Remarks by Gary Schoepfel
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We measure success many ways. Forty-seven years of Great Books discussions at the Amarillo Public Library under the leadership of Dr. Capres Hatchett is an impressive record by any measure. But somehow I don't think this is the best measure of Dr. Hatchett's contribution to Great Books and to the Amarillo community. It's a little like saying War and Peace is great because it's 1,385 pages long. Impressive, yes! But a tribute hardly fitting to the accomplishment. The real wander and greatness of Dr. Hatchett's accomplishment is not measured by years, but rather by a moment. The moment to which I refer is, I believe, the most important moment in the history of Great Books. It is just a moment, but it has happened a great many times and in very unusual places. It is a moment familiar to most, if not all of the people in this room. It is a very private moment prompted by a very public experience. It is a moment that is nearly impossible to describe to those who have not experienced it; and a moment that is not necessary to describe to those who have. I am referring to that moment when ordinary people realize that this thing called Great Books is going to be an important part of their lives, and not by choice, but by necessity. It is the moment when one discovers that reading alone is not adequate, and that talking to others about what we read is a necessary last step if understanding is the goal. In that moment people are stung by the simple truth that living is not good enough, and that living well means pursuing an education that takes a lifetime, at least. It is the moment when thoughtful people enter ``The Great Conversation.'' It is the most important moment in the history of Great Books, for without it there is no Great Books. We have Dr. Hatchett to thank for so many of these moments. For me, Walt Whitman describes this moment best:
If this gathering is in some way a celebration of the moment I have described, then I would ask you to ensure that the past 47 years of Great Books in Amarillo are only a moment in the complete history of Great Books. You have been handed a gift, an important legacy. You are responsible for its care and its future. Thanks is due to Dr. Hatchett. We can say thank you by preserving the legacy. We can best preserve the legacy by continuing to meet, and talk, and disagree, and be wrong, and be right, and ask questions about all of it. In closing, I would like to address those people here tonight who are not ``bookies.'' May I offer some advice. If you are considering joining the Amarillo Great Books group, proceed with care. You are at great risk of catching a great disease. The symptoms of this ailment are piqued curiosity, bouts of ambiguity, rare moments of certainty, hot flashes of insight, occasional speechlessness, and wild cravings for more. Look carefully at the veterans who fill this room. In discussion, these people exhibit unusual behaviors. They are often compelled to ask thoughtful questions; they have a habit of listening to what others say; they discipline themselves to support their opinions; and they persevere in the face of complexity. This condition is incurable and the only treatment takes a lifetime to administer. Proceed with caution into the wonder-filled and liberating world of great ideas, into the world of Great Books. |
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Last modified: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 11:41:22 Copyright © 2000 Friends of the Amarillo Library. All rights reserved. |