Coleen Grissom - A Novel Approach to Life

A Novel Approach to Life

COLEEN GRISSOM

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Mach Family Fund in the publication of this book.

Published by Trinity University Press

San Antonio, Texas 78212

Copyright 2008 by Coleen Grissom

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Jacket design by Erin Kirk New

Book design by BookMatters, Berkeley

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Grissom, Coleen, 1934

A novel approach to life / Coleen Grissom.

p. cm.

Summary: A selection of speeches Grissom has delivered over the years, providing an intimate view of five decades on an American campusTrinity University. A historical record of changing times and the memoir of a bookish, athletic girl raised in East Texas who became one of San Antonios most memorable citizens.Provided by publisher.

ISBN 978-1-59534-118-1

1. Grissom, Coleen, 1934 2. College teachersUnited StatesBiography. 3. Trinity University (San Antonio, Tex.)History. I. Title.

LD5361.T618G75 2008

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1992.

12 11 10 09 085 4 3 2 1

To members of the Trinity University community, especially the staff, faculty, and students past, present, and future

I offer my sincere appreciation to Dr. Victoria Aarons, chair of the Department of English at Trinity University, for her assistance in preparing my academic leave proposal and for her support with that application. Thanks also to the Academic Leave Committee of the Trinity faculty who approved the academic leave for the fall semester, 2007, and to the vice president for Academic Affairs, Dr. Michael Fischer, for endorsing the leave, and to President John Brazil for granting final approval.

All members of the Trinity University Press staffClaudia Guerra, Sarah Nawrocki, Nancy Elliottmade themselves readily available and provided invaluable expertise and patience in the most professional manner imaginable. The remarkably generous, talented, and focused director, Barbara Ras, even convinced me that the one humongous ink blob on a precious page of my manuscript resulted from turbulence in the sky over the western United States as she edited and was not, as it appeared to be, a harshly negative reaction to my phrasing. I accept that explanation, and, thanks to Ms. Ras, Ive learned more about the eccentricities of my punctuation and indentation decisions than I ever really wanted to know.

I want also to express my appreciation to Katherine Silver, copyeditor extraordinaire, who managed with grace, patience, and exceedingly good humor to convince me that, hard as it was to believe, there were occasionally imperfections in my prose and even errors in my punctuation. Thanks to her professionalism and expertise, my students will never see these mistakes, which were probably merely typos.

And, of course, I must offer some kudos to photographer, Mark Greenberg, who survived an extended photo shoot at my home, tuned out hysterically barking poodles, and eventually captured a few authentic images of me as aging diva, relaxed in the boonies.

Surely I must acknowledge those who have sat in the audiences through all these decades to hear my remarks, and I must specifically thank my Student Affairs staff colleagues who heard some of my favorite quotations so frequently that they were able to mouth them silently as I read them in the conclusions to my presentations. I value their restraint and forbearance.

Finally, until I began the process of preparing this material for publication and presented it to the ferocious editorial process of the Trinity University Press staff, Ive not turned to anyone for help in phrasing or proofing except for Dr. Sandra Ragan, my oldest, brightest, most dependable friend and colleague. She, thankfully, through the years, retained the skills she developed as an undergraduate student-scholar at Trinity University and has always guided me in bringing both clarity and propriety to my words.

I cannot overstate my gratitude for the blessing of having been surrounded by intelligent, assertive students, friends, and colleagues throughout these past five decades.

Coleen Grissom

Professor of English

Trinity University

This book is a collection of speeches selected from the many I delivered on or around the Trinity University campus, primarily during the years of my administrative responsibilities1958 to 2000, with a two-year hiatus during which I left Trinity forever to pursue my doctoral degree in English at the University of Texas at Austin, never intending to return. (I returned after two years in Austin because I couldnt resist President James W. Lauries annual salary offer of six thousand dollars to come back to Trinity as associate dean of student life and instructor of English.) In order to make the collection as up-to-date as possible, Ive also added samples of presentations Ive made since I left the administration, moved to the boonies, and became only a faculty member.

The speeches from the administrative years (19582000) range from the earliest I delivered with the theme, Trinity women never leave campus unless wearing hat, heels, hose, and gloves, to ones that ended, And now heres Dr. Neal to discuss with you the proper use of the condom.

Ive arranged the collection by occasion or purpose. For example, speeches written to encourage students and their parents to consider Trinity; speeches to welcome and orient new students to the university; those to congratulate initiates into honor societies or as graduates of academic institutions; some to welcome and orient new faculty and staff; others to reprimand and redirect priorities of student leadership groups; and, among my favorites, remarks to gatherings of Trinity alumsendeavoring to reconnect with them, express appreciation for them, and motivate them to make constructive differences with their lives, and to read more and better literature.

Off-campus presentations have a wider range, from eulogies for loved ones to motivational remarks for hilariously disparate groups, such as the Texas Sod Producers Association, the Kendall County Democratic Women, and the Timely Topics Group of the San Antonio Country Club, as well as many luncheons and groups interested in my reading recommendations.