The aching feeling in my legs is almost pleasurable. The side roads and paths around here are still practically under water, but by sticking to the main dirt thoroughfares, a pleasant course can be covered.

My stay in Chicago was interesting and enjoyable. I encountered many Jews, but little community. I am having a difficult time verbalizing my disappointment with the people that I met. Certainly little evidence was presented to me to contradict ay belief that 95% of the dialog that one is likely to encounter as an American is spoken for the benefit of the speaker; principally as a manifestation of an insufficiently developed ego.

The dry roads allow me to bring out the bicycle that I have stored over the winter. I had almost forgotten the joys and liberation that come with this two-wheeled transport. Today I rode downtown for a haircut.

The weight that I read on the scale does not seem like it is mine so that I am going to have to run extra hard this spring to shed 5 pds and reach an acceptable 135. My eating habits are like I never left. My culinary education over the break was limited to lightening the color of my bean and cheese dish as suggested by Judy.

Tonight was the KUMM staff meeting with the quarter's DJ assignments being handed out. I am currently signed up for two slots, W 9-Noon and F 6-9 P.M. I will probably turn the morning slot over to Eliot as he has expressed a desire for one. While the Fri. slot is not optimal, all the more desirable slots were grabbed by jocks with more seniority. It should prove to be an interesting change from my morning routine.

On the way up here, I finished Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. The pettiness and utter undesirability of small-town Minnesota life that he so vividly portrays actually was what softened me for my return arrival. At least the continual reinvigoration of the changing student and faculty body at the UMM add some life to this dreary prairie setting. Currently I have started This Way To the Gas Please which, as its title implies, is about the death camps. As recom­mended, the author is quite poignant.

I have been revising my manuscript and hope to send it off to Better Investing by the end of the week. Notice of the forthcoming publication occurred in the quarterly UMM Faculty-staff newspaper.

While in Chicago, we did manage to take in an Apple Pancake breakfast at my favorite Walker Bros. Pancake house. Our mobility was severely constrained by a lack of an auto and Esther's inability to drive.

One of my T.A.s, Ken Brouiette (sp?) has an inkling of computer programming knowledge. I am hoping that from him I can gain the capacity or ability to handle the data tapes and regression programs that are essential to empirical finance. This is probably wishful think­ing and if nothing brews in three weeks, I will have him return to the mundane.

In addition to my whopping Federal income tax refund, I am expecting half that amount ($350) from the state of Minnesota.

Hopefully, my next letter should have at least some good news to report.

Be well.

April 16, 1973

Dear Family,

The Ides of April have come and passed and spring just about may be here in the U.S. tundra. I trust that you are encountering a more hospitable and civilized season. We still have a nightly frost and a never-ending wind

Despite and because of the latter my two-mile jogging time has improved from 15 to 14 minutes. I am reluctant to run in the surrounding countryside for long distances on a straight path as the wind resistance in one direction presents an inevitable drag. Thus I confine myself to the quarter mile track. Ceteris paribus, my weight should be down,

My weight remains at 140 because my mental equilibrium is not the same. The only professional and future news that I received this past week was a preliminary negative decision from Cornell. The viable candidacies remaining are doctoral studies at UNC and ASU. I am beginning to prepare for the contingency that neither of these will blossom to fruition by rewriting my resume (to reflect my publication) and getting back onto the job market. I will be applying in two directions and for which I have two different resumes: Teaching of undergraduate business administration and Investment management. If I do not get into the above two programs combined with the rejections received thus far will indicate to me that the "momentum" that I thought I had is imaginary. Thus career development and earning an income might currently be a desirable and rational option.

Were I not growing older in such a provincial enclave (and alone and barely in touch with my Judaism) I might be able to celebrate life. Hare, my weekend highlight is treating myself to 10 bananas and 43 oz. of prune juice. I never fail to enjoy the current perio­dicals that the library provides, but I yearn for soma real live human interaction.

KUMM is proving responsive and enjoyable. This coming week, at my request, the pre­view album will be Excitable Boy by Warren Zevon and I can barely control my enthusiasm. My Friday DJ slot is proving easier and easier.

