It could be worse

[ritaxis]

Here's what the Chronicle printed. There are errors, of course: he did not grow up as one of five, but as one of two, and actually spent the latter half of his adolescence on his own, as his mother had died and his father was off in England preparing to have the second clutch. Paul's in the second clutch, not the first clutch, as long as we're going for factual accuracy. And "soon disillusioned" does not describe my father's relationship with the Party, which lasted about ten years, and ended amicably. Yes, he was disillusioned, but not in the way people usually mean that word: he was inspired by his experiences with the Party to seek more communist ways of doing and being: and that is what anarchism was to him. "Primitive communism," more or less. He kept his Marxism and went forward, not back, from it (I say this as disagreed with him on various topics). Usually "soon disillusioned" is used to describe a person who pulls back from the Left and becomes a Derchowitz or something.

And Rosemary is in there, though she's not where she belongs.

And the son-in-law? That's the nice fellow. I imagine some people are going to wish that the quotes included certain other people, but that's the way it goes.

Comments

[cicadabug.livejournal.com]

Damn, I wish I could have met him. He must have been an absolutely fascinating person to talk to.

Again, my condolences on your loss. )-:

[anghara.livejournal.com]

I think anyone who shared in that life in any way shape or form could never have forgotten it. Once again, Lucy, I'm sorry for your loss. The obit doesn't matter, not really - those people who matter, know what the truth is.

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Sounds like he had an amazing life.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Between the anthropology and the American folk music, it occurs to me to wonder whether he knew my late uncle-by-marriage D.K. Wilgus. That would be a small world!

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Yes, that name is familiar. I can almost but not quite remember details -- I can visualize the name in my father's handwriting.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

It would make sense for them to have known each other. DK was one of the co-founders of the folklore program at UCLA and seems to have written oodles of stuff on American folksong. I only met him a few times -- he married my aunt late in both their lives. I don't know anything specific about his politics, but since my aunt had been a communist back in the '50s, I rather suspect he was on the lefthand side of the spectrum as well.

At any rate, it's not all that important, I'm just always interested in connections.

[crow-fjord.livejournal.com]

Learned only hours ago of Luis' passing..

I'm sad he's gone, yet happy to find he had a long and full life.

I would like to have thanked him.

He went out of his way more than once to drive me home from Bonview to Randolph at 19th Avenue, where I lived with my Grandma and Dad.

I was a comic book "major, glomming onto his brilliant daughter...

It wasn't easy to get up the nerve to ask Mr. Kemnitzer for a ride.

Luis wasn't critical of me as far as I know, and once he even asked me to locate a comic book that crossed over into his field, titled ANTHRO BOY.

My father was a professor at SF State's Experimental college in 1968.
He too was a long time war resistor.
Roberto liked the music of Jimmie Rodgers - Train Whistle Blues, Hank Williams, and of course the Latin songs of revolution, such as La Cucaracha, Juantanamera (well, these are the ones that I can think of)
Luis had this fantastic collection of 78s; I only wanted to hear those reels you had of Dylan, Donovan, Simon and Garfunkel, Richard & Mimi Fariña...

That's really great that Luis got a Grammy for his Folk music collection.

I recall Luis mentioned knowing my father, do you remember anything of what Luis might have said, positive or otherwise?

I'm trying my best to be factual in my writings on my father's politics.

It's all too tempting for journalists to brush off the convictions held at a time before the current climate of the Patriot Act.
I can relate to what you felt about the Chronicle obit.

Still, though the flaws and revisions are a travesty- the obit reads better than any others I've read in the Chron.

Thanks also for the Freedom of Information link, time to get right on it, as we're about to lose much access to the files in the name of national security.

http://beat-pop.blogspot.com/2006/01/papa-was-rollin-stone.html