ResearchInfo: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance | Documents

COMMENTARY RE SARAH VINKE’S “BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED”, Including Our Email Conversations, Plus Other Related Information, As Well As Navigation Instructions To Viewing Sarah’s Article On Internet.

By Dennis Gary, BS. Montana State College, 1960
Henry Gurr, ZMMQ WebSite Master

[[Editor’s note: See below for internet link and instructions how to navigate these Internet pages for Sarah Vinke article, “Books I’ve Enjoyed” from The Montana Library Association Quarterly. Vol 5, No. 3, Page 6 (April 1960)]]

DENNIS GARY’S ORIGINAL EMAIL TO HENRY GURR

Henry

In Googling around, I discovered this Sarah Vinke article, “Books I’ve Enjoyed” posted at link below. The Montana Library Association Quarterly. Vol 5, No. 3, Page 6 (April 1960) Navigating this site is not the easiest, but there is Sarah in all her bizarre glory. You will have to search [read closely] for "Vinke", but she's there. Unfortunately, I do not have access to any SF Bay Area research libraries, but I will [continue to] Google around; the clues found perhaps being worth it.

[Signed] Dennis

HENRY GURR’S FIRST RESPONSE TO SARAH’S “POPULAR LITERATURE” ARTICLE

Dennis

I agree with your delight at this discovery, and I like your enthusiastic capsule “ … there is Sarah in all her bizarre glory” !! And I support your conclusion that this article is “Vinke full and clear”!! Quite clearly we need an active research program to find all her articles. I would like to see if we can find other examples of her writing: This would give us more illumination on her various ideas, and ways of thinking, which might parallel what she says in this article. I hope we can find information showing aspects of her personality, such as emerges in her statements such as =>

“Keep your individuality in the crowd.” [[Sounds like Sarah.]]

“The ‘stubborn contrariety’ of human individuals . . .” [[Need to find more such examples:]]

“The mood of reverie which pervades them is luminous with mellow worldly wisdom.”

[[ A book which]] “. . . furnishes a compass for use amid the philosophical and religious confusions of our day”.

“Physical and mental courage and zest for adventure:” [[Shows Sarah’s infectious enthusiasm as is all throughout this article. Surely shows where Sarah comes on, concerning how to approach life!! ]]

[[This is a]] “ ... tribute to the sound health and self-confidence of the old Anglo-Saxon blood which relishes insecurity.” “ ... the all-embracing love of the Christian ethic . . [[which contrasts]] .. . with the purely material concept of Communism."

Sarah mentions “Anglo Saxon blood” and concerns re “Christianity” and “Communism” all in practically one breath. [[Is this showing a conservative rural Minnesota? Iowa? Montana? (Does this reflect her up-bringing?) ]] In this and other writing and even reported by Shirley Luhrsen, Sarah is seen to be very much a Christian believer.

I'm becoming ever more convinced that Vinke, is her most natural self in this article, where she is a chatty, populist and mostly the very opposite of academic. An example of this is her “Philosophy of Winnie the Pooh”. Perhaps undeserved, but I therefore dub these "Sarah’s Summer Reading Suggestions", to be “Sarah’s Anti-Academic Self”!
…I therefore speculate the Greek Classics facet of her persona, is an “add-on” from education and other external academic influences, and not part of her youthful self, independent of academics. What do you think?

DENNIS GARY’S REPLY TO THE ABOVE:

Henry,
I'm glad you found Vinke's “summer reading” of interest. I also found it interesting that this publication tagged her as a specialist in Shakespeare.

I don't know whether Sarah's summer reading list shows that her interest in Greek was an add-on, more likely another facet of a multi-faceted [mature] personality. We tend to separate periods out, ignoring the common threads that run through all.

I have read cultural scholars who list the Renaissance, another interest of Vinke’s, as the next important explosion of knowledge after that of Classical Greece.