I will be at the home of Howard and Barbara Wettstein for the first seder. I enjoy their company and only regret that we cannot get together more often. Next weekend is also a party honoring the outgoing Soc Sci Div Chrmn at the home of the Provost. I imagine that I'll go and not eat.

The Israeli war making machinery seems to be state-of-the-art with their sophisticated usage of the cluster bombs to clear out all of the "enemy1' from the combat zone, reducing troop casualties. I really could not have imagined them employing other than U.S. Vietnam style massive uprooting of the native indigent population. Still, the actuality hurts.
My classes are progressing only fairly. 1 will try changing my format so that I lecture less and they do more outside reading. My intimacy with the students leads to class control and even disciplinary problems at times. I have not lost many students yet but I am nevertheless aware of their discontentment and impatience with me.

Slowly I am readying myself for departure. I own a lot of furniture but most of it is hardly worth schlepping thousands of miles. Optimally I will be able to dispose of most or all of it here. May and June in a college town are not the best times for furniture sales.

My study of econometrics and of Hebrew are progressing. Every knowledge acquisition anew I seem to relearn the value of thinking while reading. These subjects both hopefully represent my future.

My trip this summer should prove commercially as easy as possible. For both the NYC London and London-Tel Aviv legs, tickets can be purchased on the day of departure as a stand-by. The round-trip youth fare from Lon — T.A. is $240 on British Airways and $330 on ELAL. The Atlantic crossing should also, cost between $240 and $330.

To aid my weight loss attempts, this past week I gave up beans and cheese for cod fillet, beef liver, and rice. I imagine that the difference is at least 500-1000 calories. I began thinking of CA again this week when the supermarket stocked its first spring shipment of fresh spinach and sprouts. I will not bore you with the feelings of remorse that I had as I consumed the paltry and expensive offerings that I ate of these CA vegetables.

April 23, 1978

Dear Family,

Enclosed please find some recent fruits of labor.

Let me begin with a sincere and customary inquiry as to the state of your health. I get so little evidence of your existence, let alone your thoughtfulness and compassion, that any words to this effect would be greatly appreciated. Please temper this request accordingly.

Undeniably, time marches on and spring may be here. I hope that we have seen the last frost9 though two days of above 0° C weather is hardly a reassuring prediction. Another indisputable fact is that April has been the windiest month this year. Dally wind gusts reach a maximum of 25 to 40 mph. Combining this with lots of rain should clue you as to my jogging miles and weight. Enough of the non-excitement of the week.

This week's non-event will be my mid-quarter respite. The last one resulted in getting me invited to no parties. This place has no community that I can speak of, so I have neither the desire nor motivation to prepare another. I will have my students over for dinner sometime.

With the registering of the Cornell rejection and no word from ASU and UNC, I have stepped up my job search efforts. The enclosed investment management vita and cover letter were sent to executive and senior trust officers in the 100 largest banks. The bank identities were fortu­itously published in the annual banking Issue of Forbes, this week. The Individuals ware iden­tified either in the Standard and Poor's directory of corporations or the Rand McNally Banking Atlas. The academic materials were sent in response to 20 advertisements in recent issues of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

I think that this experiment is a fairly professional and controlled one. I expect to learn quite a bit about myself from the enthusiasm and responses(or lack thereof) that I receive. Notably a time out and change of direction and ordering may be warranted. Family dynamics may also make demands. The future is uncertain, but that is my business, modeling uncertain income streams over time, so I will maintain a professional calm with expectations of engagement and commitment.

As something of an aside, I appreciate that seeking a job with the letterhead of your current employer is something of a faux-pas. The alternative of Imperial Apt., Morris MN' was just go unattractive as to leave me no choice.

The education vita is styled differently because my work experience in the field now constitutes an employment history. My only serious omission was not mentioning my Banking and Finance Fellowship at UCLA.

My classes are moving slowly and nowhere in particular. The absence of numbers and quanti­fication limits whatever effectiveness I could muster. Unfortunately this characterization may also fit ay general professional intellectual progression at this point.

