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Judie McCoyd's picture

Paul and stories

Like "Wil Franklin", I find it hard to find a story about Paul (though I loved reading the one of Audrey). The idea of "smooth as a lullaby and prickly as a pear" rings for me. For me, the story of Paul is about his qualities and ideas.

I remember when Roland, Paul and I had lunch to talk about starting the book group that became the Graduate Idea Forum (GIF) in early 2000. So many of my memories of Paul are tied up in that group as we challenged one another- I questioned his "passionate skepticism" with my "passionate curiosity," disagreed about having only coin-flip decisions (his assertion which he backed off of a little in one of our final visits), or his insistence that frog brain and cortex are all there is (and me a lover of the limbic system!). I felt like we all provoked one another to new ways of thinking, experiencing and feeling. Yet for all the provocation, there was always warmth, positive regard and authenticity- characteristics I know from my work create ripe opportunities for growth.

I think that for me, one of the gifts of Paul was his ability to provoke growth in others and his joy in seeing it happen.

I recently was at a funeral where someone stood and said of the deceased- "I didn't know Glenn, I'd only met him 2-3 times: but I can say this, I could never confuse him for anyone else." I think we could probably all say something similar.

Paul was like no other- provocative & caring, open & opinionated, depressed & joyful- not typical polar opposites, but always flowing among varied "situated positions"; revising stories; flowing like water in life and now flowing like air. Keeping that spirit alive seems an important project to continue in his honor.

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