or Ten Thousand Miles in Four Months by Volkswagen Beetle Over Pre-Interstate Highways
 


Introduction


As related in How I Came to KCMO (twice) and Why I Stayed at UMKC, George Ehrlich overcame various hurdles to finally earn his Doctor of Philosophy degree on Oct. 15, 1960, having also (in rapid succession) become a husband, father, homeowner, and survivor of financial emergency during the previous several years.  As for his career as an Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Kansas City:

I was at the end of my probationary period insofar as review for tenure was concerned.  In those days, things like tenure review were done rather informally, but nothing was certain.  Would I get tenure?  I thought I would, but what if not?  And if I did, then there was the question of whether I would be given a sabbatical leave.  Tenure was awarded, and that meant that I could apply for a sabbatical, which I sorely needed.  My attitude was that I had earned it, and I deserved it.  That, however, meant that I had to return the following year, even if I took only a semester at full pay, which is what I did, for the winter semester of 1961.

So there I was with the requirement to hang on through 1961-1962 if I wanted the sabbatical.  Oh what the hell, let's stay another year; the sabbatical was sufficient payoff.  You have to understand that the Department of Art had not grown or improved one whit, and the university was seemingly going down into a whirlpool of deteriorating fiscal crisis.

Why was this so?  Some light is shed by a recent retrospective from the current University website:

The dawn of the 1960s found Kansas City at a crossroads in its development...  [It] had both the prosperity and the population to take its place among the thriving metropolitan centers of the United States.  The city had a number of cultural and aesthetic assets as well.  Kansas Citians could lay claim to professional art and music schools, as well as a symphony orchestra. There was the art gallery, a cultural treasure provided to the city by William Rockhill Nelson...  There seemed to be every reason to be optimistic about the city’s future.

Despite this favorable foundation for cultural development, there were difficulties...  In truth, some of the established cultural institutions of Kansas City were in trouble...  The problem was so broad that [a Kansas City Star] writer lamented, “Music and higher learning, especially in its humanistic aspects, still receive only a limited acceptance. They are often kept on the ragged edge of starvation in a community seemingly quite able to afford many other things.

Kansas City’s reluctance to support the arts had several possible causes.  It was a young city focused first on its own financial growth and physical development...  Perhaps, too, there was some frontier suspicion of cultural activities not necessary for survival.  For these and other reasons, Kansas Citians did not appear willing to support the cultural and educational endeavors necessary to confirm Kansas City’s identity as a major metropolitan center.

This hesitance to support cultural institutions extended to the support of higher education...  The University of Kansas City, the area’s only University, was exceptionally troubled...  Despite its accomplishments, the prospect of financial ruin haunted UKC.  As early as 1952, the school’s leadership acknowledged declining enrollment in the College of Liberal Arts, declining income, and faculty salaries well below the norm.  After 1952, frequent tumultuous changes occurred in the administration, budget deficits increased ... and “minimal continued existence” characterized the fiscal policy.  This gloomy picture became more acute when, by April of 1961, “due to a gradual depletion of reserves” the University had only $30,000 in its current fund...  All efforts to secure the support essential to the survival of the University were dismal failures.

There were several reasons why Kansas City failed to support its University ... [which was] “not considered by the community to have an advantage in higher quality.”  Nor was the school considered prestigious or a part of family traditions.  The community felt that the University ... had not developed “a full and attractive student life or an enthusiastic alumni body.”  In addition, UKC was relatively expensive and had strong competition from the University of Kansas.  Taken together, these perceptions meant that the citizens of Kansas City did not believe that the University possessed the stature or community ties to warrant their support.

A contemporary student POV can be found in the introduction to the 1959 Kangaroo yearbook:

The spirit of KCU has been called apathetic, and has at times approached the status of a complete nonentity in the eyes of some students.  To others ... the antics of the fraternities and sororities and student council have seemed disgustingly silly and childish.  In between these two factions there are many students who scarcely have time enough in their days, busy with jobs and family responsibilities, to attend college and study.  For these students ... there are not hours enough in the week to permit them to participate in the great millrace called "extra-curricular activities."  This is the situation peculiar to an urban university.  Those forces which cause these diverse attitudes are the same forces which bring people to this campus in the first place.  The state of the student body has been analyzed and bewailed many times; echoes of the keening never die in the halls of KCU...

Urban universities such as this one indicate the crystallization of these revolutionary forces, which rise out of the new class of students, who have little or no family tradition and support for higher education, who are independently, seriously, and sternly interested in learning and not in tomfoolery.  The shift of emphasis from the raccoon coat days of the '20s to the G.I. baby buggy postwar days has brought the demise of Joe College USA, Playboy, on Papa's bank account...  Those students who are disappointed in the lack of "school spirit" at KCU need to reappraise their school.

Presiding over the University of Kansas City was Chancellor Richard M. Drake.  His predecessor, Earl J. McGrath, had taken office in 1953 with great ambitions to expand KCU's educational program and community service, only to be confronted by the abovementioned lack of donor support and deteriorating financial conditions.  Dr. Drake was named his acting successor in 1956, and the 1957 Kangaroo remarked that "he has cemented his position in the minds of student and faculty alike, as an extremely efficient administrator.  His quiet and friendly manner have [sic] gained him the respect of students, faculty, and community.  It is with great pride that we commend Dr. Drake for a job well done under very trying conditions."

In his history of the University, Carleton F. Scofield would write:

After what appears to have been a futile search by the Chancellor Selection Committee, [Drake] was appointed Chancellor in the fall of 1957.  The theme characterizing the entire five years of his administration was established at once.  At his first meeting with the Executive Committee of the Board, it was found necessary to revise the 1956-57 budget downward because the enrollment increase had been overestimated by 13 percent...  From that point on the preoccupation of the Administration and the Board was fund-raising, budget slashing, and more fund-raising.  Periods of optimism alternated with failures to attain campaign goals.

As part of KCU's 25th anniversary celebration in 1958, Dr. Drake's inauguration ceremony was broadcast live on all the television stations within a hundred-mile radius.  Some major accomplishments followed: the Kansas City Conservatory of Music merged with KCU in 1959, and construction began on a new University Center to replace the old Student Union or "Roost" (a former enlisted men's service club imported from Camp Crowder MO).  Plans were made for a new General Library, and new buildings for the Dental and Pharmacy Schools.  Nevertheless:

Any visitor to the campus in the early 1960s could see that the university was going through a difficult time.  Faculty salaries remained among the worst in the country.  Facilities throughout the campus were in disrepair.  The new residence hall was half full.  Evidence of the mounting budgetary crisis soon became apparent to everyone when UKC leaders voted in 1961 to abolish collegiate athletics and to close KCUR-FM, an NPR affiliate founded in 1957.

The loss of the athletic program led to what the 1961 Kangaroo, in a two-page spread with nine photos, would call:

MARCH RIOTS ... The students of the University congregated about a huge rally bonfire, the likes of which had never been seen on this campus before, in protest of the action taken by the Board.  Supplied with student's [sic] spirits and hopes as well as wood and paper, the bonfire was representative of the starting spark of the student's [sic] drive to bring sports back to the campus.  The only hope that can be expressed is that the student's [sic] hopes and interests were not defeated without a fair trial.

*

The Ehrlichs were out of town when this happened, having taken to the road in a new Volkswagen Beetle which, in its first four months, would travel ten thousand miles over pre-Interstate highways.  (With George doing all the driving, since the unmechanical Mila Jean never learned how to operate an automobile.)

From Jan. 30 to Jun. 3, 1961, George kept a journal of his First Sabbatical—glancing from time to time at possible escape routes from that "whirlpool of deteriorating fiscal crisis" at KCU.  This would be the closest he'd come to maintaining a regular daily chronicle since a youthful attempt in 1934-35 to emulate his sister Martha's Diary; and the only such attempt apart from his Second Sabbatical journal in 1969, a series of pocket-sized appointment books, and future "George and Mila Show" travel logs.  Regrettably, Mila Jean did not jot down her own counterpoint impressions of the trips we took that winter and spring; she "had more than enough to cope with" tending to the four-year-old present author, though (luckily for both parents) I'd begun to read to a certain extent by then, and thus could be a comparatively quiet backseat passenger.

Although the text below lacks the Mila Spiral and is often scanty on nonacademic incidents, it does provide a straight-edged slice of Linear George's life at age 36, when he took stock of his present situation and weighed some alternative expectations—which, toward the sabbatical's end, took an unexpected turn.  He had thought "there clearly was no future at KCU for me, but at least I had earned some solid credentials and experience.  Another year wouldn't make that much difference.  But it did."

*

Thanks to my brother Matthew for providing some of the photos, some of the copyreading, and some of the clarification.  (For an in-depth study of university embroilments during the early Sixties and how they relate to today's, see his Dangerous Ideas on Campus: Sex, Conspiracy, and Academic Freedom in the Age of JFK.)

 


A Note on the Text


To enhance online clarity I have amended some punctuation, expanded some abbreviations, adjusted a few paragraph breaks, and made a few [bracketed] addenda.

George's meticulous recording of tightly-budgeted travel expenses has been included to show what cross-country costs were like sixty years ago, when a couple of bucks could mean the difference between feasting and fasting.

This webpage is best viewed on a device using both fonts I employed: Times New Roman for George's entries, and Verdana for my own.

 

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 30

Accomplished little due to a cold.  Attended and "spoke" at Friends of Art Purchase Meeting.
 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Went out to UKC to "clean up desk," and to check with Suds on financial matters, etc.  Went from there to the Plaza to arrange auto insurance.
 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Cold continues to hamper work; "rash" on torso getting very annoying.  Did do some reading.
 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Cold continues, rash worse, some reading.
 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Went out to UKC to finish desk cleaning and to check mail.  Went to Plaza to finish auto insurance.  Went to doctor re: rash.  Expect diagnosis of Pityriasis Rosea; received treatment and prescription.  Did some reading in the recent Scientific American.
 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4

"Rash" on the mend, but dregs of cold remain.  Worked on draft of grant request for this summer as well as outline for non-credit courses for next year—"Invitation to Art."  Read in current Scientific American and in Novotny's European Painting and Sculpture,1780-1880 (Pelican History of Art).
 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5

"Rash" continues to improve under lotion, but cold hangs on.  Read in Savage's Porcelain (Pelican paperback), Novotny and New Yorker.  Finished current Scientific American.
 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Went out to UKC to complete draft of grant request and to give it to Berndt Kolker.  Prepared and mailed (via campus) report on CAA meeting in Minneapolis.  Talked with Suds re: finances.  Read in current Saturday Review and New Yorker.
 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Morning, devoted to computing Federal Income Tax.  Afternoon, read in Novotny, Saturday Review and New Yorker.
 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Picked up Volkswagen—day spent with its needs, etc.  Also went to doctor re: Pityriasis Rosea and received another treatment.  Making progress.
 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Continue familiarization with the Volkswagen.  A bit of reading in current Time.  Still have the tail end of the cold; the P.R. [Pityriasis Rosea] is in retreat, but what with one thing and another, life is a bit full.  Every once in awhile I panic over all that needs to be done, and the small amount of cash available for it—but Jean and I manage to talk things out and we begin to see the bright side again.
 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Out to UKC to check mail, talk to Esther Jacobson.  To Nelson Gallery to study Ringling Museum Publications.  Proofed Audubon article for Bulletin.  Nice to know they are going to publish it.  Spent some time reading in the Herald Tribune's paperback book review section.  Berndt Kolker returned grant request with excellent comments, must revise according to his suggestions.  Took Volkswagen out on the road for highway experience.  Read in the current American Quarterly.
 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Took Volkswagen out to Blue Springs and back.  Read current American Quarterly.
 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Put some additional mileage on the car.  Had some keys made for the [car's] front door.  Read in Savage's Porcelain and in Novotny's Painting and Sculpture.  Brought office-model typewriter and stand home from UKC.  Read book reviews in recent Art Bulletin.
 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13

Revised draft application for Catlin grant and mailed it to Berndt Kolker.  Went to Dr. Sneid and learned that the Pityriasis Rosea is probably cured.  Should have last check Saturday afternoon.  Read current Saturday Review and some in current New Yorker.  Also finished the New York Herald Tribune paperback section.
 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14

To the bank and to UKC to work out money matters.  Remainder of morning and early afternoon spent on trip planning.  Signed papers out at UKC in morning, picked up my copy in the afternoon.  Out to Nelson Gallery in the afternoon.  Read further in Sarasota & Ringling Museum materials, particularly The Asolo Theater of the Ringling Museum by Creighton Gilbert.  Reviewed and read specific items in Studies in Conservation, Nov. 1960.  Evening spent with Spaeth's American Art Museums and Galleries and the American Guide (re: trip).
 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

A day of errands.  Took Paul to the zoo in the morning.  All of us went to the Nelson Gallery in the afternoon; reviewed the Logic of Modern Art exhibit again.  Finished current New Yorker and read in last week's Time.
 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Finished up "chores" at UKC in the morning.  Shocked to learn that Martin Soria (of Michigan State) was aboard the Sabena 707 that crashed near Brussels.  Reviewed the exhibition catalogue Architectural Drawings from the Collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects.  Saw the show in Minneapolis end of January.  Continued to read in Novotny's European Painting and Sculpture 1780-1880.  Plan to take it, plus the Rubens by Burckhardt, to Florida.
 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Took the car to Bunker's for its 300 mile check.  Stopped at UKC on the way back and visited with Henry.  After lunch we did a few chores including a trip to the bank to get traveler's checks.  Began reading How Not to Write a Play by Walter Kerr.
 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

[List of eight "Southeastern Art Museums" from Spaeth's American Art Museums and Galleries]

Continued to read in the Kerr book.  It has interesting implications for 20th Century art in general.  Sneid MD pronounced Pityriasis Rosa cured.
     $
  6 rolls of FX 120 film $2.94 (G.E.M.)
 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Packing and other related activity preparatory to the trip.  Continued to read in Kerr's book.
 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20

Depart K.C. on first day of trip.  Car mileage 351.  Time 7:20.  Arrive Cape Girardeau [mileage] 709, 4:50[pm].  358 miles; 9½ hours @ 39½ mi/hr.  West Mount Motel.
     $  Motel $9.69 / Food & tips $4.43 / Gas $3.53 = total $17.65
 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Depart Cape Girardeau on second day of trip: 711 miles (2 miles in town), time 7:20, arrive Chattanooga [mileage] 1075, time 5:15 (CST).  364 miles; 10 hours @ 36½ mi/hr.  Alamo Plaza Motel.
     $  Motel $11.33 / Food & tips $4.48 / Gas $3.27 = total $19.08
Rained throughout the day, sometimes very heavily.  No sunshine at all, though once there was some hope that we might see it.  Had no opportunity to photograph any of the architecture or sculpture that I saw due to the impossible weather conditions.  Of particular interest were items in Cadiz Ky, Clarksville Tenn, Nashville Tenn, and along the road between Nashville and Chattanooga.
 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Depart Chattanooga 8am, [mileage] 1076.  297 miles, 9¼ hours.  Arrive Albany [GA] 5:15[pm], [mileage] 1373.  Mabry Motel.
     $  Motel $9.33 / Food & tips $6.33 / Gas $2.79 = total $18.45
Made a fairly long stop in Atlanta to see the museum there.  An interesting experience, but a bit distressing.  The Atlanta Art Association consists of many things.  There is the High Museum, a Kress Collection of (primarily) Italian paintings, the Henry B. Scott Gallery, the James J. Haverty Collection, the Ralph K. Uhry Collection, and a group of commemorative items called Memory Lane.  The result (there are other features) is a hodgepodge in which there is no rhyme or reason.  Prints, drawings, paintings of all schools hang in no "rational" order or sequence; they are grouped by collections.  Since the Kress group is "brilliant" in its condition and installation, they outshine the others.  This is unfortunate since there are some nice individual pieces outside of Kress.  The quality of display varies, and despite the new building (attached to the old), the displays are crowded.  Two temporary exhibits were up.  The one was a Stella retrospective (drawings primarily) and the Hallmark show.  This last was of course an "old friend," and so we skipped it.  The exhibition arrangement, for it, was effective.
       Much goes on at this center.  A flower show was under way, occupying the auditorium, etc.  There is an active museum "shop" and a children's gallery.  All in all, one could use it as a teaching collection, especially if rearranged into a more logical order, but quality is lacking in overall concept and content.  No doubt the director has little control since one needs much money for this, but I cannot help but feel that a strong guiding policy is mandatory if any museum is to get off the backwoods status.  The relative splendor of the Kress group (plus the publicity for it) shows what could be done for Atlanta.  The much stronger Kress (lately of K.C.) was in much the same character but (in K.C.) was overshadowed by the general collection.  There is a lesson here, and it isn't merely great art makes a great museum.  I wonder if one could reorganize and highlight certain items.  The Sargent oil sketch, the Henri, Shinn and Lawson, plus the Van Dyck, etc. could stand out (though the Van Dyck bothered me).  There were others.
       The weather continued to be bad for photography.  Fog, or rain, or both, from Chattanooga to nearly Albany.  Fortunately traffic was light, otherwise the entire day's trip (excepting Atlanta) could have been a failure.  I did see some interesting examples of architecture along the road, but hardly worth the special trouble to stop, set up and photograph under the weather conditions that prevailed.
 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Leave Albany 8:00 am, 1373 miles.  Arrive St. Petersburg = Folks's house 4:50 pm, 1698.  Rain almost the entire way.  315 miles, 8 hrs 10 mins.
     Food & tips $3.96 / Gas $3.20 (includes full tank 26th but prorated back to 23rd) = total $7.16
     $  Total "trip" [KCMO to St. Petersburg]  1347 miles / $62.34
 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24