I have travel on my mind. I am through seventeen Hebrew lessens in my latest endeavor and 1 am reading Fieldings Travel guide 1978 on England, Ireland and Scotland. I now expect that I will not be taking any furniture with me. The Chae's will probably buy my dining room table, desk, chest of drawers, and possibly more. They related that their expense of bringing one living room from NY by U-Haul was $600. I needed no further convincing on the inadvisability of trying to get my junk out.

The Seder at the Wettstein's was pleasant and ritualistically reaffirming. After, my lack of one last year, I was extremely grateful for the invitation to attend and participate this year. Morris's other seder was at the Hirsch's.

Last night was the reception honoring our Sec Sci Div Chrmn Truman Driggs. The Provoat and his wife hosted dinner for the division and spouses. The food was unimaginative,- the liquor good (adequate white German wine and Scotch), and the conversation expectable. Truman is relinquishing his Chrmn capacity and duties on account of lung cancer but the dynamic departing figure attending was the dean, Gordon Bopp who is leaving to become Exeeutive-V.P. of Eastern New Mexico University.

I was happy to learn this week of "Annie Hall's" osccar gathering. My overall reaction is non-concern and nonchalance. W. Allens reaction sums It up in that on Oscar night he played his regular Monday night stint at clarinet in a Dixieland jazz band and on departing was wearing his standard combat jacket and plaid shirt.

I have started Solzhenytsin's The First Circle and am enjoying it immensely.


April 30, 1973

Dear Family,

Greetings on a heart-warming spring day! I imagine that your trees have already sprouted leaves and the yearly fauna has bloomed anew. I have enclosed a bit of the early spring color here in Harris, the returning birds. I gathered these feathers while planting my spring crop in the woods. Surprisingly, it seems that nature's beauty may be closer to me here that at any previous educational institution that I have been associated with. Excepting UCLA's lushness and meticulously manicured lawn's, I have the most green here. The rabbits are extremely interesting. I have always enjoyed knowing and proving that a human being can force a lower order animal to break eye contact. These rabbits stare at you for the longest time wriggle their nose (in what must be a nervous reflex), and then quickly hop away.

The wind has not left yet and this is discouraging.

My classes are going batter. In the Mgmt class, I came upon a brainstorm as to what would be useful and productive for them to do in class. I am having them take the sample Graduate Management Admissions Test, 250 minutes worth. Tomorrow Gordon Bopp is to speak to the class and Wed. we are going into Minneapolis for 2 shareholder meetings. In Bus & Soc 1 have begun to introduce basic finance concepts that are something of a review to the 3 (out of 7) students that had me for Financial Mgmt, in the fall. To get continual feedback from them, their expected long paper hardly rivals a daily assignment.

The news on the future front this week was encouraging. I have thus far received 25 polite " No, thank yous" from the trust and Investment managers that received my material. I think few bothered to even read my composition. I received lukewarm enthusiasm from Valley City State College (ND) in the form of a call from the dean and a letter indicating interest in me. Peter Adelshelm of St. Martins College in Olympia, Washington wrote and called me. My impression is that I am much closer to an offer from him as he discussed salary with me and gave me preliminary indications that I was the "top candidate." As usual, I have prob­ably underestimated the competition.

Let me interject a larger philosophical perspective to this discussion of Job search. First, I also got not bad news from ASU yesterday in the form of a notice that my application-is pending because they have not yet got my UCLA transcripts:. With admission there or at UNC the following becomes academic (no pun intended). Second, You realize that I would like to believe that I am aware of the tragic nature of life. I am conscious that I am part of a minority of 35% who have never married by the age of 23. Each year, my peers become fewer. Reasonableness might seem to dictate that I settle in Jerusalem and shop for a while. The mitigating factor is the probable 80+% cut in salary and options that this would entail and that I run the risk of denying my dreams. I am anxious, and justifiably so. Please don't make me frantic.

This past weekend I attended two parties, both student. The first was a farewell bash for the Soc Sci Dlv Administrative Asst who leaves the payroll and Morris tomorrow. The second was a non-descript "kegger". At both, being something of an intellect in a room full of provincials was not particularly enlightening or exciting.

