Pirsig, MSC, and Zen, a selection from In the People's Interest, A Centennial History of Montana State University*
In which the significance of Robert Pirsig and his book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is recognized by the Montana State University establishment.
*In the People's Interest, A Centennial History of Montana State University, Chapter 4, The Renne Years, 1943-1964, Page 88 -- Robert Rydell, Jeffrey Safford, Pierce Mullen -- Copyrighted, 1992, Montana State University Foundation. Posted with the approval of Kim Allen Scott, Archivist, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana.
Note: John Parker and Ken Bryson, referred to in Footnote 3, above, were fellow members of the English Department at MSC when Robert Pirsig taught there. Parker is quoted as thinking highly of Pirsig in an article on Pirsig in the MSC Alumni publication The Collegian, Winter 1975. Click here for the article, Former Professor Writes Hit Book. Ken Bryson's specialty was speech. In later editions, he co-authored with Howard Dean, the Freshman English textbook Effective Communication, which presumably so frustrated Pirsig when attempting to teach composition at MSC. Howard Dean, Nemesis to Robert Pirsig while Teaching in the MSC English Department. Incidentally, Howard Dean belonged to the local unit of the AFT (American Federation of Teachers)referred to above. For a letter by Pirsig to Gov. Nutter protesting the college budget cuts, click here. Finally, for more on MSC President Roland R. Renne, click here.
Links to Additional Reading Related to the Above Essay
1) A Student’s Memories of “Mrs.” Professor Sarah Vinke and Her English Department at Montana State College, Bozeman MT (1956-1960)
2a) Photos of Faculty, Administrators, and Students at Montana State College: 1956-1960
2b) Further Photos of Faculty, Adminstators, and Students at Montana State College: 1956-1960
3) Dennis Gary’s Values in Thought and Action: My Standards atSchool and in My Career
4) Memories of Deer Creek Mountain Ranch (an MSC Faculty Outing)
5) “Books I’ve Enjoyed” by Sarah Jennings Vinke, with added commentary by Dennis Gary and Henry Gurr (Originally published, 1960, in the Montana Library Association Journal)
6) Commentary Regarding "Book I've Enjoyed" Sarah Jennings Vinke and Information About Viewing on the Internet by Dennis Gary and Henry Gurr
7) Pirsig Memory “The Divine Sarah”
8) Vinke, Pirsig, and the Origins of “Quality” and MOQ
9) Shirley Luhrsen and Sarah Vinke: Letters to and from Bozeman
10) Anthony McWatt's Robert Pirsig Site
11) Peter Voulkos's website Voulkos & Co.
12) Howard Dean, Nemesis to Robert Pirsig while Teaching in the MSC English Department
13) Documents and Articles Concerning Sarah Vinke, Louis Vinke, and Robert Pirsig Found in The Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections (Archives), at Montana State University Bozeman and in the Amistad Research Center (Archives) at Tulane University.
14) MSC President Roland R. Renne
15) Interview with David Swingle, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana, on Robert Pirsig, ZMM, MSC, and Bozeman, Montana
16) Interview with Kay Campeau, Bozeman, Montana, resident on Robert Pirsig, ZMM, MSC, and Bozeman, Montana
Posted by Dennis Gary, 06 September 2014.