Took the car for a lubrication, then cleaned it inside and out.  Also did some looking around in St. Petersburg and out along the Gulf Islands.  Read in the current Newsweek.
     $  Lubrication $3.53
 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Began planning the various trips which we shall take out of St. Petersburg.  Tentatively we plan a visit to Sarasota, the Ringling Museum, next Monday.  Thursday and Friday to West Palm Beach and Norton Museum.  The following week (four days to Charleston).  We'll probably leave St. Pete for K.C. (via New Orleans) on March 18th.  Should arrive in K.C. on the 25th.
       Began reading Burckhardt's Recollections of Rubens.  We did additional "sightseeing" in St. Petersburg.  Noticed numerous places (including art exhibitions by local talent) that merit more extended visits.
 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Being Sunday, the day is more leisurely.  Continued to read in Burckhardt in the morning while a trip to Tampa is scheduled for the afternoon.  On the Tampa trip we ended up in Port Tampa City and watched a freighter depart.  We took some photos.
 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27

Trip to Ringling Museum in Sarasota.  Depart 1780 miles, return 1899.  Went via US 19 (Sunshine Skyway) and returned via US 41 and Tampa.
     $  Toll of $1 via US 19.  Lunch for two $5.14 (includes tip) = Trip to Sarasota 37 miles, from Sarasota 73 miles, total 110 miles
     $  Gas prorated at 3 gals or 93¢
Visited with Creighton Gilbert, who very briefly gave me a pass for all of the museums and a catalogue and Asolo Theatre booklet.  We've been invited for the Neapolitan Baroque opening Friday night.  In addition we plan to attend a performance of The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart which will be given in the Asolo Theatre.  This last will be a Wed matinee, hence we will have an additional opportunity to study the collection beforehand.  By a most curious coincidence a former friend of former days, of Jean's, will be in the cast of the Mozart.  More on all this after the event.
       Of the three "museums" in Sarasota associated with the Ringling name, the art gallery is of course the most significant.  Nevertheless, the other two deserve some time and mention.  The Museum of the American Circus is mostly a curiosity as far as I am concerned.  There are some interesting prints of early (pre-American) circus-type scenes.  The home of John and Mable Ringling is called Ca d'Zan, and it is a ridiculous composite of Moorish, Venetian and confused Eclectic.  It is significant as a type, however, and the house forms a setting for a number of paintings, sculpture and the decorative arts, and as such is a vast museum piece.
       The art gallery is far more  interesting than I would have guessed, and it is worthy of return visits.
       First impressions are as follows:
       The organization—three sides of a sunken court is admirably suited to the climate and the character of the institution.  The architecture is adequate but a bit curious in spots.  The cloistered walks between the gallery rooms and the court contain early sculpture, pots, etc.  The court itself (and the grounds in general) contain numerous examples of bronze replicas of classic and Renaissance sculpture.  Of the paintings two general impressions stand out.  The first is the chance to see numerous masters (e.g. Moroni, Vouet, Reni) whose work I have not seen at all or in quite a few years.  This is exciting.  The second impression is one I've come to expect—the negative impression re: quality.  By this I mean the rather distressing condition of the surface of many of the paintings points up how rigorous the Nelson Gallery's policy of exhibition is.  I am happy to note that not all of the painting are in need of rehabilitation; but some are, in my opinion, unworthy of display.
       All in all, the museum is and will prove to be a revealing experience.
       In the evening, reviewed the catalogue once again.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Began working on the index of the dissertation.  Finished Chapter I.  Continued reading in Burckhardt.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1

Depart for Sarasota (Ringling Museum) 1910 miles.  Return to St. Pete 1984 miles.  74 miles round trip.
     $  Tolls $2.00 / Lunch & tips $2.26 / Gas $0.77 (prorated at 2½ gallons) = total $5.03
On this trip I was able to spend a more leisurely review of the paintings.  Spent most of my time with the Flemish and French things, but also examined those Italian paintings which were of high quality or by artists whom I knew largely through the books rather than in the "flesh."  The very bigness of many of the paintings is exciting.  One does not see the "ten-acre" canvas in the U.S. too frequently, and the size is oftentimes most important.  Some of the grandeur possible with the style of Rubens, or of Tintoretto, can now be appreciated.  The setting (and sadly the lighting) in the Ringling Museum reflects European concepts, and as a consequence one finds himself seeing these works in a new way.  Once again, however, I come to the opinion that the most important task of the Ringling Museum is a conservation program.  Since some of the paintings are obviously overpainted in broad and extensive areas, and many have very heavy, aged coats of varnish, who can tell what lies beneath.  Those paintings which have been properly cleaned sparkle in a majestic way.  Perhaps I can sound out Creighton Gilbert Friday night (when we shall attend an opening) on this conservation program.
       In the mid-afternoon, Jean and I attended a performance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro in the Asolo Theatre.  The Turnau Opera Players are in their second winter season here.  The entire thing was modest, charming and most pleasantly received by us.  By a happy coincidence a friend of Jean's (a former UKC student) was in the company.  We have hopes to attend a dual Purcell-Monteverdi program before we leave for K.C., but this is still uncertain.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2

Worked on the index to the dissertation.  Read Oct. 1960 issue of Museum News (contained an article on the Ringling museums).  Worked on "first of the month" finances.  Did some additional sightseeing in and around St. Pete.  Saw a few examples of interesting contemporary architecture—but not as much as one would want.

FRIDAY, MARCH 3

Depart for Ringling Museum 2043 miles.  Arrive St. Petersburg 2114 miles.
     $  Tolls $2.00 / Gas $0.77 (prorated at 2½ gallons) = total $2.77
Attended the opening of the show "Baroque Painters of Naples" at the Ringling Museum.  Found it a stimulating show and discovered that we were "dignitaries" from afar.  Posed with Creighton Gilbert for both the Sarasota and the St. Petersburg papers.  Wonder if the photos will be printed?
       As usual, one finds an exhibition of this sort interesting because of the multiplicity of examples of "one" kind.  For example I was able to see the two paintings loaned by the Nelson Gallery in context for the first time.  Even though the paintings were important it was the group of drawings which were [sic] the most fun to see.
       We had a nice visit with C. Gilbert (talked about the conservation policy among other things) and met the director, Kenneth Donahue.
       Earlier in the day I read an article "Angkor, Jewel of the Jungle" by W. Robert Moore and Maurice Fievet in the April 1960 National Geographic.  Popularized treatment of the Khmer culture, but quite informative.

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

Read Creighton Gilbert's catalogue for the "Baroque Painters of Naples" exhibition.

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

Replanned Charleston trip to make it a more economical run.  Continued local seeing of sights which included a cruise on Tampa Bay.

MONDAY, MARCH 6

Depart for Charleston (via Savannah) 2180 miles, 7:15 am.  Arrive Savannah 2553, 4:30 pm.  373 miles [in] 9:15.
     $  Motel $5.15 Blue Top Motel / Toll $0.50 / Food & tips $5.34 / Gas $2.87 = total $13.86
Studied special guide-map to Savannah preparatory to return on Wed[nesday] for study and photography.

TUESDAY, MARCH 7

Depart Savannah for Charleston 2553 miles, 7:20 am,  Arrive Charleston 10:05 am, 2664 miles.  Savannah to Charleston (old road) 111 miles (end of the day 2700 miles)
       An extremely full day in Charleston.  Went right into the city and began a fairly intensive search in the "old town" once I was oriented with maps and literature (etc.) secured primarily at the Chamber of Commerce.  Made a number of photographs, but found myself just walking and looking.  Considering the fact that this is my first extensive exposure to Georgian architecture I managed to maintain equilibrium and composure.  Actually the architecture included numerous early 19th Century examples.  All told the late morning and the entire afternoon was devoted to the exploration, absorption and photography of Charleston.  After dinner we went to the Gibbes Art Gallery.  The 15th Annual Exhibition of South Carolina Artists and the permanent collection were visited.  The local show was surprisingly nice (though the sculpture seemed of less quality).  The permanent collection is rather sad, but there is a nice group of Thomas Sullys and a smaller collection of Jeremiah Theuses.  Heavy on portraits, many of the standard names are in evidence.  The paintings (with a very few exceptions) are badly in need of restoration.  Several pieces of sculpture are there including a "funny" Ceracchi of [George] Washington, a nice Hiram Powers and Brackett's Washington Allston.  There is also a fairly good group of American portrait miniatures with some European-American examples.
       While most of the sightseeing was on foot, some of the traveling was by car.  The evening was spent reviewing various publications.  Quaint Old Charleston, Historic Charleston and various tourist-type folders.
     $  Motel $6.18 [unnamed] / Food & tips $6.63 / Gas $1.20 (prorated at 4 gallons) = total $14.01
        Miscellaneous in-city driving 52 miles.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8

Leave Charleston 2716 miles, 10 am.  Arrive Savannah 2823, 12:20 pm (short road).  107 miles [in] 2:20.  23 miles miscellaneous driving in the city of Savannah after arrival.
       Before departure for Savannah, we went back in to downtown Charleston to pick up a few more photos and to see those examples of architecture which were not on our itinerary yesterday.
       After securing a motel in Savannah, we went downtown on an architectural tour and for a visit to the Telfair Academy.  We got a few photographs, but then it began to rain rather hard and we retreated to the car and made a fairly systematic tour viewing the city from the car.  I was most impressed with the Gothic Revival churches (and synagogue) and the bracketed style houses.  I noticed in the local paper that a grant for the study of the downtown area was made.  I hope and trust that appropriate attention will be given to the post-Civil War architecture in the city.
       The Telfair Academy was of a special type of interest.  Very few paintings of consequence, though there was a fair-looking Sebastiano Ricci.  The choicest pieces are some recent paintings, a couple of Childe Hassams, a Robert Henri and a number of ancestor portraits.  The—what can one call it, the Rotunda, was a breath from the past with its large 19th Century academic pieces, and the "basement" with its Hall of Casts was unexpected yet rewarding to my sense of history.  The dominant item was a replica of the Farnese Bull.  The decorative arts of early America were in evidence and these were of special interest.
     $  Toll $0.50 / Motel $6.18 [unnamed] / Food & tips $0.63 / Gas $1.40 (prorated on basis of actual costs) = Total $16.71

THURSDAY, MARCH 9

Leave Savannah 2849 miles, 7:15 am.  Arrive St. Pete 3220 miles, 4:35 pm.  371 miles [in] 9:20.
     $  Food & tips $3.42 / Toll $0.50 / Gas $3.15 = Total $7.07
        Total travel on the Charleston trip 1040 miles

FRIDAY, MARCH 10

Major project for the day (other than routine chores) was to plan the details for the trip to New Orleans, from there to Carbondale, and thence to K.C.  If one wishes to preplan all details, it is astonishing how much time it takes.

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

Did some reading in Novotny's European Painting and Sculpture.

SUNDAY, MARCH 12

Studied materials on New Orleans preparatory to our trip there.  Spent most of my effort on an analysis of maps (even made one) as a guide to photography.  Continued to read in Novotny.

MONDAY, MARCH 13

Car was due for its "3000-mile" check.  This occupied some time.  Continued to read in Novotny.

TUESDAY, MARCH 14

Main event of the day was a visit to the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center in Belleair just south of Clearwater.  There were three exhibitions on.  In the main gallery there was the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit of lithographs of Fantin-Latour.  The lithos seemed to show Fantin-Latour as more a romantic than do his paintings.  The lithos are very impressionistic and illustrate allegorical and musical themes.
       In the Library Gallery there were a group of watercolors by Robert Chase of Sarasota.  My impression of them was that they were adequate but nothing unusual.  A biographical note indicated that Chase was from Champaign Ill., and that he had studied at the U of Ill before the war.  There was also, in the Library Gallery, a small exhibit of the work of the instructors at the Center.  Not enough to judge by, but it seemed to be conservative-modern.
       The permanent collection was in storage!  I was informed that it is put on display only in the summer!  I guess that pretty well tells the story of the overall quality of the collection.  A review of the appropriate section of Cartwright's Guide to the Museums of the United States (East Coast - Washington to Miami) suggests that I really didn't miss anything, having seen like items elsewhere.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15

Went to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota again.  This time, in addition to seeing the Neapolitan Baroque show and the permanent collection, we went to the basement storage area as we had an opportunity to see its contents.  While not terribly exciting it was illuminating and I had an excellent opportunity to visit with Creighton Gilbert.  Later, in the afternoon, we attended the dual bill (Purcell and Montiverdi) which the Turnau company gave in the Asolo Theatre.  All in all a very rewarding experience.
       Mileage to and from: 77 miles.
     $  Toll $2.00 / Lunch & tips $1.90 / Gas $0.77 (prorated at 2½ gallons) = Total $4.67
 

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

Began making arrangements for our trip to New Orleans and K.C.  Considerably more involved, what with the stay-over in N.O.  Managed to do a little more on the seeing-study plans for N.O.  Made another map.

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

Packing car, etc., for the start of the voyage tomorrow.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

Depart St. Petersburg 3449 miles, 4:45 am EST.  Arrive Crestview, Fla. 3852 miles, 5:05 pm [C]ST.  403 miles, 9 hrs 20 min—avg 43 mph
     $  Motel $8.24  Holland Motel / Food & tips $4.94 / Gas $3.38 = Total $16.56
In general, a good trip.  The change in time zone helped, but unusually (?) [sic] light traffic on a Saturday was the major factor.

SUNDAY, MARCH 19

Depart Crestview, Fla, 3852 miles, 7:45 am.  Arrive New Orleans 4103 miles, 3:00 pm.  251 miles [in] 7 hrs, 15 min
     $  Tolls $0.75 / Food & tips $3.99 (on the road) / Gas $2.35 = Total $7.09
       Rain and fog the entire way.  Did what I could about seeing architecture via the car in Mobile and Biloxi, but photography was out of the question.  Hopeful that tomorrow might open up since New Orleans is the key place on this leg of the journey.
       Nice to see Al Varnado after more than a year.

MONDAY, MARCH 20

Day cloudy but not raining.  By car began to block out the several historically interesting places.  Went down Moss Street and circled in and through much of the Vieux Carr[é] in the morning.  Afternoon went to the Garden District.  Since Al Varnado did the driving I had an excellent opportunity to look at the architecture.  We did the Garden District quite thoroughly on foot as well as auto.  The lushness of the vegetation, high fences, walls etc. made photography, of some of the more interesting places, an impossible task (with the time and equipment available).  I was able, however, to see what I needed to see.  Intermittent rain showers didn't contribute to the overall situation.
       Under Al's guidance we saw many excellent examples of 19th Century architecture.  This raises an important issue which has been brought out more than once on this general trip—namely the "books" put too much emphasis on the early, early buildings.  There are many excellent items of the second half of the 19th Century which are worthy of study.
       In all we saw a great deal of N.O. including all of the schools (higher ed) and the redevelopment section northwest of the Vieux Carré.  This last includes numerous local and state government buildings.  Quite "modern" and apparently an improvement.
       Before dinner we had an opportunity to meet the "dean" of liberal arts and the man in art.  Had a pleasant conversation on "academic matters."

TUESDAY, MARCH 21

The morning was spent in the French Quarter.  Made a number of photographs, but a good deal of the Vieux Carré is just plain run down.  In many ways the expedition (on foot) was profitable, but architecturally, not of prime interest.
       In the afternoon we went to the Delgado.  Considering its resources, the whole thing was handled effectively and with taste.  The permanent collection is rather sparse, though there was a very nice Asher B. Durand landscape.  The bulk of the permanent collection consists of gifts and reflect the taste of nonprofessionals.  There is a large, though not exciting, group from the Kress collection (obtained the catalogue).  There was a nice and very, very interesting exhibition called "Masks and Masquerades."  This was interesting and a catalogue for that too was available.
       Though the Delgado (as a collection of art) is inferior to Atlanta, it is a more impressive display simply because of the quality of the display, the sense of style, etc.
       In many ways this review of several southeastern museums has taught me an unexpected lesson—the importance of the staff in giving character and personality to a museum.
       Evening—dinner at Antoine's as guests of Al Varnado.  A fine eating experience, but a bit trying—what with Paul.
     $  43 miles of "sightseeing" via auto / estimate $0.45 for gas
 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

Depart New Orleans 4148 miles, 7:50 a.m.  Arrive Memphis 4555 miles, 5:50 p.m.
     $  Motel $8.24, Casey's Motel / Food & tips $5.99 / Gas $4.40 (adjusted in N.O. local driving) = Total $18.63
Continued study of architecture while on the road suggests—still again—that many truly interesting examples of architecture are not "guide-book" stuff because they are neither the oldest, or associated with a "name."  The lesson is: that a genuine study-trip would be difficult and time-consuming since one will not find the path charted in detail.

