From the Archives • December 1999

"hearsay tempered with myth and hazy memory" Louis DeBernieres

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for responding so warmly to my reading this week. I am non-plussed at the sheer numbers who turned out last Tuesday at city hall. Perhaps the dearth of entertainment this rainy November accounts for the crowd. Maybe some thought I'd reveal some lurid gossip or juicy scandal or two. Whatever the motivation, thank you all immensely.

I sometimes think of history as a people's collective dream about the past. Louis DeBernieres in his fine novel Corelli's Mandolin says consists of "hearsay tempered with myth and hazy memory." I subscribe to that notion. "Facts" are shifty things, less tangible than impressions, not as durable as the stories and deeper truths.

In the aftermath, a number of people have expressed interest in seeing the manuscript reproduced in some published form. I am flattered and humbled. As I've suggested this past year, I feel the manuscript is roughly hewn at this point and needs to be sculpted and fleshed out somewhat more fully. I harbored a secret hope that the public reading would generate additional interest. Perhaps diffident voices, over-looked stories, unknown sources would step forward. If the words I've linked together end up with a spine and numbered pages, the text cries out for some dusty old black and white photographs. Our historical society has offered me access to their collections. If any of you have photos in collections or scrapbooks pertaining to local history, I would like to consider them for their inclusion. Any leads on potential interviews with additional informants would also be extremely helpful.

The Professor's address and phone number follow. A Luddite and practicing techno-phobe, your Professor has no FAXes, TVs, Webs, or .coms. He can often be found haranguing and extemporizing on Osburn's Grocery porch, The Cannon Beach Cookie Co., The Espresso Bean, Hane's Bakerie, or Bill's Tavern. Thank you all once again for your kindness.

December 1999 Home • The Morgue • Current