Alan Dundes (1934-2005)

alan dundes was my professor for anthro 160: an introduction to folklore, fall 2003. i initially despised the class and its content, slept in class and was a lazyass till i got a D- on the first midterm. i started reading the books (mainly his), started attending every class, started deciphering the knowledge residing within this man, and realized like many before and after me, that this man's a genius.

when i came home a few weeks back and andrea told me Dundes had collapsed while lecturing during class, i knew one of the greats had passed. this man defined his genre. re-defined Foklore to include not just the activities and cultural nuances of the rich, white, and privileged, but for all people of all races of all backgrounds. he published over 250 articles worldwide, with over 50 books published, along with countless field work missions that have lead to discoveries unheard of in the world study of anthropological folklore. the man was a machine, almost like MacNamara, when it came to remembering everything. when students asked questions, he had 2 lectures worth of answers stuffed in his swagger he did around the lecture hall, all hunched over, an almost perpetual ritual done to articulate everything he had to say. his folklore project he assigns for the class turns the student into an anthropologist, integrating ourselves within the material, leaving many changed forever. doing 80 pages about folklore regarding the backgrounds of your friend's and family is intense for any class, but he made it interesting and worthwhile. and he graded all of the projects himselves, each one averaging 60-100 pages worth of strict data. an old school academic at his best.

the reception for him at i-house was packed last friday, mainly with older friends and colleagues from all over the world (a sea of gray-haired heads), but there was also a strong presence of students who took his class, even those who hadn't but had read his work elsewhere. laura nader was moving. and as one old friend said, "a giant has fallen today."

thanks for letting me be a student.

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