THURSDAY, MARCH 23

Depart Memphis 4555 miles, 7:45 a.m.  Arrive Carbondale 4792 miles, 2:30 p.m.
     $  Food & tips $3.15 / Gas $2.21 = Total $5.36
Noted that there was a small art gallery in Memphis (Brooks Memorial) and that it had a Kress collection.  Apparently it has little in the way of a permanent collection outside of its Kress group.  Since the gallery was not open until 10 a.m., and since the delay wasn't warranted for "so little," we passed it up on this trip.  Weather in Illinois was infrequent rain and much cloudiness.

FRIDAY, MARCH 24

Depart Carbondale 4792 miles, 8:20 a.m.  Arrive K.C. (home) 5147 miles, 5:00 p.m.  355 miles / 8 hrs 40 min
     $  Food & tips $2.75 / Gas $3.23 = Total $5.98

SATURDAY, MARCH 25

Began the task of catching up.  Noticed in my computations that we spent $285 total in cash during the period Feb. 20 to March 24 while engaged in activities from K.C.  Needless to say, this was possible only through the hospitality of friends and my folks who roomed and boarded us on a number of occasions.
       Read in several of the magazines—e.g. Scientific American.

SUNDAY, MARCH 26

"Academic Work" consisted of catching up on the magazine-journal reading, e.g. Saturday Review.

MONDAY, MARCH 27

Went out to UKC to "catch up" and to get briefed by Berndt Kolker on the grant-request status.  Finished AAUP Bulletin, plus Saturday Review.  Some in Art Journal.

TUESDAY, MARCH 28

Continued home chores—shopping, etc.  Continued reading in the several magazines and journals.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29

Out to UKC to check on things.  Over to the Nelson Gallery.  Picked up extra copies of the Bulletin.  Looked at the "Contemporaries of Bingham" show in the Sales gallery and visited with staff.  Afternoon devoted to Federal and State Income Tax returns.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30

Worked outdoors in the morning.  Continued to catch up on journal-magazine reading.  Finished Walter Kerr's How Not to Write a Play.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

Worked on draft of Guide to Library.  Revised plan for non-credit course Invitation to Art and prepared a memo for Barbara Ashton on it.  Was surprised by a long-distance call from Frank Roos who informed me that I was the "leading" candidate for the chairmanship of the art department at the University of Omaha.  Since this is undoubtedly for the academic year [19]61-62, I assume that the exchange (if any) between Omaha and K.C. will be brief.  On the other hand one can never tell what might evolve, and I plan to be as open-minded as I can on the entire matter.  If there seems to be some substance to all this, I [had] best find out what is involved in "seeking" a release—either in Sept or Feb—from UKC.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

Some thought given to future trips of shorter duration.  Began serious work on the review for The Arts in America.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

Easter and Paul's birthday.

MONDAY, APRIL 3

Went out to UKC to pick up contract, discovered they will be out Wednesday.  Received an inquiry re: my AAUP notice, from University of Houston.  Encouraging that one can be wanted.  Spoke with Ed Westermann on the subject of my obligations to UKC for 1961-62 on sabbatical matter.  Talked with Barbara Ashton on subject of non-credit courses for 1961-62.  Worked out Fall program of offerings with Henry Scott.  All of this, plus a number of errands made this a busy day.

TUESDAY, APRIL 4

Worked out a tentative plan, for my appearance at the Summer Language Institute as a guest lecturer on art, with Bill Crain.  Spent some time at the Nelson Gallery and discussed some "Catlin" problems with Frank Crabtree.  Managed to do some reading in the current American Quarterly.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5

Contracts for 1961-1962 were released.  I note that I received $500 of the $600 I requested.  In some ways this is an astonishing advance (actually the minimum which I deemed acceptable) and I owe this all to Ed Westermann's skill and drive.  As the AAUP figures it, my salary will be $6852.  It is clear that the issue for 1962-63 shall be a promotion and salary appropriate to that rank.  I trust that others in the College have been treated fairly.  Of course, if all salaries in the rank of Assistant Professor have gone up in corresponding measure, I am still below average.  Time will tell in this.
       Continued to read in the American Quarterly and to work on the Arts in America review.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6

Major academic activity on the Arts in America review.  This is going to prove to be a somewhat more involved task than I first suspected.  The difficulty lies in the range of subjects which must be covered in the review itself; relating these into a coherent and meaningful review is the problem.

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

Finished the March Scientific American.  Worked on the Guide to Library Resources.  First went to Nelson Gallery (which I studied the Bingham show again) and then came home to translate my study of the library (and interview of the librarian) into "deathless prose."

SATURDAY, APRIL 8

Errand and chore day.  One chore, long overdue, was to improve the physical arrangement of my "office" at home.  Desk is now much more useable, more storage space is available and typewriter is handy.  Next step is to add an electrical outlet on the wall behind the desk.
       Studied maps for alternate routes, etc. for another study trip.  My, preplanning takes time.  Read the current New Yorker.

SUNDAY, APRIL 9

Attended Unitarian forum and heard Homer Wadsworth speak on the cultural future of K.C.  He tied it to the status of higher education and then painted a picture which I feel was heard by the wrong people.
       Continued work on the Guide.  Making progress.

MONDAY, APRIL 10

Prepared letters of recommendation for two students.  Went out to UKC.
       On Saturday last I received word that the Ford Foundation does not consider individual grants in the humanities.  Today I consulted Berndt Kolker on the matter and after some consideration came to the conclusion that we should try some local foundations.  He is to contact me after he has done some "sounding out" on possibilities.
       Picked up some reference materials on book classification and returned—hammer and tongs—to the Guide.  This might turn into something yet.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

Prepared answers to two inquiries relative to my availability for appointment at other institutions.  My, this takes time.
       Processed a roll of film taken on trip.  Worked on the review of Arts in America.
       Spent considerable time on planning the trip to Massachusetts.  May have to borrow an additional $100 to provide a cushion since a two-week trip east in mid-May would exhaust current funds.  Happily my credit is good and May seems the best time for this.
       Read in current Scientific American.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

Typed the letters drafted yesterday.  I really could use a secretary to save time.
       Finished Scientific American.  Continued work on Arts in America review.  Processed another roll of film.
       One should note that a man has been in and returned from outer space.  Granted that the Russian achievement is a milestone, I feel that all of the spectacular propaganda (augmented by Americans who do not wish to appear as "poor losers") is quite beside the point.  The first Sputnik was the mark in history.  While everything else is exciting and noteworthy, it is in many aspects more of the same.  Space technology is technology, and the feat has been theoretically possible for years.  Had men of imagination wielded influence in the American government and military, the event could have been an American milestone.  In the long run it is all to the good that the Russians had the compulsion to outdo the U.S.  The experience of "being behind" might convince American planners that fat-cat complacency, and an overreliance upon the professional legal-military mentality (rooted in the past for its inspiration), is not the posture we should bear.
       But I doubt that the Russian "cosmonaut" (astronaut in U.S., so cosmonaut) will do more than intensify backbiting among our governmental agencies.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

Continued on the Guide.  Developed another roll of film.  Read in the most recent issue of The Art Bulletin.
       Attended the Aline B. Saarinen lecture at the Gallery.  Spoke very much to the point.  One key element—re: subject—was the listing of three dangers affecting "high culture" from the philosophy of the mass culturists:
       1.  Lack of understanding of the true importance of professionalism
       2.  Great art is not necessarily easily comprehended
       3.  Great art is not necessarily widely appreciated by large numbers
       All to the point.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Went to the Gallery in the morning.  Studied the document files on Poussin's drawing and painting Triumph of Bacchus, Girardon's Louis XIV, Largillière's Augustus the Strong, David's Diane de la Vaupalière, and de La Tour's St. Sebastian.
       Placed the main components for a new outlet behind the desk.  Should finish it tomorrow and so add to my home office resources.
       Continued work on the Guide.  Read in Gerald Taylor's Silver (Penguin).

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

Continued work on the Arts of the U.S. review.  Observed the Truman Library Mural (by T.H. Benton) dedication via TV.
       Worked at some length preparing notes for the Illinois trip next week.  Ste. Genevieve to be included.  Cahokia will be deferred until a future St. Louis trip.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

Began work on a long put off project—a "Note" entitled Architecture, Antiquarianism, and the Tourist for a journal such as the American Quarterly.

MONDAY, APRIL 17

Out at UKC most of the day.  A.M. with Ken LaBudde reviewing the first preliminary plans for a new library building.  Afternoon with various people, including Berndt Kolker re: grant.  Ended up calling Homer Wadsworth in order to set up an appointment to discuss the problem.  Arranged to send him the data and see him upon return from Illinois trip.
       Attended dinner for Dr. Bertram Colgrave of Durham University and afterwards listened to his lecture on the excavation and treasure at Sutton Hoo.

TUESDAY, APRIL 18

Spent A.M. preparing the documents for Homer Wadsworth.  Afternoon with Paul at zoo.  Evening worked on Arts in U.S.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19

Afternoon at Nelson Gallery.  Some time in the Library.  Studied the Bingham show again, toured through other galleries—spoke with various individuals.

THURSDAY, APRIL 20

Bank for money for Illinois trip.  Heard from U of Houston.  Seem interested in keeping up contact re: a possible appointment in 1962?  Many loose ends to be tied up preparatory to our journey.  We all plan to go to Urbana.  Continued on Arts in U.S. review.  Received CMVASA journal which contained my review.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

Depart for Carbondale 5412 miles, 7:45.  Arrive Carbondale 5766 miles, 4:40.  354 miles [in] 8:55.
       Uneventful trip but weather on-again-off-again rain.

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

With the Richters—saw the SIU campus.  A lot of visiting, but no scholarly activity.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

Depart Carbondale 5766 miles, 9:05.  Arrive Urbana 5972 miles, 2:05.  206 miles [in] 5:00.
       Much fun in gossip, etc.  Judy [is now] a big girl ready for college.  Geo Vrooman came over, as did others, much visiting.

MONDAY, APRIL 24

Went out to campus and saw Marvin Martin and his new sculpture facility.  After years of short rations the resources now available are fantastic.  Saw Ed Rae, and to my astonishment we ended up talking about an opening on their faculty and the possibility that I might work into it.  Everything kept quite open ended.  Saw Allen Weller and we had our usual short visit.
       In the afternoon we went over to the Rooses and there continued the speculation on my suitability, etc. for the position.  Frank explained how the Omaha thing fell through.  Rehired a former faculty member.  Needless to say Frank was quite enthusiastic over my coming to Illinois and in reflection decided that Omaha would have been a dead end.  In the last I agree.
       Paul's physical well-being seemed on the danger side.  Jean was having a little trouble, so we called the Richters and explained that we were going back to Kansas City.
       Krannert was closed and formal dedication scheduled for the weekend of the 20th of May.  Permanent collections to be on display then.  Our Massachusetts trip can take this into account and we arranged with the Holshousers to descend on them again for the occasion.
       One note—great quantities of lousy weather throughout our stay in Illinois.

TUESDAY, APRIL 25

Depart Urbana 5989 miles, 7:50.  Arrive K.C. 6375 miles, 5:50.  406 miles [in] 10 hours.
       Made trip on US 24 in Missouri.  Pretty good road except for one stretch—little heavy truck traffic.  East of Lexington are numerous old houses.  Worth a return visit.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

General chores.  Read in Saturday Review and New Yorker.  Caught up on back issues of the paper.

THURSDAY, APRIL 27

More chores.  Worked on the Arts in U.S. review.  Drafted a letter to Ed Rae about Illinois job.  Hold on to it for a while.
       Had trouble contacting Homer Wadsworth.  Will have to try again tomorrow.

FRIDAY, APRIL 28

General desk work.  Continued to read in New Yorker.  Appointment with Wadsworth for Monday afternoon.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29

Chores around the house.  Did do some reading in the American Quarterly and the Journal of the CMVASA.

SUNDAY, APRIL 30

Finished the preliminary stage on the Art of the U.S. review.

APRIL 31 [sic]

Worked on the Guide.

MONDAY, MAY 1

Chores around the house.  Out to UKC to check on some matters.  Worked on the Guide.
      
Saw Homer Wadsworth in the afternoon.  He said he'd let me know in about two weeks time whether he had any pertinent suggestions re: support-services for fine arts study-research.

TUESDAY, MAY 2

Household chores plus taking Paul to zoo.  Read in current Saturday Review.  Prepared letter of recommendation for Kris Huffman for K.U. Medicenter—Speech Center.  Out to opera at UKC in evening.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3

Gave make-up final exam for a delinquent student.  Did some library study.  Visited with "the boys" and returned home.  Prepared a letter for Ed Rae and then turned to the Guide.

THURSDAY, MAY 4

Spent considerable time on [the Guide]Made a decision to separate the project into two parts.  One will be a Guide to library resources, the other a description of library art facilities in K.C.  Gave appropriate portions of each to Ken LeBudde for his commentary.
       Attended the opening of Mid America Annual in the evening.
       Also applied for a grant ($46) to cover auto costs on Eastern Trip.  Sent request to Grad Committee.

FRIDAY, MAY 5

Watched U.S.'s first "man in space" shot on TV,  This was a ballistic flight.  Incredible experience to sit in your living room and see remarkably intimate views of the preparation and then the launching itself.  Descent and recovery films to be on TV this afternoon or evening.  One thing can be said for the U.S. effort: it was "open to the public."  I wonder if the U.S. can make intelligent propaganda out of the obvious difference between the Soviet and U.S. attitudes toward secrecy.  I doubt it.
       Learned that Connie will be unable to take us in, in Dayton, on the trip.  So we shall go by way of Toledo and return via Dayton.  Spent part of the morning replanning the routes.
       Well, the evening paper arrived and therein was, of course, the "item" about the space shoot.  But also there was the announcement that Drake and Nelson had resigned from UKC effective Aug. 31st!  Stated reason was lack of financial support for "his" program.  Interesting to note that Scofield, nor any deans, [was (not)] included [in the resignations].  Drake had hoped (according to his statement) that this would be kept quiet until after the Board met on Monday.  Since this was a letter to the Board, the Board (or some member) let it "leak" to the paper.  I must go out to campus Monday to sample the gossip.

SATURDAY, MAY 6

Day spent in house painting.
       Paper in the morning noted letter by deans asking for moral and financial support to "retain" Drake and Nelson.  I assume that this is more of an attempt to capitalize on the situation than a sincere attempt to get the resignations turned down.  An editorial in the Star put the thing very succinctly when it pointed out that Drake had been unable to be an effective promotional agent.

SUNDAY, MAY 7

Finished the two console tables on either side of fireplace.  Then turned to work on the Arts of U.S. review and some serious reading.

MONDAY, MAY 8

Went out to UKC to learn what I could about the Drake-Nelson resignation.  In general my own opinions were confirmed.  Evening news indicated that resignations had been accepted.  What the future holds is very hard to say.
       Prior to going out to campus I labored on the review.  Happy to see progress.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

Morning devoted to house chores.  Went out to UKC to attend a faculty meeting.  After all, one can never tell what one's colleagues might do.  No unusual actions.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

A.M. devoted to the review.  P.M. to the Nelson Gallery.  Saw Clem Robertson, discussed numerous matters with him.  Look[ed] at the Mid-America again.  Read a bit on the Cranach Last Judgement.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

Arranged for additional funds for our eastern trip.  Felt a mite poorly today so took it easy.  Read a bit.  Worked on route for the eastern trip.  Typed on review.

FRIDAY, MAY 12

Worked on review.  Received money from [Missouri] Credit Union.

SATURDAY, MAY 13

Worked on review.  Attended Fiorello.  Attended "doctor's group."

SUNDAY, MAY 14

Worked on review.

MONDAY, MAY 15

Worked on review, worked on trip.  Attended Assembly meeting wherein several of the trustees reaffirmed their conviction and optimism.  We shall see.  At least some of the ideas which I had several years ago—i.e. sell faculty—have greater currency.  Scofield said afterwards that I had been granted $50 by the Grad Committee.  Hooray—helps trip expenses measurably.  Read in several magazines.

TUESDAY, MAY 16

Morning devoted to getting car ready and clean for the trip.  Throat bothering me again.  Read in magazines.  Worked on the review.  Just about ready for final typing.  Drafted annual personal report.  Developed roll of film.  Read in Hadas History of Rome.  Finished route plans.

[List of six "Art Museums to See—Mass. and Conn.," most likely from Spaeth's American Art Museums and Galleries]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

Bank and other chores.  Finished and mailed review of Arts of the United States.  Prepared personal report for current academic year.  Developed roll of film.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

Miscellaneous activities today.  Did some planning on a revision of format for advanced art history courses.  Read Cox Pottery and Porcelain on Greek Ceramics.