KUMM again highlighted my week with choice of feature albums, The Band's The Last Waltz as Preview and The Rolling Stone's Sticky Fingers on Classic Album Hour. I alternated shows and DJs Thurs 9-Mldnight entailing formatting of features foreign to me. I pro­ceeded to flub one and execute the other adequately. My show must be one of the more pro­gressive slots as few other Jocks scan what good new releases the studio has gotten as I do. I sort of regret not going into Minneapolis this past weekend as Patti Smith was there.

One of the best bargains that I have gotten this spring is in riding the blcycle. I love getting something for nothing and in my daily half mila trips between my apt. and my office (about 90% of my non-athletic travel) I reach a peak about mid way and can coast zmch of the remaining half. This as particularly a morning appreciation.

This coming Thurs. I will be hosting a souffle dinner for Marv Mayer (of Apt 302) and a student of mine, Jim Ellingson, the first and only student to take me up on my class offer this quarter. As you can see, I am even strapping for dinner guests.

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March 5, 1978

Dear Family,

Greetings and salutations from pristine Morris. With spring only slightly more than
two weeks away, I am more convinced than ever that the next ice age is upon us. The 18 foot snow drifts that have dotted the Morris landscape since November must surely be here to stay. I attempt to remain warm and oblivious to this tragic-comic situation.

The most productive aspect of the past week is that it is now over and with it, my classes for this quarter. I will conduct a test review on Mon. and split for Minneapolis on Tue, There I will see Renaldo and Clara (with no great expectations) and sleep at the abode of a friend of Elliot’s. Wed. at 8:50 A.M. I fly to Cleve. I am due back here on 3/27.

My one student in Investment Fundamentals progressed enormously over the quarter. His knowledge of finance is quite sophisticated and more than I got from the CSU MBA. 1 still find it incredulous that he will be entering a seminary in the fall and am desperately trying, without success, to convince him to do otherwise. 1 have attempted to make the subject as lively as possible to him with numerous personal embellishments of observations about the relevant theoreticians, to present the personality of the researcher.

On Tue. I underwent the diagnostic physical examination paid for by the U of MN and performed by the National Health Testing Service. It consisted of numerous tests Including: hearing, vision, urine, stool9 and blood specimens, an EKG, blood pressures, lung capacity, Chest X-ray9 and test for obesity. The whole affair was quite enjoyable and surrealistically modern relative to the Morris norm. The obesity test was amusingly the crudest. It consists basically of measuring the thickness of one fold of the back's skin. Almost embarrassingly, I enjoyed the veritable caressing of the female technician as she struggled to attach the suction cups (for the EKG) to my hairy chest. I am to receive a pocket size card with the relevant observations. As the information will have to be shrunk to fit on it, a magnifying lens is attached.

No news came this week on my future, professional or otherwise. I will be leaving my upstairs neighbors Ron and Marv with the key to my mailbox and will have my calls directed to their apt, with the strict instructions (request) that they phone me if any positive news arrives. I expect good big news in the coming weeks, with a decision to be made around the first week in April when I hear from Harvard.

I revised my manuscript and submitted it to the researchers whose work I cite for comments, qualifications, or criticism. I asked for their reply by 3/27 and as I indicated to the editor I will submit it to him shortly thereafter.

On Thurs I was invited to dinner at the apt of Gseg Page and Mike Kills, my neighbors in 103. The meal of Chow Mein, rice and noodles was enjoyable enough if even more austere and plain than my usual basic faire. Greg is an Asst Prof, of Art, having earned his MFA last year at the Univ of Wisc. He is avidly seeking a tenurable position in a more hospitable climate.

Fri. night I attended a party in the dorm room of one of my students, Dan Lindberg. There, I met and befriended his sister, who is to have dinner with me this evening. The party was predictably raucous as the assembled body of nearly all males consumed the 16 gallons of beer present. I had to consider my show the next morning.

The radio was one of the more gratifying aspects of the week. KUMM has a weekly "Classic Album" Hour. I have been lobbying vigorously to have Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan played and on last nights hour it was. Furthermore, I composed and recorded the advertising spot for it. I had two people tape the show in which I played the ad twice so that hopefully many of you will be able to hear it.