In another field of interest (for me), classical music is both a period term and a genre term, so that the period of Bach and Vivaldi is classical, but the classical genre extends through such composers as Haydn and Mozart to Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Bartok, Messiaen, and now John Adams. Seen on occasion, at the Tower Records Classical Annex in San Francisco, during my period on staff there, I saw such popular music performers as Phil Lesch of the Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana, shopping for recordings of Bach.
… Lesch, before his work with the Grateful, earned a degree in musicology from the University of California, Berkley. Comedian Robin Williams came out to the store looking for music written and suppressed during the Holocaust by so called “classical composers” many of whom ended up writing Hollywood film scores during the 1930s and 1940s.

In any event, there are those who would regard "Winnie the Pooh" as an obvious choice for a classical scholar. Remember, too, that "Alice in Wonderland" was the creation of a top notch academic and mathematician. Also I had a top [academic oriented] student list his favorite literature for the year as Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and the "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.

It would be interesting to discover where Sarah was born and grew up. It seems quite a geographical jump from any of the Bryn Mawr’s [[mentioned in Pirsig’s letter to H. Gurr]] to Grinnell, though only a hop, skip, and jump to Wisconsin and thence more leaps to Colorado and Montana, at least in her day.
Sarah Grew Up On An Iowa Farm. The Whole Story Is In “The Sarah Vinke Biography Resource Page”. Click Here.

It might show populist values in that she thrived at Montana State, Bozeman. Another example: In one of the many attempts of the University of Oregon to get Arthur Kreisman to leave Southern Oregon College (SOC), Ashland for the University of Oregon, Eugene, he told them that country kids out of small town Oregon deserved culture too. And he told me personally,
…And his course Contemporary Developments in the Humanities, which included art and music as well as literature, was offered with that in mind. He voiced his frustration at not getting faculty from the SOC art and music departments to pitch in, but felt if they wouldn't, he would proceed without them. [Signed] Dennis

HENRY GURR’S RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE

Dennis

My original “Mental Picture” of Professor Vinke based on my reading of ZMM, was that of a Total Academic Professor, completely immersed in Greek Classics. And this was what I anticipating when I started my research into Vinke’s published articles, teaching emphasis, etc.

So I have to confess, that when I first saw Sarah’s “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, I was practically in state of shock, especially when I saw child’s book “Winnie the Pooh”! Here I had expected her writing to well confirm my '' “Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” ‘' image, of her: I expected it to confirm that she was a life-committed, deeply-oriented, academic, as well as a thorough going, Greek Classicist Scholor!!

Her article, blew my image away! I did not want it!! In essence, I did not want to hear this about “My Sarah”, and almost refused to read it. So when I read her “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, I was shocked to find her populist-common-average-USA-run-of - the-mill personality. A similar rude awakening when I saw her photos of her trip to Europe, Greece & Turkey. These photos were not the expected Classical Greek structures. Just ~8 photos of various 1500 year old Orthodox Churches, which were only in Turkey!!! This is a long way from "Classical Greece".

I still have to talk to Shirley Luhrsen, but the Bryn Mawr connection seems worth more research. Bryn Mawr having the publication “Classical Review”, seems to have (both now and in the past) a more classics tradition than Grinnell, where she got her undergraduate degree. Also being older and in the East, puts Bryn Mawr, more in the classics groove than Grinnell (Iowa). But on the other hand, But for her to stay closer to home (WI, MN, etc), is more likely as a young professional. It’s a long way from Dallas Center, Iowa to Bryn Mawr, which is located in Bryn Mawr, PA, which is at the eastern edge of Pennsylvania, near New Jersey.

I agree the term “classics” is elastic, but Greek Classics Scholar, is a definite territory in my mind.

