Notes from Emeriti Bill Cobb Bill Cobb has now been retired ten years. He still lives in Montevallo, where he continues to write. His seventh novel, The Last Queen of the Gypsies, has just been published.
Loretta Cobb I’m so glad the English Department is reviving the Golson newsletter. I remember fondly working on those old purple stencils nearly 50 years ago on spring afternoons, marveling that Ms. Golson cared so much about students that she’d save little scraps of letters and Christmas cards and paste them all into a newsletter each year. I loved helping with it then and later as a member of the Department. Now, it strikes me that Ms. Eva was the 20th century’s Pioneer Facebooker. Though that might cause some to groan, I think she’d chuckle at the notion because I love FB for the very reason that she sent the newsletter: staying in touch. I’m in touch every day with former students through that wacky connection of cyberspace. I e-talk with students from Korea to Canada, and I know what my favorite Malaysian tutor is cooking in South Carolina every week. I also hear weekly from the daughter of a man I taught in middle school in the late 60’s who told his daughter to get in touch with me when her mother died. Why am I telling you all this? Because that’s how I see myself carrying Eva Golson’s torch forward, staying in touch beyond the classroom. In addition to that chance to keep instructing from the Great Pasture of Retirement, I’ve been writing since the day I retired, resulting in a number of published stories and one collection: The Ocean Was Salt. I continue to serve as muse and advisor to sweet William as diligently as Sonya Tolstoy (if you’ll forgive the presumption and accept the humor). I can boast one perfect child and two flawless grandchildren, who may be viewed on my personal FB page. Dr. Conway keeps me abreast of
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developments in the writing center world. She even invited me to a conference with the tutors on Tybee Island several years ago. She also gave me favorable mention in a recent paper she published where she described the old writing center with much affection. Goodness, I feel as if I’m doing automatic writing, slipping into the voice of Ms. Golson somehow. Let me end by boasting and confessing. I confess that after all these years I finally took creative writing from Dr. Murphy, who was simply outstanding and very patient with a grandmother mingling with 20-yearolds. I boast that Bill and I were given an award last year from former President Williams for our “exemplary service to the University of Montevallo and its students.” That was, indeed, a high point in our lives.
Milton Foley Since my retirement, Charlotte and I have done a lot of traveling in New England, Quebec, and South Dakota. In October 2003, we spent two weeks in England and Wales as part of our golden wedding anniversary celebration. I have taught a class at a church on Othello and Twelfth Night, emphasizing the profound and subtle spiritual content of these plays. I have very fond memories of my former students at UM and hear from some often at Christmas each year. Because the three acres of land adjacent to our home in Montevallo were becoming a burden, we moved in February 2007 to a new home in the Holland Lakes development in Pelham.
Cynthia Gravlee Since retiring, Cynthia Gravlee has been active in a variety of volunteer work and had done lots of dancing, social and competitive. She has performed in spotlights, showcases, and competitions, most recently in the Astaire World Competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 22-25, 2010. She also comes to campus regularly for meetings and programs.
Dorothy Grimes Although I live in Brierfield and am active in several Bibb County environmental groups, I am still very much a part of the Montevallo community and contribute in small ways to groups like AAUW, the Montevallo Arts Council, and the Presbyterian Church. Our five grandchildren are my chief means of continuing education, but since they live near opposite ends of I-20—two in Atlanta, GA (ages 9 and 6), and three in Ft. Worth, TX (ages 10, 6, and 4)—I fill much of the remaining time with “work”—things like tennis, biking, reading, and web design.
Sandra and John Lott We are enjoying retirement in the Montevallo community, where we pursue special interests such as gardening, music, art, theater and reading and delight in travel with friends and family members. We belong to two book groups, and we are very busy with a variety of volunteer activities--AAUW, the Montevallo Historical Commission, Reading Is Fundamental, and other civic and church projects. Our two pets enrich our lives, and we have learned to use Facebook to keep up with people more closely. Of course, the progress of our children and grandchildren is a source of pleasure and pride. Daughter Anna and her husband David both work at the University of North Alabama, in Florence, Alabama, where Anna is Co-director of Women’s Studies and Professor of English. Dave is an IT consultant and teaches English on a part-time basis. Our son Bert is Professor of Greek and Latin Studies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and his wife Jane is Public Relations Director for a large hospital. Our youngest son Ward is an attorney in Orange County, California, where he is a partner in his firm, and where he enjoys the beauty of California’s beaches, mountains, and parks. Granddaughter Mia, taking a gap year after high school, is teaching English