FRIDAY, MAY 19

Began tying things together preparatory to the trip (bank, school, etc.)  Out at UKC I saw the second draft of the new library plans.  Happy to note that some of my recommendations (after survey of first draft) have been incorporated.  Developed another roll of film, and this brings me up to date.  Printing will be a summer project.  Read in the newly received Art Journal.

SATURDAY, MAY 20

Devoted to final chores before trip.  Read Art Journal, and in Defries The Arts in France.

MONEY: Start trip with $38 each + $260 travelers checks / or $298

SUNDAY, MAY 21

Depart K.C. 6743 miles, 7:30 a.m.  Arrive Urbana 7147 miles, 5:35 p.m.  [Total] 404 miles [in] 10:05.
     $  Food & tips $3.08 / Gas $3.35 = total $6.43
By and large an uneventful journey, and happily dry.  Good to see the Holshousers again.
 

MONDAY, MAY 22

Major art activity of the day was two trips to the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois.  Obtained a catalogue of the dedication exhibition which was made up from the permanent collections.  As a museum it is not overly large, but the behind-scenes facilities are in contrast much bigger than anyone would expect.  Since the collections are fairly small, and in general of modest quality, the size of the galleries isn't too bad.  The importance of traveling exhibits makes the behind-scenes facilities of importance.  All in all the whole thing is nicely elegant.  The dedication catalogue has numerous reviews.  Allen Weller took me through.
       15 miles local driving.

TUESDAY, MAY 23

Depart Urbana, Ill 8:45, 7162 miles.  Arrive Toledo 6:50, 7520 miles.  [Total] 358 miles [in] 10:05.
     $  Food & tips $4.42 / Gas $3.70 / Motel $10.30 Rambler = total $18.42
Made the mistake of coming in on city U.S. 24 instead of Bypass U.S. 24; the net result was no motels and a ride into the heart of downtown Toledo and out, trying to locate a facility.  Killed nearly an hour in this operation.  I've learned a lesson, however, in reading these things.  The turnpike plus the bypass to Detroit force the motels to cluster where the non-terminal visitor will pass, and the ones glued to the turnpike.  Must keep this in mind for future runs.
       Stopped in Indianapolis to visit the Herron Art Institute.  The collections aren't too bad.  The weakest element was the physical plant which I feel cannot be materially improved beyond the level they've carried it.  Combine the Krannert Museum with the Herron collections and the result would be quite impressive.  In view of the fact that Krannert is an Indianapolis man, the point is rather sharp.
       Obtained a small view booklet of the Herron, plus a list of paintings.  Also [a] catalogue of the Indiana Artists Exhibit on display at the time of our visit.  The Indiana Artists looked much better than the Mid-America.  I wonder if there is a lesson here.
       For a number of reasons, this was a hard ride today.  Considering the number of urban traffic patterns I negotiated, this is understandable.  Tomorrow morning we take in the Toledo museum.
 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24

Depart Toledo 7532 [miles], 10:20.  Arrive Buffalo 7884 [miles], 6:20.  [Total] 352 [miles in] 8 hours. / 12 miles local driving before departure.
       Altered plans and went the turnpike route all the way to Buffalo.  Alfred is for the time being out of the picture.
     $  Food & tips $6.14 / Gas $2.92 / Tolls $2.95 / Motel $9.00 [unnamed] = total $21.01
Before leaving Toledo, went to the Toledo Art Museum.  General impression of the museum is that it is strong in painting but weak in decorative arts.  This last must be qualified in the area of glass, which is quite large,  High points were the master paintings, the evolution of script-printing and some of the medieval items—e.g. ivories.  The Toledo-area artists were on display.  Also the Thai art show—a special bonus.
       The layout of the museum is a little peculiar in that it is something of a maze without recourse to hallways.  Since their educational program (for schoolchildren) is quite large, this could be a problem.  The role of Libbey in all this is most large—perhaps too much so.  Friends for other areas would be desirable, and a sculpture-interested benefactor would help.
       Obtained several publications including a guidebook on the Thai show (the full catalogue was a bit too expensive for me) and the catalogue for the coming "The Splendid Century" show.  The last was $3 but worth it for me.  All in all a profitable visit, particularly for the paintings.  The display for the paintings is excellent.  Ancient art, Oriental art, etc., a bit too much—the cabinet.
       Our arrival in Buffalo turned into a hunt for a motel.  After soliciting aid at a gas station we were given directions to a motel which caters primarily to truckers.  So all worked out O.K.

 

THURSDAY, MAY 25

Depart Buffalo 7888 [miles], 7:30.  Arrive Albany 8190 [miles], 4:45.  [Total] 302 miles [in] 9:15. / Side trip and visit in Rochester.
     $  Food & tips $6.45 / Gas $2.50 / Tolls $4.25 / Lubrication $3.70 / Motel $12.00 [unnamed] = total $28.90
Made a point of leaving the thoroughway to go into Rochester.  Used this opportunity to get a 7500-mile lube job for the VW and to go to see the George Eastman House (which is a museum).  The Eastman House was a real treasure.  I was delighted with the chance to see much of what I knew only in reproductions.  The apparatus, photographs and the general display of them was most excellent.  The house is interesting, but the displays were the most valuable for me.  There are some paintings, some quite nice, but these were, I feel, incidental.
       This excursion to the Eastman House was important to me because of the thesis—I just had to get a firsthand look at the stuff.  While an earlier visit wouldn't have changed my arguments, a later one did help to consolidate them.
       The weather has continued most favorably and we hope for the best.

 

FRIDAY, MAY 26

Depart Albany 8191 miles, 8:00 a.m.  Arrive North Reading [MA] 8405 miles, 4:05 a.m. [sic]  [Total 214 miles in 8:05.]
     $  Food & tips $6.15 / Gas $1.25 (to Worchester) [sic] / Motel $10.00 [unnamed] = total $17.40
Decided to see something of the countryside, and so we took the non-turnpike route from Albany to Worchester.  The opportunities to see the Berkshires, Northampton, Amherst, Hadley, etc. was well worth it.  Unfortunately the weather was a bit on the drizzle-side and this made things a little inconvenient.
       Stopped at Worchester to see the museum there.  General impression was that the collection was very fine, but the building was inadequate to display them [sic].  The building was big enough, but there was a sameness to the rooms.  The result was a little on the monotonous side.  Toledo was a case of what variety of room-size can do (despite the maze).  I noted that there was a school, and no doubt they use the collections, but I wonder what other use is made of the collections.  There were very few people in the museum (in contrast to Toledo).  I was happy to see the quantity of decorative art, and the Romanesque chapter house.  All in all a very nice museum.  Too bad that it couldn't grace Denver or some such place.  For that matter, K.C. could use the collection too.  Picked up the handbook.
       We went via Mass 9 to Mass 128 and then up and around to Mass 28.  Took Mass 78 toward Andover and finally located a motel in North Reading.  This shall be headquarters.  Spent a good bit of the evening studying the map, guidebooks, etc. in preparation for the next several days.
       This is our 5th wedding anniversary.  It could have been a better day, but we shall have a deferred celebration upon our return to K.C.  Also, rain began about 5 p.m.
 

SATURDAY, MAY 27

Heavy rain in the morning which continued until the late afternoon.  Since this was the case we went to the Museum of Fine Arts and spent the morning and early afternoon there.  Afterwards we did a little motor sightseeing in Cambridge, Winchester, Reading, etc.  Upon return to the motel began study of maps, etc. preparatory for the morrow.  Plan a tour of downtown Boston in the a.m. and the Gardner Museum in the p.m.  Also might try walking around Cambridge-Harvard.
     $  Food & tips $7.42 / Motel $10.00 [again unnamed] = total $17.42
My general impression of the metropolitan area is that Boston, etc. is a great argument for city planning.  The major freeways are fine, but the rest is not easy to follow.  The old and the new are thrown together; junk nestles a' treasure.  The exact opposite of Charleston [SC] in the way things are handled.  Salem and Marblehead, etc. should be interesting for comparison.
       The MFA is, of course, overwhelming.  I made no pretense of studying the collections; rather I tried to familiarize myself with the layout, organization, display techniques, etc. of the place.  Of course where an old friend was on display (e.g. Van der Weyden's St. Luke) I made a point of more careful looking.  There is some logic in making the whole a collection of museums, each self-contained but connected to the others.  Unfortunately the total is a bit massive.  Each section has a sameness which could be helped by a less monolithic display.  There is probably more on display than is needed for general education and the general public.  Also there seems to be a great deal of "case upon case" in certain areas.  Despite the excellence of the Oriental and the Egyptian, it was the decorative arts (including sculpture and period rooms) which I felt to be an outstanding display.
       Also, the museum shop was most striking.  Acquired the handbook.  Restrained myself re: the other publications.  Could easily spend $50 for various items.  This I couldn't afford.  Since one or two couldn't close the gaps, why frustrate myself trying to make a representative selection[?]
 

SUNDAY, MAY 28

Today was a day of miscellaneous.  First went into downtown (old town) Boston.  We managed to see the Old State House, Old North Church, Old South Meeting House and much of what would be reminiscent of the old.  We managed to see the Paul Revere house (outside) after a wild attempt on both foot and in auto.  We were in Little Italy right at the time church let out.  A memorable experience.
       Thence to Copley Square via Louisburg Square and that locale.  We got a "tour" of Trinity Church.  I must confess, it is considerably more impressive than the photos suggested.  The interior was also far beyond my expectations.  From there to the Gardner Museum.  Despite some of the riches it is more a curiosity than anything else.  Fantastic is the word for it.  Most things are impossible to see properly, and the gawking sightseers make traffic a problem.  Nevertheless, an amazing experience—despite my foreknowledge of it.
       From there we went to Ipswich.  Saw the Whipple House and the Heard House.  Very satisfying.  Thence to Topsfield and the Parson Capen House.  Along the way we saw much 18th and 19th Century architecture.  I trust I stored it up properly for future use.  From Topsfield back to the motel.  Total distance—about 100 miles.
     $  Food & tips $8.38 / Gas $1.31 / Admission fees to houses $2.00 / Motel $10.00 [still unnamed] = total $22.19
 

MONDAY, MAY 29

Went on a special tour.  First to Salem where we hit the standard historic sites.  Took a tour in the Derby House, saw the others from the outside.  After touring Salem we went to Marblehead.  Toured the Jeremiah Lee house.  This was of course a real treat.  Then went via the auto along the standard historic sites route.  Marblehead was much more impressive than Salem.  Too much of old Salem is slum-like, while old Marblehead seems well kept up in comparison.
       From Marblehead we went to Cambridge and went to the Fogg and a walking tour of the [Harvard] campus.  The Fogg is quite impressive as a university museum (as I knew it would be).  Toured it and visited with Mary Ward and Louise Lucas.  Enjoyed the visit muchly.  Finals were on at Harvard, and there was a bit of tenseness in the Fogg.  But looking at the Fogg, recalling Krannert, I'm most fortunate to have the rapport I do with the Nelson Gallery.
     $  Food & tips $6.07 / Admission fees $1.50 / Motel $10.00 [once more unnamed] = total $17.57

Summary: Massachusetts, as I view it, is badly in need of a more advanced system of marking streets, etc.  The Boston area is most difficult to "read."  Not all of the old can be saved, but some sort of pattern (outside of local societies) seems desirable.  I felt that too much of the 17th Century reconstruction was too pretty.  Result is that I had a feeling of viewing a reconstruction rather than a restoration.  The 18th Century things were O.K.  No doubt there is little alternative to some of the older items, but this raises a complex philosophical question of what should and what is to be done with historically significant examples.  The moral, if there is one, is that 300-year hindsight is less useful than a recognition of important works and then a program of continuous care.  The 17th and 18th Century have received some of their due, but what of the 19th Century (and 20th)[?]
       This a result of 426 miles to date in Massachusetts.

TUESDAY, MAY 30

Depart North Reading 8655 miles, 7:05.  Arrive Grantville, Pa. 9068 miles, 6:15.  [Total] 413 miles [in] 11:10.
     $  Food & tips $5.81 / Gas $4.30 (includes filling tank before takeoff) / Tolls $1.75 /  Motel $7.28 [unnamed] = total $19.14
Today was both interesting and a grind.  The freeway sections were fine, the mountains lovely but time and energy-consuming.  We pushed on this far to take as much advantage as we could of the daylight.  Later, the time saved will be much appreciated.
       We had to bypass the Wadsworth Atheneum because of the timing.  We hit Hartford at 10 a.m., but with May 30th a holiday, the museum didn't open until 12.  The delay would be too expensive for us, hence it must wait for another time.
 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31

Depart Grantville, Pa. 9068 miles, 6:50.  Arrive Wilmington, Ohio 9534 miles, 7:15.  [Total] 466 miles [in] 12:25.
     $  Food & tips $8.44 / Gas $3.43 / Tolls $1.65 /  Motel $12.36 [unnamed] = total $25.88
A hard and long drive with a scenic but time-consuming detour in the Tuscarora Mountains.  Because of the time lost (about an hour), and time lost on another detour, we've decided to alter plans.  We'll skip Cincinnati this trip and go via Hamilton, Ohio where we will service the VW.  This will consume about 45 minutes to an hour of non-travel time.  Because of this (and it must be done) we'll probably arrive late, late afternoon in Carbondale.  Well, we can't do everything.  In the future 5 days travel is best for a K.C.-New England or N.Y. trip.

THURSDAY, JUNE 1

Depart Wilmington 9534 [miles], 6:55.  Arrive Carbondale 9926 [miles], 6:10.  [Total] 392 miles [in 11:15]
     $  Food & tips $2.68 / Gas [left blank] / Lubrication [left blank] / [No total entered]
Stayed with the Richters in Carbondale.  Saw some interesting architecture.
 

FRIDAY, JUNE 2

Depart Carbondale 9926 miles, 8:40.  Arrive K.C. 10299 miles, 5:40.  [Total] 373 miles [in 9 hours]
     $  Food & tips $1.99 / Gas [left blank] / Toll $0.60 / [No total entered]
Trip Summary: Total mileage 6743 [to] 10299 or 3556 miles.  Total cash spent $249 away from K.C.  Auto costs [left blank]

SATURDAY, JUNE 3

Collected back mail.  Check for research support among the items ($50).  Letter from Allen Weller who liked the review and hopes he can keep it at its length.  Did some reading in back journals, but day spent in small chores and rest.
       Worked on finances for this month.  Despite debts, we are solvent and have a cash reserve.  Because of, or in spite of, my stewing over finances we manage to steer clear of fiscal troubles.
 



































































































































Afterward
 

George most likely intended to fill in the missing financial entries for Jun. 1-2; but this journal of his First Sabbatical was set aside and never used for any further writing, though more than half its pages were blank.  One gets the impression that George's appetite for Being Elsewhere had gotten fully sated, particularly by the 1,644-mile slog over the last four days; which may have helped reconcile him to "hanging on" at KCU for another academic year.  Also, his recent visits to the Krannert and Fogg Museums reminded George of his fortunate proximity to and rapport with KCMO's Nelson Gallery.

Though he'd thought "there clearly was no future at KCU for me...  Another year wouldn't make that much difference," he would add "But it did."  And that difference, bringing some hope for improvement in the shakeup following Chancellor Drake's resignation and replacement by Carleton Scofield, was apparent as early as a Jun. 18, 1961 article in the Kansas City Star:

Excellence Still an Aim in New K.C.U. Era

Behind a sedate facade of rising trees and native stone buildings at the University of Kansas City, another university is struggling to be born.  It is the school which by 1970 must be ready for an enrollment of at least 7,400 students—double the present number.  It is the institution which will produce broadly educated graduates to staff future industry and government in Greater Kansas City.

And it is the university which will provide the intellectual refreshment necessary for citizens of a truly great city.  Built into the present institution is the potential for the future one.  "Most professors could make more money at other schools," said Dr. George Ehrlich, associate professor of art.  "But they stay on because they see what this university could become.  You see that potential as a carrot dangling in front of your nose, and you want to keep trying for it."

Enthusiastic about what the University of Kansas City might become, the professor was not at all discouraged about what it is—an architect's model of excellence for the university of the future.  "There isn't another school in our area that is as good in the education of undergraduates," commented Dr. Carleton Scofield, acting chancellor.  "And by our area, I mean quite a large area."  Supporting Dr. Scofield's words are a small battalion of facts, which even students sometimes marshal to defend a school whose reputation for quality is in many respects better known nationally than in its own locale...

More than professors and students is involved in the present excellence and future promise of the University of Kansas City.  A great metropolitan area—with its museums, orchestras, scientific facilities, industries and above all its problems—challenges the university.  It responds by sending its art students to one of the best galleries in the country (one-half mile from the campus), by requiring its music students to select from an array of musical performances impossible to match in the average college town, by using the city as a giant laboratory in which to study and solve sociological, psychological and governmental problems...

The environment of a university, however, is more than the city that surrounds it.  It is the spirit of freedom in which its students and teachers work.  That spirit is unusually lively at the University of Kansas City, where changes in education are generally met with enthusiasm.  The relatively controversial foundations program, a group of courses in which specialized knowledge from several fields is integrated, was adopted early in the history of the school...

