For lack of time and money, we took a pass on attending the annual reunion of Knight-Wallace Fellows, journalists selected to spend an academic year pursuing self-designed study at one of America's most prestigious universities. When I was chosen in 1983-84, the program was known simply as the Michigan Journalism Fellowships and was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities rather than private sources as it is now.
We were young parents then -- Nathan was just 3 years old, Simone was 6 months, Jordan wouldn't come along for 4 years -- when we packed up in August and drove across country from Salem, Oregon, in an old, tired Volvo station wagon, hauling a U-haul trailer with our meager possessions. It was the first time Lori had been east of Boise and, for both of us, it was a year that wound up changing our lives for the better. As a spouse, Lori got to take classes for free. She studied kinesiology, which provided a foundation for the work she now does as a personal trainer, and she performed on-stage with an African dance troupe made up students mostly a decade younger than her.
I took a smattering of courses in history, political science and literature, all designed to fill in holes of my undergraduate education; participated in twice-weekly seminars with university faculty and distinguished visitors; and traveled to Japan for a 10-day educational tour of the country. It all added up to a fabulous experience and set the stage for my move from the Statesman Journal in Salem to The Oregonian in Portland, where I've thrived ever since.
This year's reunion was going to be special because the fellows were going to honor two mainstays of the program who died earlier this year within weeks of each other: Graham Hovey, the program director, who selected me as one of 12 U.S. journalists that year, and Margaret DeMuth,. his indispensable administrative assistant, who made sure things went smoothly for all of us.
Though unable to attend, it was coincidental that this week I had a "movie night" here with Ryeder, the daughter of our friend Colleen, and we watched "The Big Chill," a reunion movie that brings together a group of U of M graduates after one of their own commits suicide. That film has always held a special place in my memory for a number of reasons:
1. We viewed it at a special screening just for us journalism fellows, cheering when Kevin Kline went jogging in his blue "Michigan" shirt and to any references of Ann Arbor.
2. Afterward, we met with the director/producer/screenwriter, UM graduate Lawrence Kasdan, in the seminar lounge to talk about the film and his wonderful cast: Kline, Glenn Close, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, Jobeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly.
3. It was the first movie I can recall that included music that spoke to my generation, a Motown-heavy collection of songs that set the standard for soundtracks.
At 22, Ryeder wasn't even born when the movie came out. That it appeals so strongly to someone of her generation (she's an actor, too) while remaining one of my favorites, speaks to the overall quality of the movie and its place in Boomer culture.
Final note: Though we didn't make it to Ann Arbor, we've got two "mini-reunions" on tap today in Portland. We're meeting Nathan and his girlfriend Sara for brunch. Then, this afternoon, Jordan and Jamie will stop in en route from Southern Oregon, where they picked up two of Jamie's horses to take up to their home outside Lacey, Washington. It'll be great to see both of our boys and their sweeties.
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