Dear Doug,
I wanted to take a moment to congratulate you on your retirement and to express my deep gratitude for the impact you’ve had on my career. Your guidance during my time as your student shaped not only my approach to phonological analysis but also how I teach and mentor students to this day. Your insights and dedication made me a better linguist and professor.
This year marks 20 years since one of the most important days of my academic—and personal—life, a moment captured in the picture I recently came across. Seeing it reminded me of how much I continue to carry those lessons with me and just how deeply my work today has been shaped by what I learned from you. For that, I am truly grateful.
II first encountered your work in 1997 through Tone in Lexical Phonology, and it was a transformative moment—the first time the complexities of tone systems truly started to make sense to me, even though reading in English was still a challenge (rsrs). But through an almost word-by-word translation, I learned so much. It was your work that inspired me to pursue my studies at UBC, and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to do so. Later, your thoughtful and incisive comments on my thesis helped me work through both the synchronic and diachronic aspects of Mundurukú with much greater clarity.
I hope retirement brings you much joy and fulfillment—whether that means more time for research, relaxation, or new adventures. And please know that you will always be welcome to return to Brazil!
Wishing you all the best in this new chapter!
