Posted on 11/02/2008 2:53:54 PM PST by CedarDave
"... only sagebrush, rabbit brush, snake weeds, and the endless variety of demure little blossoms produced by dry country grasses" — Tony Hillerman, Arizona Highways
In the 38 years I knew Tony Hillerman, we didn't talk much about writing. We talked about a lot of other things — football, fishing, newspapers (he had been a reporter and an editor), baseball, poker, religion, politics, food, war, power (and his eternal enmity toward those who abused it at the expense of the powerless). We talked about everything under the sun, but we didn't talk much about writing.
So I never was able to get him to explain where the phrase came from — "demure little blossoms."
In all the years I knew him, I'd never heard the word "demure" come out of his mouth. But there it was in an essay for Arizona Highways.
**snip**
In September 1970, I presented myself to the admissions office of the University of New Mexico, a newly minted GI Bill freshman. The woman at the counter grabbed a piece of scratch paper and scribbled a name on it.
"This is your freshman adviser," she said. "Report to him." ...
In his office, he looked at my ACT scores, went directly to the math score and said, "Journalism major, right?"
It was the first of many demonstrations of his unerring ability to get to the heart of a matter quickly.
In 1975, I took a job in what is now the UNM public affairs office. Early that fall, someone asked me if I'd like to get a poker game going. Hillerman was one of the players. We played on a Tuesday night and we have been playing every Tuesday night since; several years ago, we added Thursday nights as well.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
A follow-up column by Belshaw can be found here:
Hillerman's Worth Can't Be Measured
The Journal is free after you listen to a commercial; no registration required.
NM list PING!
When I heard he passed away, I went through his list of works to see if there was anything he had written that I hadn’t read.
This is a nice addition.
Thanks.
Note: Original column was published on Tuesday, October 28.
KM, Houston: "I feel that Tony Hillerman was my friend although I never met him. It was July of this year that I wrote him to express my enjoyment of 'Seldom Disappointed,' his autobiography. We are contemporaries. I received a letter from him and an inscribed copy of 'Kilroy Was Here.'"My wife ... heard of his passing on the radio ... She came to me with moist eyes and told me she was aware that I had been touched by Tony Hillerman's response to me, a total stranger. In my contemplations, I realized how ill he was while responding to me. That speaks volumes of the man; and his enthusiasm for life and (his) communicative spirit. I picture Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, their hats in their hands, and tears in their eyes.
"The world didn't stop for a moment, as it was supposed to, when someone you have affection for passes away. Sitting here on the deck, in Houston, Texas, watching the sun rise, remembering I had never met him. I felt I knew him and realized that old men can have heroes, too."
He will certainly be missed. I think the Navajo people will remember him with fondness for his wealth of knowledge of their culture being shared with the world.
I stand corrected on my earlier comment.
I wasn’t aware he had an autobiography available.
Thank you for the info.
The man was definitely a class act.
He will be missed.
Ellis Peters used “demure flowers.” Maybe Mr. Hillerman read some of her books.
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