WARREN WILSON COLLEGE HOMECOMING
The high point of Homecoming for the college was the inauguration of the new President. Damian Fernandez grew up in Cuba and spoke of his grandmother and the effect that she had on him. His message was full of hope and promise but when I talked with faculty friends that I had known when teaching at Warren Wilson they were acutely aware that perhaps 20 of 70 faculty were going to be let go in the next two weeks because the college budget was in dire shape. That possibility hung over us when I was teaching, but this is going to be the most devastating blow of all with those being let go in their 60’s wondering what they can do next with other colleges cutting back as well. And those who are being kept on will also feel pain because their friends were being cut. They will feel it was unfair that they were kept on when their friends weren’t.
I met a few students who had touched me years ago, Kim Wright one of whom was led into international experiential learning by her activities on international projects I dreamed up and she took part in years ago.
And much to my delight Irena Glybina, who had returned to her native Russia upon graduating from Warren Wilson with little prospect of returning to the USA, was there with her husband Jason Keller and her two sons. She lives now in Durham, North Carolina. I sat by and got to know Tony Early, the writer of Jim The Boy. I got to know Jeff Keith better, who took my place when I retired and to hear about his plans to write a social history of Warren Wilson.
And I got to know Mallory MacDuff better and bought one of her books. Following the inauguration there was a Cuban barbecue and then many of the attendees went down to see the bonfire on the farm. All in all it was a bittersweet evening.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 