A part of this spirit has been an uncompromising attachment to academic excellence, a factor in most of the choices the school has made.  One such choice was the recent elimination of the intercollegiate athletic program.  "It was clear to us that something was going to be sacrificed," said John A. Morgan, chairman of the university board of trustees.  "We decided that if there is a choice, this period in the world's history calls for decisions in favor of academic excellence."  It is this theme, evident enough in the present institution, which the faculty and administration hope to make the dominant feature of the university that is struggling to be born.

Signs of the emerging new university can already be seen on the tree-shaded campus.  Thrusting up like a ship's prow from the rim of the hill is the new University Center, now under construction.  If financial arrangements are completed, ground will be broken this fall for a new pharmacy building.  A 3-million-dollar structure for the school of dentistry is being planned, and a new library—most heartfelt need of the university—will be a construction target as soon as funds are available.

The students who will use these buildings, part of the tidal wave of young people born during World War II and nurtured in an era when higher education became increasingly important, are already beginning to show up on campus.  Last fall the freshman enrollment was 83 per cent higher than the previous year.  Calculating conservatively the university estimates its enrollment will double within nine years.  Dr. Scofield, the acting chancellor, said he wants to meet these young people with a program better than the existing one...

George would write that "as 1961-1962 was drawing to a close, and thus the time when I would be free to seek employment elsewhere, there were strong rumors that KCU was likely to become an affiliate of the University of Missouri.  This was seen by many of us as a mixed blessing if it came to pass.  While the fiscal crisis would presumably be solved, there would be a loss of autonomy, and a shift from private to public status.  What did that mean for the likes of someone like me, or for my department?  I concluded that whatever the losses, the benefits would be far greater.  Besides, I could always leave if neither the merger nor the promise was realized."

My brother Matthew (himself a full professor at the University of Illinois) is skeptical that the job opportunities mentioned in George's sabbatical journal were more than tentative, or "moved far past the lines of 'it would be great if you could come teach for us someday.' (I heard that more than once in my career.)" 

Be that as it may, George seemed ready to contemplate them: "One can never tell what might evolve, and I plan to be as open-minded as I can on the entire matter.  If there seems to be some substance to all this, I [had] best find out what is involved in 'seeking' a release—either in Sept or Feb—from UKC."  He approached Dean Westermann "on the subject of my obligations to UKC for 1961-62 on sabbatical matter," and with Frank and Bea Roos he “continued the speculation on my suitability, etc. for the position” at the University of Illinois.  After drafting a letter about this to Chairman Rae, he decided to "hold on to it for a while"—which would allow even a trial balloon to stay unpunctured for awhile, regardless of any post-sabbatical commitment to remain at KCU for a year.

Then in May came the Drake-to-Scofield shakeup.  "What the future holds is very hard to say," George remarked; though he soon found reasons for chipperness in receiving a $50 grant for travel expenses, and seeing revised plans for the new General Library that incorporated some of his recommendations.  In June he told the Star that "most professors could make more money at other schools, but they stay on because they see what this university could become.  You see that potential as a carrot dangling in front of your nose, and you want to keep trying for it."

By the end of the 1961-62 academic year, George and Mila Jean’s second child (who would evolve into Professor Matt) was manifestly on the agenda; and by the start of 1962-63, the Ehrlichs would deepen their local roots by moving out of their bungalow to a larger house at 5505 Holmes, just three blocks from campus.  This didn’t rule out a future transplant to some other campus in some other city, but George had also been promoted to Associate Professor; "the university seemed to care, and I had a feeling that the potential for the visual arts at the university was still quite strong."  As KCU’s merge with the University of Missouri became increasingly possible, he "decided to stick it out another year to see what would happen."

UMKC would come into being on Jul. 25, 1963.  A year later George would be named Chairman of its Art & Art History Department, pledging to build a faculty and curriculum in which the new University could take pride—as he would likewise help UMKC do as a whole, for his adopted city whose architectural history he would lovingly chronicle at length in text and photographs.

Over the years other jobbish trial balloons floated George’s way, from as far off as Albuquerque; yet he remained at UMKC until his retirement, and he and Mila Jean ended up residing at 5505 Holmes for the rest of their lives—when not away on travels and future sabbaticals, such as George’s solo jaunt to Europe in 1966 (which will be the next chapter of these Navigations).

 


Notes

[click on the > at the end of each Note to return to its source above]
 

  "The Establishment of the Cockefair Chair" at https://info.umkc.edu/cockefair/about/history-cockefair-chair/.  Carolyn Benton Cockefair (1884-1969), who claimed she'd been born into the better branch of the Benton family, went from being a farm wife to a teacher in educational extension programs to a visiting professor at the University of Missouri, and then the KCU English Department in 1947 at the age of 63; even after retirement in 1964 she continued to teach continuing education courses.  The Cockefair Chair was established in her name, and in 1980 the old Law School was renamed Cockefair Hall for the departments of English, History, and Philosophy.  >
  In Jan. 1961 George "worked for his keep" (per his photo caption) moderating the Fine Arts session of the "Frontiers of Knowledge" continuing education series.  The panelists included Carolyn Benton Cockefair, Thomas Hart Benton, and Hans Schwieger (1906-2000), musical director and conductor of the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra from 1948 to 1970.  >
  The main campus of the University of Kansas is in Lawrence, just forty miles west of KCMO.  >
  Written by June Lorraine Hyatt (born 1937) whom Mila Jean must have known, since June was one of the dramatic University Players in 1955-56, and stage manager of Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, a Community Children's Theatre production, c.1958.  As yearbook editor she lamented:

Leading a student activity at The University of Kansas City is all too often a thankless job.  Time after time, great plans are made, visualizing some quite original ideas, only to culminate, not in an event of the quality we believe The University is worthy of and should become accustomed to, but in an event which is even worse than the ones of preceding years.  These too-frequent evidences of student apathy bring heartaches to those of us who feel that the situation could and should do better on campus.  >

  Richard Matthews Drake Sr. (1906-1997) earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota.  The author of several mathematics textbooks, he came to KCU in 1955 after sixteen years at the University of Buffalo; then from 1962 to 1972 he was Provost and Head of Academic Affairs at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck NJ, continuing there as adjunct professor of higher education till he retired in 1976.  (Former KCU President Clarence Decker was Vice President of Fairleigh Dickinson from 1955 to 1967.)  >
  Earl McGrath, like his predecessor Clarence Decker, had the title of University President; the Board of Trustees changed this to Chancellor for Richard Drake.  >
  Carleton Forman Scofield (1900-1990), previously Director of Psychological Warfare Research with the U.S. Human Resources Research Office, came to KCU in 1960 as Director of Graduate Studies and Executive Assistant to Chancellor Drake.  He published A History of the University of Kansas City: Prologue to a Public Urban University (Kansas City: Lowell Press) in 1976.  >
  "With the dedication of the University Center to be held this coming September, student life at the University of Kansas City will indeed come of age," Chancellor Drake stated in the 1961 Kangaroo yearbook.  George, in his 1979 Walking Tour of UMKC Volker Campus, would say "the building's exterior style is a somewhat unsatisfactory conglomeration of materials that neither harmonizes with its older neighbors ... nor makes an effective contemporary statement.  On the other hand, the interior has proven to be remarkably adaptable and functional over the years of campus growth and the now quite crowded conditions under which it must operate."  (I recall visiting the construction site where workmen presented me with a small bundle of colored wires, which I jammed inside my rocking horse "Old Red" on the mistaken assumption that this would speed him up robotically.)  >
  As recounted in "UMKC Measures Up" at https://info.umkc.edu/accreditation/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/02Introduction.pdf>
  In his 1979 Walking Tour of UMKC Volker Campus, George noted that KCU/UMKC had always been a "commuter school" whose students mostly lived off-campus.  The Student Residence Hall, built in 1955, was originally a dormitory for men only; its "rather austere style and finish is a characteristic of a great deal of the architecture of the 1950s."  >
  About which see Chapter 12 of To Be Honest>
  Then and now, the Friends of Art are community supporters whose contributions buy works for the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts (renamed the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in 1983; always referred to in the Ehrlich household as simply "the Gallery").  >

  Sadayuki "Suds" Mouri (1921-2005), a California native and French major at San Jose State, was placed in a Japanese-American internment camp when World War II began.  Sponsored by a Quaker relief organization, he was released in 1943 to complete college at the University of Kansas City, room-and-boarding in the home of President Decker in exchange for doing odd jobs on campus.  After graduation he served as an interpreter during General MacArthur's occupation of Japan, returning to Kansas City at Decker's invitation to work in the University Bursar's office.  From 1954 to 1961 he was KCU's Head Bursar, going on to become Business Manager of the Chicago Theological Seminary and then Vice President of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston IL.  >
  Kansas City MO's Country Club Plaza opened in 1923 as the first regional shopping center designed with unified architectur
e—"an eclectic style based on Spanish-Mexican motifs," according to George—and parking for what were originally suburbanites.  >
  Pityriasis Rosea is a noncontagious scaly rash most likely caused by a viral infection.  (One has to wonder whether George contracted it, along with his head cold, while attending a conference the previous week in wintry Minneapolis.)   >
  George, whose doctoral dissertation was titled Technology and the Artist, would always be intrigued by the relationship of pictorial art to scientific development.  >
 
Fritz Novotny (1903-1983) was a Viennese art historian and authority on Cézanne.  His Painting and Sculpture in Europe, 1780 to 1880 was published in 1960>
  Probably George Savage's Porcelain Through the Ages, published by Pelican in 1954.  The same author's English Pottery and Porcelain came out in 1961, but this was a massive edition by Universe Books.  >
  Berndt L. Kolker (1916-1990), formerly of the Midwest Research Institute, was KCU's Director of Research and Continuing Education.  He later succeeded Robert E. Nelson as Vice President for Development, and would go on to become Provost of University of the Pacific's Raymond College in Stockton CA.  >
  The College Art Association of America was founded in 1911 to promote the visual arts "and their understanding through advocacy, intellectual engagement, and a commitment to the diversity of practices and practitioners."  George was deeply involved in its endeavors; his regular attendance at its annual conference often meant he was out of town on his Jan. 28th birthday.  In 1961 the CAA and Society of Architectural Historians met jointly in Minneapolis; topics at the Jan. 26-28 conference included "Problems of the Visiting Artist in a University Community," "Exotic Influences in Nineteenth-Century Architecture," and "Is There a Print-Making Revival?"  >
  Surprisingly, George didn't go into detail documenting his purchase of the Volkswagen Beetle, whose suggested retail price (per an Apr. 1961 ad in Sports Illustrated) was $1,595.  "It includes the built-in heater/defroster, windshield washer, electric windshield wipers and 4-speed synchromesh transmission....  There is one optional that makes a lot of sense: the matching leatherette upholstery for $30 extra.  Nearly everyone orders it because it eliminates the need for seat covers."  Frugal by habitual necessity, George probably skipped this "optional" when he bought the Bug from Art Bunker Volkswagen at 7814 Wornall.  (Arthur Stuart Bunker Jr. [1928-2011] had been a colleague of Mila Jean at the KCU Playhouse, where during 1952-53 he appeared as Collin Talbo in The Grass Harp, Sebastian in Twelfth Night, and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.  In 1955 he became KCMO's first Volkswagen and Porsche dealer, and also achieved success racing Porsches.)  >
  In Nov. 1954 Mila Jean's ex-boss and traveling companion John Douty wrote her from Paris that

I was trotting down Blvd. St. Germain last midnight in search of a small snack when, peering myopically in the terrasse of the Flore (I wasn't wearing my glasses at the time, of course) I saw Bunker.  It was not a simple "Oh, that looks like Bunker," or "Could that be Bunker?"—there were no questions asked—I just automatically fled into the night.  When I could run no longer, and after my heart had resumed its normal beat, the thought occurred to me that if it had been Bunker he would have been in hot pursuit.  So perhaps it wasn't—perhaps I'm cracking up.  But his name has not appeared on the UKC programs or in the publicity your mother has sent.  >

  Mila Jean would say (and sing) that for many years the Ehrlich family motto had to be "We Were Poor But We Were Honest."  >
  Mila Jean was always called "Jeanie" by her parents and sisters.  In later years George would generally address her as "Mila."  >
  Esther Jacobson worked for Suds Mouri in the KCU Bursar's Office.  >
  The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was established in 1927 in Sarasota FL by the circus magnate, who willed it his property and art collection in 1936.  >
 
This would seem to be "Jean Baptiste Bossier by John James Audubon (1785-1851)," which was published in The Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum Bulletin; but George's bibliography dates this as Oct. 1960, not 1961.  >
  The venerable New York Herald Tribune's participation in early "New Journalism" did not save it from closure in 1966.  >
  The VW Beetle was most likely George's first car since an Oldsmobile that got wrecked while he drove it to Urbana IL for Christmas 1954.  George thought the car skidded on an icy road before ending up in a culvert; the Olds had in fact cartwheeled in a tight rollover and was a complete shambles.  When returning to Urbana from KCMO in Feb. 1957 to take a French exam necessary for his doctorate, George traveled via a "horrendous bus-trip-at-midnight sort of thing."  >
  American Quarterly has been published since 1949 by the Johns Hopkins University Press for the American Studies Association.  >
  In 1953 Mila Jean's older sister Mellie Agnes aka Mildred Aileen Nash (1918-2017), her husband William Henry "Pete" Nash (1918-1985) and their daughter Marcia Ann (born 1941) moved to Blue Springs MO, twenty miles east of Kansas City.  Still a fairly rural community in the early Sixties, Blue Springs is now the eleventh largest city in Missouri.  >
  The Art Bulletin is an academic journal published for art historians by the College Art Association.  >
  One of the "Personal/Thesis/Research Note Files" in the George Ehrlich Papers (held by the State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center - Kansas City) concerns George Catlin (1796-1872), an adventurous traveler into the Old West and portrait painter of Native Americans.  His vast Indian Gallery was donated to the Smithsonian Institution.  >
  Dr.
Philip Sneid (1911-1979) had his office at 701 E 63rd.  >
  Art historian Creighton E. Gilbert (1924-2011) specialized in Michelangelo and the Italian Renaissance; he also served as Curator of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, where George and Mila Jean visited him on Feb. 27th.  Gilbert later taught at Brandeis, Queens College, Harvard, Cornell and Yale, and was editor-in-chief of Art Bulletin.  >
  Studies in Conservation is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works; doubtless it was often pored over by George the preservationist.  > 
  Eloise Spaeth's American Art Museums and Galleries: An Introduction to Looking, published in 1960, is described by Google Books as "a lively and warmly appreciative guide to art museums and commercial galleries all over the country.  Gives a profile of 84 museums, in each case showing the character of the collection, its origin and growth, its orientation, its best pieces."  >
  This may refer to the American Guide series put out by the Federal Writers' Project from 1937 to 1941, of which George owned several volumes.  >
  The Swo
pe Park Zoo—officially renamed the Kansas City Zoo in 1968—is only a mile east of 6611 College Avenue, where Mila Jean's parents moved in 1959 (her mother Ada Louise claimed she could hear the seals bark at night); so I was taken there fairly often in childhood.  >
  Laurence Sickman (1907-1988), Director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum from 1953 to 1977, wrote the guide to 1961's The Logic of Modern Art: An Exhibition Tracing the Evolution of Modern Painting from Cezanne to 1960.  >
  Martin S. Soria (born 1911) specialized in the art history of Spain and Portugal, particularly the works of Velasquez.  He was killed in a Brussels jet crash on Feb. 15, 1961; and an obituary in the Art Journal mentioned that "many of us had just seen him at the College Art Association Meeting in Minneapolis where he read a paper."  (This was ominously titled "The Haunted Ruin in Italy and Spain [Architectural Painting 1675-1700]").  >
  Recollections of Rubens by Swiss art historian Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897).  >
  Henry Edwards Scott, Jr. (1900-1990) "was an art historian, educator, portrait painter, and violinist" (per his personal archive's biographical note) who taught at KCU/UMKC from 1947 till 1970, and chaired its Art Department till 1964 when he was replaced by George.  >
  Walter Kerr, critic and playwright, published How Not to Write a Play in 1955; it advocated interesting entertainment rather than formulatic intellectual theses.  >
  The Costco of its day, GEMGovernment Employees Mutual or Mart—was a chain of department stores open to members only, offering a vast selection of low-price items in a no-frills warehouse setting.  KCMO's GEM (often patronized by the Ehrlichs in the Sixties) was located at 8485 Prospect, on the city limits till those extended southward in 1958.  Despite a merger with Parkview Drugs in 1965, GEM was outpaced by later discount stores and went bankrupt in 1973.  >
  Among the "related activity" was taking a photo of the VW Beetle, captioned "We finally get a car."  >
  The home of Southeast Missouri State College (now University), Cape Girardeau MO is on the Mississippi River about 100 miles below St. Louis.  >
  Cape Girardeau's West Mount Motel was on U.S. Route 61, a major north-south highway following the Mississippi's course from Minnesota to New Orleans.  >
 