In process of going back to Vinke’s article “Books I’ve Enjoyed” , several times (On The Montana Library Association WebSite.) I happened to discover there were five articles, in this volume, ALL titled “Books I’ve Enjoyed”! (This volume seems to cover the issues from 5 Oct 1955 to July 1960. Dates needs to be checked.). The five authors are: Heathrote, Moore, Powel, Vinke, and Paylore. To see if the others were as “populist oriented” as Vinke’s, I read the respective articles by Laurence Powel and Patricia Paylore. Compared to Vinke, I found these two articles to be: 1) As interesting and as easy to read. 2) And their’s, like Vinke’s, had the feeling of immediacy, and thus of value!! This was an interesting sensation: Rather than feeling 50 years old, they had the sense of “right now”!! “Current & up to date”!!
…It was just as if these authors were talking to me in a conversation. I found the Paylore & Powel articles to be rather, at least on surface, more intellectual. !! But Powel and Paylore were clearly writing, less for the average populace, and less of a sense of “Summer Reading”. Compared to Vinke, they were hardly “popular” of “bookish”, but more in direction of academic & librarian.

All said and done, perhaps there IS deep academics and philosophy in what Vinke finds in sayings of Winnie the Pooh!! But I would have to read her “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, a lot more closely, to see it. And when will I be ready? [Signed] Henry

(To view Professor Vinke’s article on line, see link and navigation instructions below.)

DENNIS GARY’S REPLY TO THE ABOVE:

Henry,

Sarah’s sentence structure and vocabulary seem pretty sophisticated, if not academic, to me: [for example] “burthen”?

Personally, I think she has a greater sense of style and the subtleties of language than the librarians. It is interesting that this Montana publication attracted writers from much larger, better-known schools. [Signed] Dennis

Henry Gurr’s Editor’s Note & Instructions => Where And How To View Professor Vinke’s Article, “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, On The Montana Library Association WebSite.

…We are working on getting permission to post an “html” version of this article on this ZMMQ WebSite, ASAP. Meanwhile, you can view it at link below.
…On my “dial-up” interned connection, the Blue Link below came up somewhat slowly. However on a Fast Internet Connection, it will load instantly.
…Now, to find Sarah’s article, you will need to type Vinke into the special box upper right that has the “Magnifying Glass Icon”, then hit the Enter” Key. On “dial-up” be patient! But on a Fast Internet Connection, the Search Results will load instantly, with a listing of ALL Search Results, listed down the left side of the page, any one of which you can ClickOn to go there.
…You will find that => The beginning of Sarah’s Article in on (96 of 242), as shown screen bottom.
…And the little “mouse click” < > icons (screen bottom), to go “next Search Result" (right or left) really will nicely works!
…And the little “mouse click” White Triangles, to go to next page (right or left) nicely works!
…While I was reading & looking at the other articles, I eventually discovered that the entire journal volume was being loaded into my computer. Once this loading was completed, then (wonder of wonders) all the search and user navigation features, worked very well, quite quickly, and overall were very functional!!
…And even after I had completely disconnected from the internet, I could still search and move around among these pages!!
…This result, of course, may depend on the exact computer you are using. But either way, this is an Interesting, Very Functional, Document Browser Application, that you may want to remember exists, for some future need!! )

View Professor Vinke’s Article, “Books I’ve Enjoyed” Click Here.

CONCERNING DENNIS GARY TYPED UP PROFESSOR VINKE’S ARTICLE. HERE ARE HIS OBSERVATIONS RE THE TYPE WRITEING & PUBLISHING METHODS OF THE 1950’S.

Henry

[Concerning my email:] I am attaching my retyping of Sarah’s "Books I've Enjoyed." I hope it will help. Hopefully, even in reduced size, we can enclose at least a sample photo of the original printed version, obviously a product on the 1950's.

I am not surprised that it would not [[OCR]] scan. For one thing, whoever set it up for MLA, Sarah or someone else, has attempted to justify it by adding additional spaces. Many recognition programs when they can't recognize what to do, do something anyway, no matter how ridiculous.

While the electric typewriter existed in the 1950's, it was only slowly replacing the manuals in MSC's English Department, and, in fact, some preferred their old manuals. I dropped my grandfather's old Remington manual once and it damaged the floor, but not the typewriter!!

Also, publication appears to be a mimeograph production, the offset press was yet to come.

Please proof against the actual article, but don't use spell check or especially that terrible grammar check. Sarah was very deliberate in everything she did. When I questioned her writing on one of my papers "You have got the idea!" instead of "have gotten" she explained that "have gotten" referred to the past and "have got" to something that had just now occurred.

