OCTOBER 2016 UUFKC ARCHIVES

Barbara Turk

In October 2015 Mitzi Loftus spoke to us and told of her trip to Japan at age 83. Recently, over our shared table at Cabaret Theatre, she shared another more current adventure.

Many years ago, as a first-year teacher of English at Creswell High School, she met an U of O freshman student, in whom she saw great talent as a poet. This summer she traveled to Salem to help this student celebrate his 80th birthday. She had turned 84 in June, and had kept in touch with him all these decades. Pretty unusual!

She also had kept his unwanted papers over the decades, in multiple stages of her life, in various homes, and during travels. Her student, now a published poet (she has his books), was shocked to have paperwork  returned to him, “for his children”. He had kept no copies. For his birthday he had asked for a typewriter, not a computer—doesn’t care for them! When an old Royal, Underwood, or Smith-Corona was not among his gifts, Mitzi offered her manual, which she would personally deliver to Eugene in August, from Ashland where she lives, if he could drive down from Salem and meet her. FINALLY he has his long-wanted manual typewriter. How many teachers can top that story??? Let’s wish all educators & students a most rewarding year.

“We know what we are, but not what we may be.” (Shakespeare)