Throughout his painstaking documentation of trip expenses, George would include a single-person average (sometimes noted as "me alone"), doubtless for future tax-return calculation.  I have excluded these averages from the transcription above.  >
  Alamo Plaza, founded in 1929, was the first motel chain in the United States.  >
  In Oct. 2021 the Albany GA Herald remarked that "some of midtown Albany’s most notorious eyesores, including the Mabry Motel and the former Carmike Cinemas building along Slappey Boulevard, are about to fall to the wrecking ball."  >
  The Atlanta Art Association was founded in 1905 to "promote interest in the fine and applied arts, to give lectures and practical instruction, and to found a museum and an art school."  >
  Atlanta's High Museum of Art opened at 1280 Peachtree Street NE in 1926.  In Jun. 1962 it sponsored a trip to Paris by local art patrons, all of whom were killed in a plane crash at Orly Airport: the worst aviation disaster in history at that time.  To honor the dead, France donated a Rodin sculpture to the High Museum and the Louvre loaned Whistler's Mother to be exhibited there that autumn.  >
  The Samuel H. Kress Foundation donated numerous European paintings and sculptures from the 14th through 18th Centuries to the High Museum in 1958, and other collections to the Delgado in New Orleans and the Brooks in Memphis.  >
  The Henry B. Scott Memorial Gallery was adjacent to the High Museum.  It was named for Henry Bernard Scott (1860-1937), President of the Atlanta Realty Board, whose wife Cora M. Percy Murray Scott (1867-1925) was very active in the Atlanta Art Association.  >
  James Joseph Haverty (1858-1939), who made a fortune in the furniture business, was a notable art collector who served as head of the Federal Arts Project in Atlanta and a longtime leader of the Atlanta Art Association.  >
  Ralph Kahn Uhry (1904-1955)'s widow Alene Fox Uhry (1909-2002) endowed the High Museum's print collection in her husband's memory.  The Uhrys were the parents of playwright/screenwriter Alfred Uhry>
  In 1955 the High Museum moved from the High family's home (donated in 1926) next door to a new brick building on Peachtree Street.  >
  Probably Joseph Stella (1877-1946) the Futurist painter, since Frank Stella the Abstractionist was too young (born 1936) to warrant a retrospective exhibit.  >
  George's father Joseph [< József] Ehrlich had first visited St. Petersburg FL in 1932, to recuperate from a severe case of pleurisy.  A year or two later George's mother Mathilda [< Matild], suffering from gall bladder problems, went to the same convalescent home; from then on, St. Petersburg was their regular winter vacation site.  At first they had to alternate going there, since they couldn't afford to bring their children with them; not till 1937 did both parents go, taking twelve-year-old Geor
ge—who remembered the trip as one of the more boring episodes of his life, with nothing to do except eat citrus fruit and do homework out in the sun.  He would return to Florida during WWII for basic training in Miami Beach (1943) and radar training in Boca Raton (1944-45): about which see The War Memoir.  >
  George's father had turned sixty-five on Mar. 17, 1959 and promptly retired from the fur business he had diligently (if not wholeheartedly) pursued for over thirty years, having realized upon his 1923 arrival from conquered Hungary "that I never could teach in these United States."  Upon retirement he and George's mother moved from Chicago to a little pink one-story house at 2451 36th Avenue North in St. Petersburg.  (For much more on three generations of unexpectedly dramatic Ehrlich family saga, see To Be Honest.>
  Since Mila Jean's parents also lived in a little pink one-story house, likewise moved to in 1959, I got the vague impression that such must be standard residential issue for grandparents.  Some of my earliest memories (at five weeks shy of turning four years old) come from this trip to St. Petersburg.  There were long observations of ant colonies at work in back-garden hills; being taken to the Tampa Bay beach and refusing to wade, certain that creatures with pincer-claws were going to assault my feet; sitting with Grandpa Ehrlich on the front porch one night and barking like a dog till lights went on in the house next door.  “They think you are a little dog,” Grandpa told me; I stopped, the lights went off, I began barking again, the lights went back on—and Grandpa and I had a fine time till Grandma came out, her hair in pins, to take us by our ears and put us to bed.  >
  Though nowhere stated, these "various trips" constituted a second honeymoon for George and Mila Jean, since they could leave me with Grandpa and Grandma and travel unencumbered for the first time since their initial honeymoon in 1956 (during which I had been conceived).  >
  Port Tampa City, the primary port of embarkation for Cuba during the Spanish-American War, was annexed by the city of Tampa in 1961.  >
  U.S. Route 19 is a north-south highway connecting Lake Erie with the Gulf of Mexico.  The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning Lower Tampa Bay, opened to traffic in 1954.  >
  Later sung about by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, U.S. Route 41 runs from Miami to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  >
  The historic Asolo Theatre was located just outside Vienna from 1798 till being dismantled in 1930.  Acquired by the Ringling Museum of Art, it was transported to Sarasota in 1952 and reconstructed for performance staging in 1958.  >
  The Ringling Museum of the American Circus was established in 1948 and includes "an incredible wealth of 19th and early 20th century posters."  >
  Ca d'Zan ("House of John") was built in 1924-26 along Venetian Gothic Revival lines.  Between John Ringling's death in 1936 and the settlement of his estate a decade later, the vacant palazzo's condition deteriorated; and though it was opened to the public in 1946, comprehensive restoration did not begin until after Ca d'Zan appeared as the decrepit Dinsmoor (i.e. Havisham) mansion in 1998's remake of Great Expectations >
  Giovanni Battista Moroni (c.1520-1579), Italian portrait painter of the Late Renaissance; Simon Vouet (1590-1649), Louis XIII's Premier peintre du roi; and Guido Reni (1575-1642), who painted in the classical manner during the Baroque period.  >
  On this day George took photos of his parents, and of myself inspecting an anthill.  >
  George's doctoral dissertation, Technology and the Artist: A Study of the Interaction of Technological Growth and Nineteenth Century American Pictorial Art, would be copyrighted on May 31, 1961.  (When shown the dissertation, George's father wanted to keep it
not so much from interest in its contents, as its signifying that lofty academic pinnacle: a Ph.D.)  >
  The Turnau Opera Players, who sang in English, were organized by former students of Josef/Joseph Turnau (1888-1954) in Woodstock NY in 1955.  They wintered in Sarasota from 1960 till disbanding in 1974.  > 
  This was Silas Alan Baker (1928-1998) who graduated from KCMO's Westport High School in 1945 and KCU in 1949, having played roles in The Frantic Physician, The Pirates of Penzance, Elizabeth the Queen, Family Album, Fashion, Everyman, and Candida.  He "more than filled the role of Count Almaviva" in the Turnau Opera Players's Marriage of Figaro (per the Bradenton Herald's Feb. 26, 1961 review).  After the Turnau company disbanded in 1974, some of its members joined the new Asolo Opera Company with Alan Baker as its general artistic director.  (Thanks to my brother Matthew who identified this unnamed "friend of Jean's"; I had been tempted to guess it was Ara Berberian, who made his debut with Turnau in 1958 after pitching for a minor-league baseball team affiliated with the Kansas City Athletics in 1955.)  >
  The Mar. 4, 1961 Sarasota Herald-Tribune remarked that “Dr. Ehrlich is an assistant professor, art historian, and sculptor from Kansas City.”  >
  John Kenneth Donahue (1915-1985) was director of the Ringling Museum from 1957 to 1964, moving on to a controversial tenure at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  >
  Photographer William Robert Moore (1899-1968) was the longtime chief of National Geographic's foreign editorial staff; Maurice Robert Fievet (1921-1995) contributed a series of original paintings to Moore's 1960 article on "Angkor: Jewel of the Jungle."  >
  Savannah's Blue Top Motel was a tourist court on U.S. Route 17, which followed the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Florida.  >
  Founded in 1858 as the Carolina Art Association, the Gibbes Art Gallery (later renamed the Gibbes Museum of Art) has been housed in a Beaux Arts building in Charleston's Historic District since 1905.  >
  Thomas Sully (1783-1872) was an American portrait painter who depicted prominent politicians and musicians.  >
  Jeremiah Theüs (1716-1774) was Charleston's leading portraitist, advertising in 1740 that "all Gentlemen and Ladies may have their Pictures drawn, likewise Landskips of all Sizes, Crests, and Coats of Arms for Coaches or Chaises.  Likewise for the Conveniency of those who live in the Country, he is willing to wait on them at their respective Plantations."  >
  Sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751-1801) was known for his portrait busts of eminent individuals, including one of George Washington wearing a Roman emperor's wavy hairstyle.  This came to Charleston in 1820 and doubtless gave Mila Jean a good laugh in 1961.  >
  Hiram Powers (1805-1873) was a Neoclassical sculptor, most famous for his life-size nude-in-chains The Greek Slave.  >
  Edgar Augustus Brackett (1818-1908) was a sculptor who later became Massachusetts's Fish and Game Commissioner.  He was commissioned by the family of painter Washington Allston (1779-1843) to carve Allston's memorial portrait bust.  >
  The Telfair Academy was built in 1818 as the residence of Georgia's Governor Edward Telfair; in 1886 it became one of the first free art museums in the United States.  >
  Congregation Mickve Israel, one of the oldest American synagogues, was established in Savannah in 1735 by Jews fleeing from the Spanish Inquisition.  Their current building was consecrated in 1878.  >
  Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734) was a Late Baroque painter most famous for his Florentine frescoes.  >
  Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935) was a prominent American Impressionist who lived to see his genre go mainstream, denouncing later avant-garde trends as "quackery."  >
  Robert Henri (1865-1929) was one of the pioneers of the Ashcan School of American Realism; he spent his later years teaching at the Art Students League of New York.  >
  The Telfair Academy's collection of plaster casts are copies of Greco-Roman sculptures, and were sketched by early art students as a way to master life drawing.  Over time many got damaged and vandalized, and were removed from the Sculpture Gallery in 1966.  >
  The original Farnese Bull, excavated in 1546 and now located in Naples, is the largest sculpture surviving from antiquity.  The Telfair Academy's version (one of its Greco-Roman plaster casts) was replaced by a fountain in 1966.  >
  The Gulf Coast Museum of Art (aka Belleair Art Center, aka Florida Gulf Coast Art Center) opened in 1936 and had more of an emphasis on teaching than hosting large exhibitions.  Plans were made for an expansive relocation to the downtown Clearwater bayfront, but voters spurned this in 1992 and after various alternate plans fell through, the museum closed in 2009.  >
  Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) was the most celebrated 19th Century French painter of floral still lifes; he also created elaborate lithographs and group portraits of fellow artists.  >
  After serving as an Army Air Corps aerial reconnaissance photographer during WWII, Robert Chase (1919-2014) attended the Ringling School of Art and then spent thirty years as a watercolorist on Florida's West Coast.  As George noted, Chase was a native of Champaign IL and attended the University of Illinois.  >
  W. Aubrey Cartwright's A Guide to Art Museums in the United States: East
Coast—Washington to Miami was published in 1958.  >
  Mar. 17th was Grandpa Ehrlich's 67th birthday.  He would remark that he had lived longer than any man in his family and hoped to reach seventy; but in 1963 ultrasonic surgery to ease the effects of Parkinson's disease proved unsuccessful, and Joseph died eight months short of his goal.  >
  Crestview is "the Panhandle Hub City" in northwestern Florida, 400 or so miles up around the Gulf Coast from St. Petersburg.  >
  George actually repeated "EST" (Eastern Standard Time) for both St. Petersburg and Clearview, which made his remark that "the change in time zone helped" confusing till I confirmed Clearview was in fact (and still is) in the Central Time Zone.  >
  A vintage postcard of Crestview's Holland Motel locates it on the Old Spanish Trail.  Although that was an highway stretching all the way to San Diego CA, the Florida portion followed the 16th Century route between Spanish settlements in St. Augustine and Pensacola.  >
  Although driving up the Florida Gulf Coast was a 400-mile trek, the advance to New Orleans (across Alabama, Mississippi, and part of Louisiana) was only 250.  >
  The KCU Newsletter would mention that our trip to and through the South "took place during a record rainfall."  >
  Arriving in KCMO in 1954, George became close friends with fellow newcomer Alban Fordesh Varnado (1920-2015), a dapper native of Baton Rouge and graduate of Louisiana State University who was Assistant Director of the KCU Playhouse.  As Al's pal, George created artworks for Playhouse productions and was asked to design the set for 1955's Don Giovanni, which led to his being introduced to "Mila Jean Smith, who has been abroad" (and was just back from her Fulbright Year in Europe).  In 1959 Al Varnado left KCU for the new LSU branch in New Orleans (later a separate university) where he taught for the next two decades.  When I was a child he was "Uncle Al," and I assumed he was Dad's brother.  >
  George initially wrote "Vieux Carree," repeating this later in the same day's entry but then correcting it to "Vieux Carré."  The "Old Square" aka French Quarter is New Orleans's oldest neighborhood, dating from the 18th Century and as such is a National Historic Landmark.  >
  The Garden District of New Orleans, developed in the 19th Century for wealthy folk who didn't want to live with Creoles in the French Quarter, has some of the best-preserved historic mansions in the South.  >
  George gives no hint why he placed the "Dean" of Liberal Arts at Louisiana State University in New Orleans within quotemarks.  Since the campus had only opened in Sep. 1958 (on an abandoned Navy air station) and its Liberal Arts Building would not be completed until 1962, the position of dean may have been somewhat makeshift.  >
  The Isaac Delgado Museum of Art (later renamed the New Orleans Museum of Art) opened in City Park in 1911, the gift of a wealthy sugar broker.  >
  Asher Brown Durand (1796-1886) was a engraver who became a painter of the Hudson River School.  >
  Antoine's has been a Creole restaurant in the French Quarter since 1840, and is still operated by its founder's family.  ("You mean zee Antoine, of New Orleans?" Bugs Bunny is asked in 1951's French Rarebit.  "I don't mean Antoine of Flatbush!" Bugs replies.)  >
  Suffice it to say that Mila Jean would've described my behavior at greater length and with words less circumspect than "trying."  Though I have no memory of the meal at Antoine's, I doubtless wanted a peanut butter sandwich and did not accept what I was served with compliant grace.  >
  Casey's Motel on Highway 51 South (later renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard by the Memphis City Council) was closed in 2015 after a police crackdown on prostitution and other illegal activities in the area.  >
  In Carbondale IL we stayed with the Richter family.  Mary Jo Richter (neé Brock: born 1930) grew up in the same neighborhood and attended the same schools as Mila Jean; they were photographed together in the 1952 KCU Kangaroo yearbook.  In 1956 she married Ernest Walter "Walt" Richter (1925-2017) who taught speech and radio at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale from 1958 to 1971.  >
  The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, established in 1916, is the oldest art museum in Tennessee.  >
  The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) was formed in 1915 with a Declaration on Principles of Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure.  Besides the advancement of these, its mission is to define higher education's professional values and standards, and ensure its contribution to the common good.  >
 
