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Editor's Corner | |
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March 9, 2010 It's been over 10 years since the Rolfe Alumni Web site was first published. We have strived to recruit people to write essays, and toward that end, we have received pieces from about 60 people. The recruiting process was not an easy one, and most of what we have was submitted nearly a decade ago. Also, there were those people, including former faculty, who said they would write, but have not followed through. Then there are other folks such as Jerry Farlow (1955) and me (1963) who have written several pieces. In fact, we recently posted a new essay (or call it a story) from Jerry, and he says he has yet another that he is perfecting and intends to submit this spring. I often wonder how to proceed with the RHS site. Do I simply say, "It is the best of times and the worst of times" in terms of the vibrancy of the site? Should I respect the fact that there is a great body of material assembled on our site and that it is like having old copies of the National Geographic Magazine sitting next to the toilet at home or the couch at the summer cottage? The material in them is valuable even if neither current nor read often. Perhaps the question is one of "To be or not to be." Is it nobler for me to say that the site has had a good run with a fine following, but detach from it and devote my near- Medicare-energy to priorities such as gardening, tending my flock of five laying hens, organizing church dinners, and making YouTube videos? Or should I take up arms (well, I mean, pen or computer key board) to overcome a sea of trouble by dealing with inertia, becoming motivated, gaining focus and a voice? I guess I am game to keep on trucking with the site. But the success of the site depends not on one person but on our RHS community. I again encourage readers to submit material. You certainly don't have to meet Miss Marcum's or other Rolfe faculty standards. Oh, yes, we do have some guidelines about being civil and not submitting pieces that only insiders would understand. Even though RHS provided a good-to-great education for many people, I get the sense that a love of writing was not instilled in many of us. Instead, it seems that maybe many of us have been left with a fear of writing. But behold, I once heard at a University of Iowa writing workshop that the word "essay" means "to try." That's it. I was a little disappointed in so simple a definition. On the other hand, it does provide liberty and latitude. Recently, a friend loaned me Essays of E.B. White. The foreword to his book says some intriguing things about essays that are worth sharing. Perhaps I'll do more writing for this site, try again to get others to write, or record interviews so that those who like to talk but are resistant to writing can share stories or thoughts. But for now, here are excerpts from the 1977 foreword to E.B. White's essays. If you want to join the fun and submit material, send me an email. Or if you simply have thoughts about the site and its future, feel free to send them. Thanks.
Helen Gunderson (1963)
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