Tuesday I encountered some sad news when browsing the website of the MU Classics department. Eugene Lane, Professor Emeritus of Classics, died this past January. Dr. Lane was the closest thing to an academic mentor that I have ever had, and it was largely through his encouragement that I persevered in Greek, even when Sophocles (or Aristophanes, Aristotle, Plato, etc.) would have had it otherwise.
Initially, upon meeting him, I--and no doubt many others--thought that Dr. Lane was a curmudgeon. He could be at times an intimidating figure on account of his limitless knowledge as well as his seemingly anti-social tendencies. These impressions changed, of course, as students got to know this one-of-a-kind instructor through multiple courses.
For me, it happened rather randomly that I came to see Dr. Lane as more than just a demanding Greek instructor.
[I should indicate at this point, that I was anything but the model Greek student; usually, I was in the middle of the pack as far as aptitude went. Complicating the matter were my study habits: I would routinely stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning studying, only to sleep in and miss the very class (usually Greek) for which I had been studying. So normal was this procedure, that one Friday morning in Greek class, when handing back quizzes or calling on volunteers, Dr. Lane caught sight of me and "exclaimed" in his patented under-the-breath sort of way: "Eric, to what honor are we due for your appearance here on a Friday morning?," or something to that effect.]
Dr. Lane had been awarded through a faculty raffle (or something of that nature) two tickets to attend the Missouri football game that weekend. Unfortunately, he said, his wife was unable to attend, and so he was needing to give away the ticket, and wondered if any of us might want it/them. My hand shot up first, and so I was awarded the prize. (Curiously, I noticed that no one else seemed interested in the ticket; I wrote this off to their being nerds.)
After class, as I was walking out the door, Dr. Lane mumbled "I'll see you at the game, Eric," and it was only at this point that I came to the deflating realization that Dr. Lane would himself be going to the game, and I would be sitting right next to him! (It made sense, now, why no one raised a hand to claim the ticket.) I believe Adam even questioned me later why I had been so enthusiastic. I could have swore that in offering the ticket, Dr. Lane had made some comment about not liking football, which lead to my inference that he wouldn't be attending.
Despite my significant misgivings, the experience turned out to be rewarding. I learned about Dr. Lane as a person and his family; in turn, he asked me about myself, background, and interests. What really endeared him to me, though, was his comment midway through the fourth quarter as the tigers were characteristically getting throttled: "well, this ones in the can; I'm going home to have an iced cold Coors."
This experience meant a lot to me. It showed me Dr. Lane's human side and his love for life and his family. It also showed that he took an interest in people, particularly his students. I had cause to remember our shared football game experience and this kindly side of him again at his retirement party. I entered late to this event with another Greek student of his. As we came into the room, we saw a cluster of more, shall I say, extraverted students gathered around him, ones who had sat under his instruction for all of 1 semester. Feeling uncomfortable, I stood with my other "Greek" friend in the corner. Then I hear Dr. Lane (incredible in itself): "Now, there's the only student I have ever gone to a football game with." Saying this, he came over to talk to Laura and myself. I'm convinced he noticed how uncomfortable I/we looked.
In the past few years Dr. Lane has been encouraging by writing letters of recommendation on my behalf, despite the fact that his Parkinson's made this painful, no doubt. This past November I went to a conference in Washington, D.C., and had the opportunity to meet a scholar who has published a source-book with Dr. Lane. Early in this year, I e-mailed Dr. Lane to say that I had met Dr. MacMullen, and that the latter had had fond things to say about him. I didn't hear back from Dr. Lane. This, I assumed, was due to his advanced Parkinson's. Now I see that Dr. Lane passed away this very month. He will be missed.
"And those who were standing watched, and walked carefully near him, not knowing what he'd do--they'd all seen wonders, but nothing like this. And some said he was witchcraft, a phantom, and were afraid to answer him . . ."--Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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2 comments:
sent your books off a couple of hours ago. I threw in a "surprise" book for you! =)
I last saw Dr. Lane one day when I was leaving from a Doctor's appointment. He was standing outside the building waiting for Carol, his wife, to pick him up. He had recently had surgery to help with his Parkinson's. I only caught him out of the corner of my eye and I was in a rush to get back to the office, so I didn't go back to talk with him. At least, that was my reasoning at the time. Truthfully, it was too painful to speak with him. I had only a few months earlier had lunch with him and his wife at the local Greek Orthodox Church's annual festival. Understanding him was almost impossible and my heart was nearly torn in two as I watched him attempt to eat his lunch. To know that such a great mind was trapped within that crippled body was almost unbearable.
He, too, was an incredible mentor to me. Beth and I had he and his wife over for dinner one night. It was a wonderful time. And I had visited him in his house a couple of times in order for graduate school and personal advice. But probably the best tribute I can offer to him is the fact that I shamelessly stole his method for teaching accents in Greek words when I taught Greek. Nothing drives home the workings of the iota subscript than watching a middle-aged man jumping out from beneath a table.
He held his students to a high standard, but only because he himself lived it. I remember learning he had spent an entire summer translating the works of Julian the Apostate, for fun!
I also remember when you and I were taking the "Paganism and Christianity" course together. He was talking about the word "heresy" and its Greek roots. He turned to us for the answer. I guess he figured after two semesters under his tutelage we should have had knowledge of such a basic word. But we tucked our heads in our chests, attempting to hide from his stare. He had to supply the answer himself. Later that day, I was up in his office talking with him. The conversation went something like this:
Adam: "Man, I can't believe I forgot the root for the word heresy."
Dr. Lane: "Yeah. That was pretty pathetic."
Of course, he said this with all seriousness. And yet, he somehow had a way of saying such critical remarks without ever bringing offense. Instead, I left feeling motivated to re-double my efforts to study.
Perhaps someday we too can have such an influence on the lives of others.
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