The College Art Association has published the Art Journal since 1941.  From Apr. 1st to May 17th, George wrote a book review that would appear in Art Journal's Autumn 1961 issue.  >
  "The Missouri Artist" (as he was known in his lifetime), George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879) was both a politician and painter in the Luminist style.  A junior high school in KCMO's Waldo district was named after him and attended by myself and my brother Matthew.  >
  There is no entry for a Guide to Library Resources in the George Ehrlich Papers.  >
  Barbara Fisher Ashton (1920-2015) was KCU's Assistant/Acting Director of Continuing Education from 1956 to 1962, when she married George R. Waggoner (Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas) and moved to Lawrence, where she was an advocate for historic preservation.  >
  Frank John Roos Jr. (1903-1967) had been one of George's mentors at the University of Illinois, where Roos taught the history of art and architecture from 1946 to 1967 and was Head of the Art Department before being voted out by studio faculty in 1948.  >
  Like KCU, the University Omaha was originally a private institution that got integrated into the state unive
rsity system—in Omaha's case, the University of Nebraska in 1968.  >
  In other words, since George had agreed (or been obliged) to stay on at KCU for the 1961-62 academic year in order to get his single-semester sabbatical, there would be no chance of his accepting a more immediate job offer elsewhere.  >
  On Apr. 1 George referred to this review as being for The Arts in America, but on Apr. 11 as of Arts in America; starting Apr. 15 the title changed to Arts of [or in] the U.S., spelled out in full on May 17.  It was in fact a review of Arts of the United States: A Pictorial Survey by William H. Pierson Jr. and Martha Davidson, and got published in the Autumn 1961 issue of the CAA's Art Journal
[www.jstor.org/stable/774298] whose book review editor was Allen Weller.  (Mila Jean would surely want mentioned that George's review was followed by one of Marcel Duchamp's The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even.)  >
  For the occasion(s) I produced an portrait of Bugs Bunny: my first artwork to include a title.  >
  This indicates that George was actively advertising for another academic position, or at least letting it be known he was on the market for one.  >
  Originally Houston Junior College, the University of Houston became a four-year institution in 1934 and is now the third-largest in Texas.  >
  Edwin Jurgen Friedrich Wilhelm Westermann (1913-2003) began teaching at KCU in 1946 and served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1960 to 1973.  I took Dr. Westermann's Tudor-Stuart History course in 1976.  >
  The Summer Language Institute was sponsored by the University of Kansas, enabling students to "move their KU summer sessions campuses, professors included" to European cities to help them master foreign languages.  (There is no indication that George was slated to go anywhere further than Lawrence KS.)  >
  William Leeper Crain (1897-1990) was a professor of French Language and Literature at KCU/UMKC.  >
  George Franklin Crabtree Jr. (born 1928) was the Nelson Gallery's Assistant Curator of Native Arts from 1957 to 1964.  Before his appointment, "no member of the staff had sufficient knowledge to supervise a collection of Native American art.  Because of Crabtree's interest and knowledge, it became possible to make intelligent acquisitions in the field. The Museum Trustees did not intend to build a large collection, but hoped to assemble a distinguished, if limited, one."  Crabtree would become the Museum of Albuquerque's first director (1967-72) and also chair the New Mexico Association of Museums.  >
  George would not have a home office in a separate "den" of its own till we moved in 1962 to the bigger house at 5505 Holmes; there a small second-story room, originally serving as my brother Matthew's nursery, got converted into an office.  >
  George became involved with Unitarians in 1946 when he returned to the University of Illinois after WWII.  A public meeting was conducted at the Unitarian Church by Rev. Phillip Charles Schug (1914-2005) regarding racial segregation being practiced "in Lincoln's own state"; George went to this and joined the Student Community Interracial Committee (SCIC) which accomplished a great deal toward enforcing equal accommodations.  George also attended a series of lectures on comparative religion at Phil Schug's church, and then its Sunday evening social gatherings (a sort of co-op food service) but did not formally join the Unitarians till 1955, following the Dec. 1954 car accident that wrecked his Oldsmobile.  He resigned his membership at KCMO's All Souls Church in 1958 after disagreeing with what he felt was an impractical building program; yet continued to attend services there, being a great admirer of Rev. Raymond Bennett Bragg (1902-1979) who'd performed the first of George and Mila Jean's wedding ceremonies on May 26, 1956.  The second was conducted on Jun. 16 in Urbana IL by Phil Schug's successor, Rev. Arnold Farrow Westwood (1921-2009), whose house the newlyweds sublet for their summer honeymoon (and incidental conception of the present author).  >
  Homer Clark "Lefty" Wadsworth (1913-1994) was Executive Director of the Kansas City Association of Trusts and Foundations from 1949 to 1974.  An early advocate of KCU's becoming affiliated with the University of Missouri, his unexpected $500 grant in May 1959 (to help George complete his PhD) came when the Ehrlichs were on the brink of financial chaos.  "It saved me from a situation I dare not even today contemplate," George would remark in 1985.  >
  In other words, George felt that Wadsworth was preaching to the choir by tying higher education to KCMO's cultural future at a Unitarian forum, and might do better delivering such a sermon to "unbelievers."  >
  George developed and printed all his black-and-white photography in a basement darkroom.  >
  Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) on Vostok 1.  Gagarin was denied a second spaceflight lest a Hero of the Soviet Union be killed; yet he would die in a routine training jet crash.  >
  Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, was launched in Oct. 1957 and set off the Space Race between the USA and Soviet Union.  >
  Aline Bernstein Saarinen (1914-1972) was a prominent art and architecture critic, managing editor of Art News 1946-48 and associate editor of the New York Times 1948-53.  She would begin a television career in 1962, serving as art critic for the Today show and moderator of For Women Only.  >
  Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) founded the French Classical tradition of painting, though his working life was spent in Rome.  The Triumph of Bacchus (1635-36) was commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu.  >
  François Girardon (1628-1715) was a French Baroque sculptor who created numerous statues and busts of Louis XIV, and statuary for the gardens at Versailles.  >
  Nicolas de Largillière (1656-1746) was a French portrait painter, specializing in royalty and nobility.  His depiction of Augustus II, King of Poland, was painted c.1714-15.  (Augustus earned his nickname "the Strong" by breaking horseshoes with his bare hands.)  >
  Though formerly credited to Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825), the Nelson-Atkins Museum now attributes its Portrait of Diane de la Vaupalière, Comtesse de Langeron (c.1790) to Rose Adélaide Ducreux (1761-1802) who never signed her work.  >
  George de La Tour (1593-1652) was a French Baroque painter of candlelit chiaroscuro scenes with religious themes.  >
  Gerald Taylor's Silver: An Illustrated Introduction to British Plate from the Middle Ages to the Present Day was published by Penguin in 1956.  >
  Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) painted Independence and the Opening of the West at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in 1960-61, with the former President adding some blue to the mural's sky.  >
  The Cahokia Mounds, site of a major Native American city from the 9th to 14th Centuries, is across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.  >
  No entry with this or similar title can be found in the George Ehrlich Papers.  >
  Kenneth J. LaBudde (1920-2000) was Director of the KCU/UMKC Libraries from 1950 to 1985 and developed its Special Collections to a level of national significance.  >
  KCU's original Library was built in 1936; by 1960 space had gotten so scarce that materials had to be stored off-campus, eventually in a large loft building at 48th and Troost.  The 1961 Kangaroo yearbook noted that:

Preliminary sketches and plans for a new General Library have been drawn and are being studied.  The proposed library will have a capacity for over a thousand students and 500,000 volumes, four times as many as can now be crowded into the present structure.  It will be a library which students will find comfortable and the staff will be able to meet more readily the standards of library service desirable in a university which emphasizes learning.

The new General Library (later named for Miller Nichols, son of KCMO real estate developer J.C. Nichols) was initially completed in 1968 and expanded in 1989.  The old Library was prosaically renamed the Old Library, and later Newcomb Hall after Ernest H. Newcomb (1886-1979), UKC's first managing executive.  Newcomb Hall was the home of the State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center-Kansas City (holder of the George Ehrlich Papers: "65 cubic feet, oversize") until 2020, when it relocated to more accessible space at the Miller Nichols Library.  >
  Bertram Colgrave (1889-1968) was an English antiquarian and archaeologist, specializing in the lives of Anglo-Saxon saints.  >
  Sutton Hoo in Suffolk is the site of Anglo-Saxon cemeteries which yielded a treasure trove of burial artifacts.  >
  In its Aug. 1960 Bulletin, the Central Mississippi Valley American Studies Association had "Sad news (and fair warning) for librarians: CMVASA will decide, at its March Business Meeting, whether to change the name of the organization to the slightly less cumbersome and considerably more accurate 'Midcontinent American Studies Association' ... There are those who will be sorry to see CMVASA go; it has a fine scholarly rumble."  >
  The Spring 1961 CMVASA Journal included George's reviews of Rudi Blesh's Stuart Davis and DeKooning (the latter co-written with Harriet Janis).  Rudolph Pickett Blesh (1899-1985) was primarily a jazz critic, but also penned the authorized biography of Buster Keaton.  >
  During one of Phil Schug's comparative religion sessions at the Urbana IL Unitarian Church, a three-year-old girl with blonde braids turned in her seat and solemnly stared at George.  This was his introduction to the Holshouser family, who became his closest friends in Illinois.  Don Franklin Holshouser (1920-2002) was an associate at the U of I's Electrical Engineering Research Lab; in 1962 he published Research on Modulating Light at Microwave Frequencies.  Marion Holshouser (née Stankus: 1921-2011), "a passionate believer and dynamic participant in the democratic political process," would serve on Urbana's City Council and as City Treasurer; after retiring to Maine in 1985, she presided over the state's League of Women Voters.  Blonde-braided daughter Judy would in time be joined by sister Donna and brother Eric; Judy's solemn staring at George may have foreshadowed her future career as a cultural anthropologist studying indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest.  George and Mila Jean's second wedding was held at the Holshouser home in Urbana, which would always be the final stop on any Ehrlich family trip to the East.  >
  Another friend George made upon his postwar return to the U of I was philosophy major and fellow Chicago native George Herbert Vrooman Jr. (1925-1983), who raved at an Urbana bookstore about Thomas Mann's new Doctor Faustus (despite having not yet read it).  In 1966 he would become humanities bibliographer at the Yale University Library, and be praised for "his enormous knowledge of the antiquarian book market, and his astonishing memory for desiderata" (by Jeffrey L. Simmons in Six Essays on the Young German Novel: UNC Press, 1971).  >
  Marvin Blackburn Martin Jr. (1907-1963), a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, taught at the University of Illinois from 1944 to 1963 and established its sculpture option.  George studied sculpting under Martin's tutelage and worked as his studio assistant.  >
  Edwin Carter Rae (1911-2002) taught art history at the University of Illinois from 1939 to 1942 and again from 1947 to 1979, chairing the Art History Department 1954-79.  During WWII he was one of "the Monuments Men" charged with locating and protecting cultural properties in areas affected by the war, as depicted in George Clooney's 2014 film of that title.  >
  Allen Stuart Weller (1907-1997) was professor of art history at the University of Illinois (1947-97), Dean of its College of Fine and Applied Arts (1954-71), and Director of the Krannert Art Museum (1965-74).  He had surprised George by making him a graduate teaching assistant at a time when GTAs were usually "studio people."  >
  After leaving Illinois George remained close friends with Frank Roos and his wife Bea (née Beatrice Belle Adams: 1900-1972) who together wrote a Bibliography of Early American Architecture: Writings on Architecture Constructed Before 1860 in Eastern and Central United States (1968).  >
  The Krannert Art Museum opened in Champaign IL that year, in 1961; it was named for philanthropist Herman C. Krannert (1887-1972) and his culture-loving wife Ellnora Decker Krannert (1890-1974), whose contributions also established Urbana's Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in 1969.  >
  U.S. Route 24 was one of the original American highways in 1926, running from Pontiac MI to KCMO (passing the Truman Library in Independence).  >
  Lexington MO, the seat of Lafayette County east of KCMO's Jackson County, was the site of two major battles in the Civil War; it holds an annual tour of its many antebellum buildings.  >
  The evening Kansas City Star (founded by William Rockhill Nelson in 1880) and morning Kansas City Times (which folded in 1990, when the Star switched to morning publication).  >
  Presumably this was intended to begin the May 1st entry, though it's curious that George did not score through it and correct the date.  >
 
Mila Jean first met Evelyn L. "Kris" Huffman in 1959 during a KCU Playhouse production of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (directed by Al Varnado before he departed for New Orleans) in which they portrayed Dorimène and Lucile respectively.  They would remain close friends for over half a century, though Mila Jean sometimes grumbled that Kris (an indefatigable traveler) was "never home.>
  The University of Kansas Medical Center has its primary campus in Kansas City KS.  So far as I can tell it was never known as the "Medicenter," though the spelling is quite clear in George's journal.  >
  Per George's May 10th and May 23rd entries, the "Mid-America Annual" must have been an exhibition at the Nelson Gallery unconnected with the Mid-America College Art Association
a society of academic administrators and art historians concerned with professional issues pertinent to the Midwest, of which George would serve as president in 1975.  >
  Alan B. Shepard Jr. (1923-1998) in Freedom 7 (Mercury-Redstone 3).  Caution about the Redstone booster had delayed the mission until after Gagarin's successful flight into orbit on Apr. 12.  >
  Unmentioned at the time was Al Shepard's having to empty his bladder inside his spacesuit (no urine receptacle having been provided) while waiting through lengthy countdown holds on the launchpad.  >
  Mila Jean's older sister Corinne Doris "Connie" Smith Frisby Huff (1924-2016), who moved from KCMO to Dayton OH c.1940 and inherited her Aunt Mame Callison's house there in 1959.  >
  Robert Eddinger Nelson (1928-2012), KCU's Vice Chancellor for Development.  "One of the early practitioners of fund raising as a profession in higher education" (per his obituary in the Chicago Tribune), he served eighty different private colleges, universities, seminaries, prep schools, and non-profit organizations as administrator or consultant.  After leaving KCU, Nelson was the Illinois Institute of Technology's first Vice President for Development from 1961 to 1969, then founded his own consulting firm.  >

  Chancellor Drake's resignation came too late for the 1961 Kangaroo yearbook, which featured his cheery statement: "Together we are building a University of Kansas City that will continue to offer our students the broad, fine-type of higher education that will fit students for places of leadership in American life."  Unfortunately the Board of Trustees had concluded that KCU was in "the most serious financial crisis in its history," with a budget deficit of over half a million dollars, and only $30,000 remaining in the current fund.  "So hopeless did the situation appear" that Dr. Drake resigned, "stating the university's 'precarious' financial position would not permit his plans for its future to be realized."  >
  On May 29, Dr. Scofield accepted the appointment as Acting Chancellor/President on condition that KCUR-FM's funding ($12,375) be restored.  He remained in charge till 1965, guiding KCU's transformation into the University of Missouri-Kansas City and serving as UMKC's first Chancellor.  The campus Administration Building would be renamed Scofield Hall in his honor, and George and Mila Jean would name their second son (born in 1962) Matthew Carleton Ehrlich.  >
  In 1955 Clements LeRoy Robertson (1920-2016) was said to be one of only twenty-two professional art restorers in the United States.  He was Assistant Conservator at the Nelson Gallery and later Conservator at the St. Louis Art Museum.  "One understands that he must be not only an artist, but a 'doctor of oil paintings,' chemist, historian and detective as well," commented the Tribune of Great Falls MT (Robertson's home town).  >
  Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), German Renaissance painter and printmaker, and a close friend of Martin Luther.  >
  Mila Jean's 29th birthday.  >
  Fiorello! was a 1959 musical about NYC Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, a role originated on Broadway by Tom Bosley of later Happy Days/Father Dowling fame.  >
  This was a meeting of the assembled KCU faculty ("about 125 persons") with its Board of Trustees, whose chairman from 1959 to 1963 was John A. "Jack" Morgan (1915-2007), President of Butler Manufacturing Company and founder of the University Associates.  The Kansas City Times reported on May 16 that:

Morgan said the university faces its challenges—the departure of a distinguished chancellor, exhausted financial reserves and a relatively small endowment—with the assets of a stable and serious student body, an able and loyal faculty and tangible assets of more than 9 million dollars...  "This university reaches into the homes of thousands of Kansas City families.  Its graduates are working throughout Kansas City in professions, industry and in commerce.  It is a vital part of the community.  We are confident that there are hundreds more individuals who will give the university continuing financial support once they are convinced that their support is merited"...  As a private university, KCU asks the public for less than 20 per cent of its budget, Morgan said.  Were it a public institution, he added, the public would pay most of the budget by taxes.  "To me," Morgan said, "the university at $500,000 annual support, or at twice that figure, is one of the best bargains that the people of Kansas City can conceivably have.  But we have to show them the values, tangible and intangible, that this university gives to them."

(Jack Morgan, who "labored long and diligently to rally the community to the financial support of its University," would later be instrumental in bringing about KCU's merger with the University of Missouri.)  >
  My brother Matthew, a veteran of state university teaching staffs, says "My guess is that 'sell faculty' referred to selling or promoting the university to the public on the basis of the strength of its faculty."  >
  A History of Rome from its Origins to 529 AD by Moses Hadas, published in 1956.  >
  The long-labored-over review of Pierson & Davidson's Arts of the United States: A Pictorial Survey was written for a professional audience and not casual light readers, but here is an excerpt:

The book itself grew out of an elaborate color slide project, and it serves as a catalogue to the over-4,000 slides which were assembled by the University of Georgia under a grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.  Since the slides and the published catalogue are direct outgrowths of the Carnegie grant, it is appropriate to begin with a consideration of The Carnegie Study of the Arts of the United States, the title of the parent project...  Briefly stated, the project grew out of the recognition that there was a need for a "carefully selected body of visual material which will illustrate the nature and quality of American art and American civilization"...  The program for selection was implemented by dividing the total spectrum of the visual, non-temporal arts into eighteen categories, "and a specialist in each area was invited to chose [sic] a stated number of objects which in his judgment would best record the developments and achievements in his field.  He was further asked to select from this maximum list a minimum list of those objects which in his opinion would be indispensible to a selective coverage of the subject."

