[Jim Owen]

Hi John,

In my office there's a few things that belonged to my dad. Sometimes I'll find his notes scribbled in the margins of books that he passed on to me.

When I was a tyke, my dad took me to his office with me often. He'd set me some task or other while he graded stacks of papers or read his notes. So some of my earliest memories are of offices crammed with books and papers. He shifted offices a lot in his career--so I helped him pack books into boxes when I was a kid. As I got older, I was the one who moved the boxes.

And now some of those books are in my office. I can't count the number of times I've moved them, but I remember packing his office at Stetson in 61 to move to State College (NC State, now).

My dad loved books, and so do I. They get dusty. They weigh a lot, and they take up a lot of space. When I retire (soon), I'll give most of them away. But I'll keep a few even though I know I'll never really "need" them again. Those few I have left with my dad's notes in them I will keep. His copy of Look Homeward Angel and Of Time and the River have been reread many times.

While he didn't live to see me get my doctorate, my mom saved his doctoral robe for me. He bought it in 1956. He wore it to two graduations a year. So have I. But it's getting kind of worn. When I retire, it will, too.

But I'm keeping a few books.

When I see young faculty members bringing sons and daughters to their offices, I take time to talk to the kids and ask them how they're doing, what they're reading. And I tell them about how I used to come to work with my dad.