In the fall of 1981, I was finding my desk in the first year students’ bullpen in Building 20 and feeling that feeling common to so many grad students — everyone will soon discover the mistake they’d made in admitting me. A guy I’d never seen before walked in and said “So, you’re the phonologist”. My mind went blank — I stuttered over my response, thinking “Is the discovery coming this soon???”
This is my earliest memory of Doug Pulleyblank.
There was no way to know that that terrifying moment was the start of a lifelong professional collaboration, made possible in large part by the friendship that developed between our families — as well as by shared laughter, hikes, camping, and climbing.
Doug, your humor, logic, openness, and respect made our collaboration easy and fun. Thank you.
The best-kept secret of academia is how much fun life is when you give up meetings, department politics, and the like. Enjoy it! And maybe we’ll get to Tiv ablaut one of these days…