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"A Simple Sophisticated Man"
- Appalachian Heritage
- The University of North Carolina Press
- Volume 25, Number 4, Fall 1997
- pp. 8-13
- 10.1353/aph.1997.0059
- Article
- Additional Information
- Purchase/rental options available:
"A Simple Sophisticated Man"__________ Thomas Baldwin Mary Ellen, Jim Wayne, James, Ruth, and Frederic C. Miller It was my privilege to work with Jim Wayne on almost a daily basis for twenty-eight years. He came to Western to teach German in 1963, and I came to do the same in 1968. We were joined in 1971 by Bob Martin, who is here today, and for many years the three of us were the German staffat Western Kentucky University. As such, we had many conversations and made many mutual decisions. It may seem as incredible to you as it does to me, but in all those years we never had a cross or angry word among us. And I can tell you, it was in large part because of the tone of consideration and respect set by Jim Wayne Miller. He had that quality of life that Albert Schweitzer called reverence for life. In German, Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben. He had it. In my estimation, he was one of the nearest Dr. Baldwin is head ofthe Modern Languages Department at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Hegave the eulogy atJim Wayne'sfuneralservice. 8 embodiments ofthat principle and ofthat description ofpure love that is set forth in the Bible. I may speakwith the tongues ofmen, or ofangels, but ifI am without love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift ofprophesy and know every hidden truth, I may have faith strong enough to move mountains; but ifI have no love, I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess , or even give my body to be burnt, but ifI have no love, I am none the better. Love is patient, love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; not selfish, not quick to take offense. Love keeps no score ofwrongs; does not gloat over other men's sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, its endurance. I Corinthians: 13 (New English Bible) In reading this chapter, we see that almost all ofthese qualities set forth by Paul apply to Jim Wayne. Love is patient and oh, he was a patient man. He had as demanding a schedule as a person could have and still begin to get it done. But in the midst ofthis demanding schedule, there was always the knock at the door of a student who has a problem and wants to talk about it. I've seen him so many times stop what he was doing and bring that student or faculty member in, ask them to have a seat and talk with them as ifthat was the most important thing that he possibly had to do. Mania Ritter, who teaches French and Russian at Western, said to me one time about his unhurried manner, "He always seems like he's on vacation ." And he did. He always seemed at ease. His patience was also shown to me in the number ofmanuscripts he received that people wanted him to read. He gave so many poetry workshops, and as it turned out, he told me, a good portion of the people in the audience were aspiring poets themselves and wanted to show him their compositions. He got an enormous amount ofmail. On some days, his mail was as much as that ofthe whole rest of the department combined. And he read those manuscripts and commented on them and sent them back. I want to read a letter today, one ofmany that were in his personal file, which is abouteight inches thick, and it doesn't include anything he wrote. He did write a few reports about what he did, but in this file are articles about him and letters he received. This letter is dated August the first, 1993. Dear Mr. Miller, We met five years ago when I was a senior at Hart County High School. Dr. Karen PeIz had arranged for my Advanced Placement class to visit the Robert Penn Warren Center at WKU. At that time she gave me a copy of your poem entided "Poetry...