I n t h e first d a y s o f t h e n e w c e n t u r y , C h e G u e v a r a a n d n e u roscientist William Walsh had b e g u n w o r k o n the paper they h o p e d to c o m p l e t e in time to present at o n e of the several scientific c o n f e r e n c e s that w o u l d w e l c o m e i t that a u t u m n , a n d B e e t h o v e n C e n t e r director William M e r e d i t h increasingly was busy planning the " B e e t h o v e n Treasures in A m e r i c a " exhibition initiated by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., w h e r e the Guevara lock of the composer's hair w o u l d be displayed
outside
San J o s e
for t h e f i r s t t i m e .
Meredith,
the
B e e t h o v e n C e n t e r ' s o n l y p e r m a n e n t d i r e c t o r s i n c e its i n c e p t i o n i n 1 9 8 3 , l o n g a g o h a d t u r n e d his p a s s i o n for B e e t h o v e n ' s m u s i c i n t o his a c a d e m i c c o n c e n t r a t i o n a n d s u b s e q u e n t l y i n t o t h e l o c u s o f his c a r e e r , a n d h e c o u l d n o t h e l p b u t b e a s t o u n d e d by t h e m i r a c u l o u s possibility that w h a t h a d b e g u n as a simple sentimental a c t — F e r d i n a n d Hiller's i n n o c e n t s n i p p i n g of a bit of hair from the head of that m a n of g e n i u s — h a d , in the end, resulted in the resolution of some of the fundamental questions a b o u t L u d w i g v a n B e e t h o v e n ' s life.
IN T H E
SUN-SOAKED JULY
O F 2 0 0 0 , Bill M e r e d i t h a n d
m e m b e r s of the American Beethoven Society hosted a gathering in San Jose to w h i c h w e r e invited the people w h o had played
key
roles
in
the
selling
and
subsequent
buying
of
Beethoven's hair back in 1994, e v e r y o n e w h o had struggled— s o far still i n v a i n — t o d e t e r m i n e p r e c i s e l y h o w t h e h a i r h a d fled
from
G e r m a n y a n d u l t i m a t e l y h a d b e e n m a d e a gift i n