Waterloo, Ont.
May 5, 1964
Thanks very much for suggesting Southern Illinois, and no doubt putting in a good word for me. I actually had a very good offer from them, but took their broad hint to turn it down. The chairman down there told me over the phone that the relationship between the administration and the faculty (or the language faculty at any rate) was very poor and that he would have Prof. Boyd Carter of their Spanish Department (an old friend of ours in our early days at Nebraska) write me about the details. Boyd's letter began: "The situation here was never good and I made a mistake in coming" and got more and more gruesome as it went on.
Well, there was no point in flying to troubles that I know most of, because the next move has to be the last. It was awfully decent of the man, though, to be so frank and consider me as well as his staffing problems. He and I would have hit it off, because there is hardly a human trait I value above honesty. Well, too bad. We'd have been fairly close to you, too.
I'm awfully pleased with the results of the courses (they've been over since April 3!). The problem is ^how not to give out too many A's-the little dears really learned their stuff. I have one F but that's the best I can do.
Next semester I teach a graduate course over the novella and a couple of senior-and-graduate courses in Realism (that's a repeat performance) and early 18th century lit. Add those to my experience this semester (Realism, Heine, and German Lyric poetry) and it gets impressive, especially if you include my Nebraska experience. So by this time next year I should be able to land something good.
And I am still determined to move for Phyllis's sake. She just can't adjust up here. The ulcer is even getting somewhat worse again. One might perhaps say that she should or must adjust, but by the time a person gets that old you'll never change the person-all that you can change is the situation.
I myself don't mind it at all, in fact I rather like it. I came up here at a much larger salary than I had been getting, and now I I've gone up $1,300 more. I'm just coining money. Now if I could only coin some happiness and shower Phyllis with it! We were happier when we hardly knew where the next hamburger was coming from.
Keep well now and give our best to Alice. (Wouldn't that have been grand to land within a day's drive of your wonderful people?)
I did tell you, didn't I, that John was accepted by the Peace Corps and will be sent to Nigeria? And that our Alice had several scholarship offers and has decided to pursue graduate studies in religion at Oberlin? That's at least some good news.
John Winkelman
p.s. You wouldn't be open to the suggestion, would you, that you could take a little Canadian vacation as our house guest? Naturally we'd love to have you and you'd be a tonic to Phyllis. Lovely scenery all around here.
