John Stubbs Brushwood, 1920-2007

FALL2007 209 John Stubbs Brushwood, 1920-2007 When John Brushwood started his career at the University of Kansas, he was 47 years old and already had a stellar record of achievements at the University of Missouri. It was, though, during his years at Kansas (1967-1990), that his career took flight. His appointment as the Roy A. Roberts Professor of Latin American Literature required research but no teaching, although John was first to maintain the symbiotic relationship between the two and was, of course, a dedicated and demanding teacher. His work inspired a generation of teachers and scholars who became the fabric of a national network of Latin Americanists. His publications in the field of LatinAmerican narrative set the standard for scholarship and critical inquiry. Some of the most prominent titles are Mexico in Its Novel (1966), The Spanish-American Novel: A Twentieth-Century Survey (1975), and Genteel Barbarism: New Readings of Nineteenth-Century Spanish-American Novels (1981). Versions in Spanish were published in Mexico. He also published several books on Mexican fiction, including Narrative Innovation and Political Change in Mexico, and a study of the poet Enrique González Martínez. His articles appeared in Hispania, Revista Iberoamericana, Symposium, Revista Hispánica Moderna, Revista de Bellas Artes, Texto Crítico, among many others. Even after his official retirement in 1990, he continued to be active by reading, publishing and helping colleagues. 210 LATINAMERICAN THEATRE REVIEW John and his wife Carolyn, his constant companion for 62 years and often a collaborator, were equally at home in Kansas during the academic year or in Mexico where they spent countless summers. John received awards from scholarly foundations, held a Fulbright lectureship in Colombia (1974), and spent two periods in residence at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center (1978, 1987). He was the recipient of the first Balfour Jeffrey award for scholarship at KU, and was elected “miembro correspondiente” of the Academia Mexicana in 1997, both signal honors indicative of his standing as a scholar. Although he technically avoided administration, he was always involved in critical decisions involving his colleagues. It was his mentoring and inspiration that led to a departmental ranking of “número uno” in the nation in the preparation of graduate students in the 1995 NRC report. John had an unerring sense of what is right and what has true value; his legacy will live on in his copious scholarship but even more importantly, perhaps, in the lives of those he touched. John’s fine sensibilities led him to good wines, good food, good art, good literature. He was creative, cultured and compassionate. He was also demanding, discerning and bluntly honest; he did not suffer fools lightly. Although John never abandoned his purported disdain for the theatre, for those of us at the Latin American Theatre Review, where he served for years asAssociate Editor, his insights and intuitions translated into invaluable advice regarding policies and procedures. We are deeply indebted and will cherish his memory. George Woodyard University of Kansas ...