History Bump

Method? Convince the author (Kitzhaber) to finally allow formal publication of his 1953 dissertation. How this was accomplished is not recorded in the introduction. We do learn that Kitzhaber was still living at the time, that this was not his first offer to publish his dissertation, and that he had been retired for over ten years when he did agree.

Purpose? To provide access to this document for many scholars, not just the ones close enough to Oregon to get a photocopy of mimeograph of the original.

John Gage wrote a nice introduction to the text, based in part on an interview with Kitzhaber at the latter's home in Eugene, Oregon. In addition to capturing some of Kitzhaber's personal history with respect to his education and the dissertation, Gage also places Kitzhaber in his historical moment, citing other articles and talks given at 4Cs in 1963, a period Stephen North cites as the beginning of the discipline. Kitzhaber had already been chair of Cs and was incoming president of NCTE at that time. Gage provides highights of Kitzhaber's career, and lists some of the comtemporary scholars who have cited this dissertation (now book) in their work. Gage also provides a nice bibliography of Kitzhaber's works.

If I should say more here, ping me, because comparatively this seems just a bit too easy. Yet what else could Tate do but publish it without editing, given the number of copies that had already informally circulated?

I'm actually more interested in the untold story of Tate's persuasion, which Gage mentions but doesn't detail, and in Kitzhaber's work and the program at UO currently. I wonder how much of him, and Gage for that matter, is still in that institution's composition program.