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| by Baker Lawley, B. A. 1998, is a graduate student in creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh |
| The story goes that when Lewis Nordan, B.A., 1963, gave a reading at the 1995 Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series, one of his former professors came up to him at an English department gathering and began crowing about what a pleasure it had been to teach “Buddy” Nordan. He told his colleagues that Nordan was one of the finest students he had ever taught. Then the professor pulled out a worn manila folder filled with Nordan’s old English papers. “ | Just look at how great this paper is, how good the writing
is,” he supposedly said. As the faculty gathered around, Nordan turned to the back of
the paper and saw a clearly marked grade of C. “Well, maybe I was wrong,” the
professor told everyone. “It’s true,” Nordan confesses in laughter in his office at the University of Pittsburgh. Between high stacks of books, pictures of Robert Johnson and other Blues artists hang next to Shakespeare posters and Far Side cartoons. Nordan, wearing a red and black Elvis jacket he bought at Graceland, sits down and shakes his head. “Absolutely true.” PAGE 1 OF 2 | NEXT PAGE |
Millsaps Magazine | Millsaps | Last Edited August 12, 1999 |