I can't explain the two spellings of "rabbit" (rabbitt), but would leave it any way. The use of the underscore may again be a carry over of the times. A few choices of words might today require the use of the OED (Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles) to explain. [Signed] Dennis

END HSG & DG edit-improvement-circle, completed Sun 21 Feb 2010.

We Are Saddened To Report That Robert Dennis Gary Passed Away In Jan 9, 2020, Likely From Covid19. You May Read About His Life => A Robert Dennis Gary Memorial Tribute Page & Autobiography : ALSO PLEASE SEND EMAIL To HenryG__USCA.edu With Your Memories Of Dennis. Click Here.

Links to Additional Reading Related to the Above Article

1) Commentary Re Sarah Vinke’s “Books I’ve Enjoyed”, by Dennis Gary & Henry Gurr

2) Pirsig Memories of “The Devine Sarah”

3)
A Student’s Memories of “Mrs.” Professor Sarah Vinke and Her English Department At Montana State College*, Bozeman MT (1956-1960)

4) Following the Footsteps of My Mentor, Professor Sarah Vinke: My Life as an English Teacher, and Other Memories

5) Dennis Gary’s Values in Thought and Action: My Standards at School and in My Career

6) Memories of Deer Creek Mountain Ranch (an MSC Faculty Outing)

7) “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)

8) Commentary Regarding "Book I've Enjoyed" Sarah Jennings Vinke and Information About Viewing on the Internet by Dennis Gary and Henry Gurr

9) Pirsig Memory, “The Divine Sarah”

10) Vinke, Pirsig, and the Origins of “Quality” and MOQ

11) Shirley Luhrsen and Sarah Vinke: Letters to and from Bozeman

12) Anthony McWatt's Robert Pirsig WebSite Of Jan 22 2018, As Saved By Archive.org.

13) Peter Voulkos's website Voulkos & Co.

14) Howard Dean, Nemesis to Robert Pirsig while Teaching in the MSC English Department

15) “THREATS TO ACADEMIC FREEDOM AT MONTANA STATE COLLEGE” (MSC) This Document, Recreated Below, Is A 1977 Monograph By History Professor Robert G. Dunbar, Montana State College, Which Is Now Montana State University.

16) ” …a "radical" in Gallatin County, Montana, is a little different from a radical somewhere else." The Eleanor Roosevelt Affair.

17) Mr Dennis Gary’s Memories of The Late 1950’s Montana Political Situation: “Ultra Conservatives” +”Senator Joe McCarthy-Ites”,vs “Political Radicals“

18) Pirsig, MSC, and Zen, a selection from In the People's Interest, A Centennial History of Montana State University

19) A Brief Biography of Sarah Jennings Vinke, Found in the Burlingame Special Collections, Montana State University Bozeman

20) Sarah Vinke’s Passing [BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE January 31, 1978. From Obituary Page 10.2]

21) MSC Instructor Asks Probe Over Budget Issue [BOZEMAN DAILY CHRONICLE April 4, 1961]

22) Interview with David Swingle, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana, on Robert Pirsig, ZMM, MSC, and Bozeman, Montana

23) Interview with Kay Campeau, Bozeman, Montana, resident on Robert Pirsig, ZMM, MSC, and Bozeman, Montana

23) 'Click Here, To View 10 Photos Of Dennis Gary’s Laptop Computer “Daily Work Arena” at San Francisco’s Internet Accessible ''H2O Café '.
...Here you may see an additional self portrait of Dennis Gary, created by Dennis himself, using the Camera of his Laptop Computer.
…This Facebook.com Page was created by Charles Pitts, one of Dennis Gary’s good friends in San Francisco. Here you will find a link to Charles Pits own Facebook.com Page, to see a photo of him. Charles is famous because Wall Street Journal wrote a long article about how Charles had an Internet Presence, but no location address, because he lived under a bridge.

Edited by Dennis Gary 04 May 2014. RevHSG18Nov23.

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