As can be seen, the Arts of the United States is a kind of pictorial anthology representing the combined efforts of seventeen consultants...  The maximum lists contained more than 10,000 items; these were reduced to approximately 4,140, and it is this minimum which comprises the slide list and hence the illustrations in the book.  One can easily see that the color slides represent the mo[s]t significant product of the Carnegie Study, and it is these slides which suggested the book, for the latter is primarily a catalogue of the collection.  The slides must be considered from two points of view.  First, there is the matter of their production and quality, and second, there is the complex question of the subjects photographed.  The slides themselves are 2 x 2 in size.  They are available already mounted in glass with a labeled plastic binder.  The 2 x 2 color transparencies are made from 4 x 5 color negatives; the latter are photographs made directly from the object illustrated.  The decision to use a 4 x 5 view camera with cut film was a wise one, for this permitted the making of negatives which combined maximum clarity and minimum distortion.  The use of a high-quality, color negative, film stock, and precisely controlled printing onto 2 x 2 positive transparencies, have provided color slides which, to this reviewer, are excellent...  >

  The Book of Pottery and Porcelain, Volume 1 by Warren E. Cox, published in 1944.  >
  The Arts in France, from the Time of Louis XIV to the Present Day: A Brief Survey by Amelia Defries, published in 1931.  >
  The Krannert Art Museum had been dedicated two days earlier, on May 20th; its dedication exhibition ran till Jun. 25th and featured Christ After the Flagellation by Spanish Baroque painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682).  >
  A vintage postcard of Toledo's Rambler Motel shows it was located six miles north of Ohio Turnpike Exit #4 on U.S. 20-23, Bypass 24-25.  >
  The John Herron Art Institute, named for Indianapolis Art Association benefactor John Herron (1813-1895) and spearheaded by activist reformer May Wright Sewall (1844-1920), was founded in 1902 and today is part of Indiana University as the Herron School of Art and Design.  >
  Herman C. Krannert, previously of Chicago and Anderson IN (and graduate of the University of Illinois in 1912), founded his corrugated container business in Indianapolis in 1925.  The Indianapolis Museum of Art separated from the Herron School in 1970, taking the majority of Herron's art collection to a vast new cultural campus (as had been proposed by Herman Krannert, with Krannert Pavilion as its first building).  >
  "A hard ride" would be the subtheme of this entire eastern trip, as opposed to the previous southern one; and partly explains why George did far less photography en route.  >
  This must refer to the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University in Alfred NY (350 miles east of Toledo, 90 southeast of Buffalo), for which George had evidently prepared with earlier reading about porcelain and pottery (on Feb. 5, Feb. 12, and May 18).  >
  The Toledo Museum of Art was founded in 1901 by glassmaker Edward Drummond Libbey (1854-1925) and moved to a Greek Revival building in 1912.  >
  During 1961-62 I would attend the Nelson Gallery's creative art classes for preschoolers, taught by Margaret Gohl and Florence Reed.  >
  E.D. Libbey opened his namesake glassmaking plant in Toledo in 1888; not surprisingly the Toledo Art Museum has a major collection of glass art, and opened a Glass Pavilion in 2006.  >
  "Paul was a good scout the entire time, and the only casualty (outside of the bank balance) was Baba Bear (left in a Trucker’s Motel in Buffalo)," George would comment in a family photo album.  I like to think that Baba, a plastic-not-fabric bear I'd had since at least Oct. 1960, was found and adopted by a Benzedrine-dependent big-rig driver who had insightful conversations with him as they did long hauls together.  >
  This was the New York State Thruway, a system of turnpikes connecting New York's major cities that opened in 1954.  >
  The world's oldest photography museum, the George Eastman House is located on the Kodak founder's estate; his Georgian Revival home was opened to the public in 1949.  >
  It would be pleasant to speculate that among our fellow visitors to the Eastman House on May 25th was Louise Brooks (1906-1985), who'd been persuaded to move to Rochester in 1956 by Eastman film curator James Card (1915-2000) and there launch a new career as Lulu in Hollywood cinema essayist.  >
  Since George's 1951 master's thesis was The International Exposition: An Index to American Art of the Nineteenth Century, he must be referring to his Technology and the Artist doctoral dissertation.  >
  This is a most uncharacteristic (and repeated) misspelling of Worcester, "the Heart of the Commonwealth" of Massachusetts.  (Worcester would wreak revenge on our return trip in Jul. 1972, as the place where the VW Beetle's squareback successor got its muffler smashed.)  >
  The Worcester Art Museum opened in 1898.  Shortly before our revisit in 1972, masked thieves made off with over a million dollars's worth of its artworks, including two Gauguins and a Picasso.  >
  North Reading is a Middlesex County town about twenty miles north of Boston.  >
  Of George and Mila Jean's first (of two) weddings in 1956.  Being an anniversary, this may account for the decision to "see something of the countryside."  >
  I have been unable to find any quotation or allusion along the lines of "junk nestles a' treasure," which is written clearly (and includes the apostrophe) in George's journal.  >
  Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), established in 1870, is one of the largest and most visited in the world.  Among its vast holdings is Gilbert Stuart's famous unfinished Athenaeum Portrait of George Washington (1796), and I have no doubt that Mila Jean pointed this out on May 27th in an effort to keep me entertained and docile.  At any rate "Paul becomes fascinated with George Washington (after all, he is on money) and Stuart’s paintings (seen on our travels) reinforce this interest" would be written in a family photo album.  One of my drawings of Washington was forwarded to John G. L. Dowgray Jr. (1922-2003), a KCU professor of history since 1952 and the first chairman of its School of Graduate Studies.  He kindly wrote to say "Frankly, I think that your picture of Washington shows much more animation than the portraits by Stuart.”  >
  Rogier van der Weyden (c.1400-1464) was an Early Netherlandish painter of triptychs and altarpieces.  His St. Luke Drawing the Virgin is said to include the artist's self-portrait as Luke's face.  >
  One of the Ehrlich photo albums remarked that the 1961 eastern trip was only two weeks long because the "budget won't permit delay."  There was neither time nor money (nor babysitting service) to enable any theater visits, which Mila Jean must have sorely missed.  >
  Old State House (1713): oldest surviving public building in Boston.  Old North Church (1723): of "One if by land, two if by sea" fame.  Old South Meeting House (1729): organizing point of 1773's Boston Tea Party.  >
  The oldest surviving house in downtown Boston, built c.1680, Revere owned it from 1770 to 1800; it was opened as a public museum in 1908.  >
  Boston's North Square had become "Little Italy" by 1890 and was almost entirely Italian-American by 1930, though it is more diverse today.  >
  Known as "Art Square" until 1883, when it was renamed for portrait painter John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), Copley Square is home to the MFA and other cultural institutions.  >
  Louisburg Square is an exclusive neighborhood of Greek Revival houses on Beacon Hill; Louisa May Alcott lived (and died) there in 1888.  >
  Trinity Church was built in the 1870s, designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886) in his Richardsonian Romanesque style.  >
  Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924), a patron of the arts and renowned for her unconventional behavior (e.g. wearing an "Oh You Red Sox" headband to a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert), built her namesake museum in the style of a 15th Century Venetian palazzo; it opened in 1903.  >
  The John Whipple House in Ipswich MA, built in the 17th Century and opened as a museum in 1899, was one of the first properties to be designated a National Historic Landmark.  >
  The Heard-Lakeman House was built on Turkey Shore Road in Ipswich in 1776.  >
  Built as a Congregational parsonage in 1694, the Parson Capen House in Topsfield MA is one of the best-preserved examples of early colonial architecture.  >
  The Ehrlichs returned to Salem MA in Jul. 1972 and visited the newly-opened Salem Witch Museum, featuring an exhibit with Crucible-esque tableaux (Tituba in her cell, George Burroughs about to be hanged, Giles Corey calling for "More weight!") that have loitered in memory.  Matthew returned there in 2009 "and found the museum to be exactly the same"; its website warns that presentations "may not be suitable for all audiences."  >
  Derby House, now part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, was built in 1762 for Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799), the wealthiest man in postcolonial America.  >
  The Jeremiah Lee Mansion, built in Marblehead MA in 1768, was remarkable for its size and opulence; many of its original decorative features have been preserved.  >
  The Fogg, Harvard's oldest art museum, opened in 1895 and moved to a Georgian Revival style building in 1925.  >
  The Fogg's Annual Report for 1928-29 mentioned Miss E. Louise Lucas, Museum Librarian, and Miss Mary Ward of the Department of Photographs and Slides.  The same report for 1956-57 showed them respectively as Librarian and Assistant Librarian.  The preface to Harvard's A History of Spanish Painting (1965) noted that "at the Fogg Museum, Miss E. Louise Lucas and Miss Mary Ward did much to facilitate the preparation of the photographs."  And the 1953-54 Proceedings of the Cambridge Historical Society praised "Miss Mary Ward who came to us as a young girl and has proved invaluable to all who have had occasion to use the library.  I am sure that in years to come, men and women, when they look back upon their student days and think of the Fogg, will remember her with gratitude and affection."  >
  Grantville PA, about fifteen miles northeast of Harrisburg, is in the Pennsylvania Dutch region from which some of Mila Jean's ancestors came.  >
  The Wadsworth Atheneum, which opened in a Hartford CT "castle" in 1844, is the oldest continually-operating public art museum in the United States.  >
  Wilmington is in southwest Ohio, about fifty miles northeast of Cincinnati.  (We may have stopped there because George couldn't bear to drive any further that day.)  >
  Tuscarora Mountain (singular) is a long linear Appalachian ridge in central Pennsylvania.  President James Buchanan was born nearby in 1791.  >
  Hamilton OH was the hometown of Mila Jean's mother, Ada Louise Ludeke Smith and her forebears: about whom see Ach du Lieber Ludeke, Part Five of Fine LineageMila Jean's grandfather William Michael Ludeke still lived there in 1961, but had scarcely more than a secondhand relationship with her or her sons.  Some photos of the old Ludeke and Wuechner houses on Hamilton's North Front Street are dated Jun. 1961 and must have been taken by George.  >
  By Charles Hammer (born 1934) who joined the Kansas City Star in 1958 and did much of that newspaper's reporting on the civil rights movement, with one series of articles reprinted as Our City in Racial Ferment (1969).  He would later teach journalism at UMKC and write several novels, including Emancipating: Black Soldiers (and a Peckerwood White Boy) Free the Slaves (2013).  >
  George in fact would not be promoted to associate professor until 1962.  Full professorship came in 1966.  >
  Among this article's photos is one captioned "ON A TOUR AT THE NELSON GALLERY, Dr. George Ehrlich (right), an art historian at the University of Kansas City, pauses in the courtyard to brief two art majors, Miss Vivian Johnston and Bruce Holman, on the next segment of the tour.  The gallery, one of the eight or 10 best in the nation, is used extensively by Dr. Ehrlich and other professors in teaching classes.  It is one of many advantages offered by the urban location of the university."  >
  Vivian Adele Johnston (born 1940) graduated from KCMO's Paseo High School in 1958 ("KCU will see this gal next year studying hard to be an artist.  A demure little miss with a smile as bright as her hair") and KCU in 1962; among her accomplishments was appearing in Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, stage managed for the Community Children's Theatre by Kangaroo editor June Hyatt.  She would marry fellow Paseoite Mahlon "Jack" Reinhard III and move to Gretna LA, where in 1978 she enjoyed "playing bridge, growing roses and being a member of the Oil Wives Organization.  She also does some free lance writing."  >
  Loyd Bruce Holman (1939-2021), who sported a Jon Gnagy-ish goatee, appeared as Vladimir Vidovitch in the circa 1960 Playhouse production of Of Thee I Sing.  He went on to earn a PhD in fine arts and teach drawing, painting, and photography at Cottley College in Nevada MO.  "He was also a filmmaker, a cartoonist, an author, a woodworker, a scout master, a weightlifter, a pilot, a lover of animals, a tinkerer, and a builder of things … at his heart he was a storyteller and a teacher."  >
  The Kansas City College of Pharmacy affiliated with KCU in 1943, but construction of the school's new building (funded in part by the Katz family, founders of a major drugstore chain in KCMO) was not completed until 1965.  "The design of the [Katz] Pharmacy Building with its pier and panel exterior was the most innovative on the campus," George remarked in his 1979 Walking Tour of UMKC Volker Campus.  >
  The site originally intended for the new Dental School, neighboring the Katz Pharmacy Building, would be filled by the interrelated Biological Sciences and Spencer Chemistry Buildings.  Construction began in 1968, was delayed by two city-wide construction strikes, and finally completed in 1972.  "Together with the Pharmacy Building and the General Library, these buildings represent the most dramatic grouping on the Volker Campus," George would write.  (The new UMKC School of Dentistry wound up on Hospital Hill with the School of Medicine.)  >
 
Matthew notes: "It's always (or at least since c. 1961) been standard practice to grant sabbaticals only on the grounds that the faculty member return to campus for at least the following academic year.  (My recollection here at Illinois is that if a faculty member did not return, s/he was obligated to reimburse the university for the salary earned during the sabbatical.  The rationale was that the paid leave was intended to benefit both the faculty member and the university; if the faculty member took paid leave and never returned, the university would not benefit at all from the arrangement.)"  >
  Possibly that trial balloon was launched by Frank Crabtree, Director of the Museum of Albuquerque 1967-72, who'd previously been Assistant Curator for Native Arts at the Nelson Gallery.  >
 


List of Illustrations

●  Map of the University of Kansas City, from the 1960 Kangaroo yearbook
●  KCU Administration Building (later Scofield Hall), from the 1959 Kangaroo yearbook
●  KCU Fine Arts Building (front), from the 1959 Kangaroo yearbook
●  KCU Fine Arts Building (rear), from the 1960 Kangaroo yearbook
●  KCU Student Union ("Roost"), from the 1960 Kangaroo yearbook
●  University of Kansas City Seal
●  KCU University Playhouse, from the 1959 Kangaroo yearbook
●  KCU General Library (later Newcomb Hall), from the 1960 Kangaroo yearbook
●  KCU University Center: artist's rendition from the 1961 Kangaroo yearbook
●  William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts (later the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)
●  Richard M. Drake, Chancellor of the University of Kansas City
●  Carleton F. Scofield, KCU Director of Graduate Studies and Executive Assistant to the Chancellor
●  Robert E. Nelson, KCU Vice Chancellor for Development
●  Edwin Westermann, Dean of the KCU College of Arts and Sciences
●  Henry Scott, Chairman of the KCU Art Department
●  Sadayuki "Suds" Mouri, KCU Bursar
●  Berndt Kolker, KCU Director of Research and Continuing Education
●  John A. Morgan, Chairman of the KCU Board of Trustees
●  Kenneth LaBudde, Director of the KCU Libraries
●  Barbara Ashton Waggoner, KCU Assistant/Acting Director of Continuing Education
●  William L. Crain, KCU Professor of French Language and Literature
●  John Dowgray, KCU Professor of History
●  Homer Wadsworth, Executive Director of the Kansas City Association of Trusts and Foundations
●  Clements Robertson, Conservator of Art at the Nelson Gallery
●  Aline Saarinen, art and architecture critic, who lectured at the Nelson Gallery in Apr. 1961
●  George moderates the Fine Arts session of the Frontiers of Knowledge continuing education series, Jan. 1961
●  The "March Riots" on the KCU campus as students staged a huge rally bonfire protesting the athletic program's elimination
●  Another view of the "March Riots" bonfire
●  A Volkswagen Beetle ad in the Apr. 1961 Sports Illustrated
●  Postcard of Art Bunker Volkswagen at 7814 Wornall, KCMO
●  Arthur Bunker Jr. as the Cowardly Lion in a c.1953 Community Children's Theatre production of The Wizard of Oz
●  "We finally get a car"—the Ehrlichs's new Volkwagen Beetle, Feb. 19, 1961
●  The Beetle reaches the Skyline Causeway across Tampa Bay, Mar. 1, 1961
●  George in St. Petersburg FL
●  Mila Jean in St. Petersburg FL
●  Paul (and anthill) in St. Petersburg FL
●  Joseph and Mathilda Ehrlich's house in St. Petersburg FL
●  Grandpa and Grandma Ehrlich, Mar. 12, 1961
●  Paul with his grandparents in St. Petersburg
●  George at Port Tampa, Feb. 26, 1961
●  Mila Jean at Port Tampa, Feb. 26, 1961
●  Creighton Gilbert (later Curator of the Ringling Museum) in 1955
●  Mila Jean, George, and Creighton Gilbert in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, Mar. 4, 1961
●  Postcard of the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota
●  Alan Baker (of the Turnau Opera Company) in the Kingston NY Daily Freeman, Apr. 15, 1961
●  Alban Varnado in 1959
●  Edwin Rae, University of Illinois
●  Allen Weller, University of Illinois
●  Frank Roos, University of Illinois
●  Marvin Martin, University of Illinois
●  Mary Jo and Walt Richter in 1959
●  Paul and Mila Jean in Jackson Square, New Orleans, Mar. 21, 1961
●  Don Holshouser, Apr. 24, 1961
●  George Vrooman, Mila Jean and Marion Holshouser, Apr. 24, 1961
●  Judy Holshouser in 1960
●  Mila Jean and Paul at Trinity Church in Boston, May 28, 1961
●  Kansas City Star article, Jun. 18, 1961: George with two KCU art majors at the Nelson Gallery
●  Kansas City Star editorial cartoon supporting KCU, May 17, 1961
●  Paul and Baba Bear in Oct. 1960
●  One of Paul's renditions of George Washington, 1961
●  June Lorraine Hyatt, editor of the 1959 Kangaroo yearbook
●  Vivian Johnston, KCU art major
●  Bruce Holman, KCU art major
●  Kris Huffman and Mila Jean in 1959's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (unconfirmed)
 



A Split Infinitive Production
Copyright © 2021 by P. S. Ehrlich


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