Last night was a party at the apt. of Ron and Marv to celebrate Marv's purchase of a new grill. Despite the sub-zero F temperature, they cooked midnight hot dogs for the crowd. I was content to imbue myself with Black Russians and straight Scotch.

My diet this week was oriented to cleaning out the refrigerator. A few weeks ago I went "bananas" over the 6¢ grapefruit special at the supermarket and bought 60 of them. These in large quantities as snacks are helping to keep my weight down even if they do get boring and not gratifyingly palatable. Weight lifting keeps my physique in top form and the daily sun lamp gives me an artificially healthy glow. I am conscious and moderately anxious of the narcisstic and subtly masturbatory qualities of all this self indulgence.

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May 14, 1978

Dear Family,

Two weeks before I am to depart, I am finally gaining some peace with myself here in Morris. I am well aware of the price that is entailed in being a 'constant revolutionary. Still, savoring victories is always gratifying if not productive.

I expect that enclosed with this letter will be my St. Martins contrast. This past weak I received interview offers from Wittenberg College and Marietta College, both small private schools in Ohio. I will leave here permanently on May 23 and interview with W. on 5/26, stay with Judy for Sat and Sun and interview in Marietta on 5/29. Wittenberg sounds promising thus far as the appointment is solely a Finance position and is tenure track though contracts are negotiated annually. Optimally I could live with Judy.

I will call ASU and UNC this week to find out my status. I am not at all expectant of favorable news from UNC and only slightly more hopeful of my candidacy at ASU. Regardless, I will not make any final decisions for at least two weeks.

This past week I also received notice from Better Investing that my article was set intype and will appear in the June issue.

A few weeks ago I received my blood and hematology report and medical identification card from Midwest Laboratory Associates. 1i finally called them this past week to get an interpretation of the numbers as the description "none" for the category of "out of range results" is not extremely helpful. My notable boundary concentrations are: Max. - C02 (30 msq/1), Potassium (5.0meq/l), Alkaline Phosphate (144 U/I), and LDH (195 U/I); and Min.-Direct Bilirubin (0.0 mg/dl), White Blood Cells (4,500), Red Blood Cells (4,600,000), and Creatinine (0.9 mg/dl). The only major item noted to me is a slight curvature of my spine.

My Minnesota Income Tax refund arrived this week, $330 as expected.

The process of movement is never costless and 1 am beginning to prepare early. I haveplaced the notice: "For free couches, chairs, or inexpensive furniture, call Paul at 589-2139”on the free classifieds of KUMM and KMRS, in the Morris Tribune, and on bulletin boards atthe Laundromat and discount store. I still hope the Chae's will buy the major pieces. I have begun packing up my apt and office. I trust that the hoards of boxes that I have been accumulating will be enough. All the boxes will remain either in my office or at the Grohs's home until the end of the summer when Roy said he'll ship them to me. If I end up in OIympia, I may just pass through here on way out there in Sept.

As I have no intimate relations here, the personal aspect of leaving is hardly painful.

Predictably, concentration and inner discipline are not being particularly fostered by this bustling about. I have begun reading the paperback books (selected from the recommendations of the NYTBR feature: "Paperbacks,: New and Noteworthy) that have arrived from my bookstore order. 1 am-currently laboring through Gershon Scholem's Jews and Judaism in Crisis. His Insight is both revealing and helpful. From it I hope to gain a fuller and more mature perspective on my questions of moral and religious identity.

My classes are moving along in a barely adequate manner. I cannot give my students instant gratification and so I lose their motivation. I expect that the rate and quantity of progression will slow down as both the students and I look to the end and beyond.

My KUMM T-shirt arrived this week. I will certainly miss my DJ slot.

This past week also saw Morris’s first sustained temperature of above 75ºF. Running is still barely pleasurable though, as the wind averages l0 mph. I have been able to do a little sunning.

My cassette deck broke down this past week and in its dying heave it ate a cassette of mine and refuses to let it go. Fortunately 1 have little time left here and will take it directly to a repair shop. I have packed my cassettes for shipment much more carefully than I did coming here, hoping to avoid the open-package fiasco of last time..

The bank replies are still trickling in "Negative."