Past Imperfect

**Thunderbird Book Review--Past Imperfect

The best way to learn a foreign language is to acquire a mistress and live
with her in that country." This was the surprising answer to a student
query in the normally very formal weekly seminar taught by the illustrious
Dr. William Lytle Schurz in 1960.

This unusual statement so surprised myself and my fellow students, that a
short period of startled silence was followed by a ripple of cautious
laughter. Dr. Schurz epitomized the scholarly, learned, erudite professor, and
his resume included New York Times top seller books as The Manila Galeon,
and Brazil: The Infinite Country. His lectures were filled with anecdotes
of his personal travel and living experiences in many parts of Latin
America. The tales of his years living along the Amazon were legendary.

This book contains many pages relating memories about Thunderbird, and
some of the memorable professors of that era. I have had the good fortune to
attend ten graduate schools, and state unequivocally that Thunderbird was
the best.

Hopefully the reader will recall other memorable professors as Dr. Frank
Jackle and Paul Wilson. Dr. Jackle was legenday for his machine gun like
verb drills, and almost task master manner. However, I also saw the other
side of this demanding man in his afternoon "review" sessions. Paul Wilson
was one of the most effective, yet self deprecating professors I ever
encountered. (He even umpired a Thunderbird baseball game!!)

The book is the account of my lifes adventures and misadventures: Growing
up in a small Wisconsin town- to a business career in Chicago- to a long
career as a college language professor.

Past Imperfect is a perfect title for a Spanish professor with a far from
perfect life.