Tuesday, November 11, 2008
(0 Comments)
Posted by: Alumni Office
I
did take Latin with Dr. Cordes, and even some Greek. I remember him as
a model of (what I later understood to be) intellectual honesty. He
was so learned, so erudite... but if a student could support a point
with which he disagreed, or had been unaware of, he quickly and
gracefully acknowledged the information and congratulated the student
on his/her perspicacity. I didn't realize how rare this level of
intellectual honesty is until I entered the academic world myself, and
found it in short supply. He was a role-model in this regard. I've
often thought of his face and his honesty when tempted to fudge on
things I knew or didn't know well enough.
Another memory which has
always stuck with me is his recounting how, as part of his
double-doctorate work in Latin and Greek, he was called upon to
translate Lincoln's Gettysburg address into one or both
ancient languages. It was an important exam. He said that he had
never realized how intricate, complex, and poetic Lincoln's speech was
until he had to translate it. Clearly, he was very successful, so he
must have done a pretty good job. Want to try it yourself?
He taught me so much more than Latin and a little Greek.
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