Paul H. Elovitz as an Editor for Wayfarers All (festschrift article)

Like the many other writers who have interacted with Paul H. Elovitz in his role as the Editor-in-Chief of Clio’s Psyche, I have benefitted from Paul’s encouragement, editorial guidance, and occasional prodding during my time as one of the journal’s regular contributors. Throughout my extensive correspondence with Paul, I have come to realize that he regards the editing of Clio’s Psyche as more than an act of professional service. He founded Clio’s Psyche in 1994 and has successfully shepherded the journal throughout its history. In many ways, the journal is an extension of Elovitz himself. It reflects his commitment to the related fields of psychohistory and applied psychoanalysis. His approach to editing this journal also reflects his compassion and deep concern for his fellow humans.

In 2019, I experienced first-hand Paul’s concern for the welfare of others. The very worst day of my 40-year teaching career at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte took place on April 30, 2019, when a tragic shooting on campus left two students dead and several others seriously injured. Like so many others on our campus, I felt traumatized by this event. The next day, I attended the vigil that the students organized in response to the tragedy. Since I was then serving as the chair of the English Department, I spent hours meeting with students and faculty members over the following days, trying to help everybody deal with the aftermath of the shooting. However, these activities did little to help

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me in my own efforts to cope with this crisis in my teaching career. Part of me just wanted to go home. I even contemplated retirement.

It was at this point that Paul reached out to me. He suggested that I write about the shooting and my response to it. I followed his advice and wrote a personal essay titled “Keeping Vigil: A Professor’s Response to a University Shooting.” I sent it to Paul, who was very supportive in his response. He published my essay in the Fall 2019 issue of Clio’s Psyche. I appreciate Paul’s suggestion that I put into words my thoughts and feelings about the shooting on my campus. Writing about this traumatic event helped me to work through my emotional reaction to the shooting.

As Paul knows, writing has a therapeutic value when one is trying to cope with stressful situations. This point reminds me of a scene from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. In the chapter titled “Wayfarers All,” Ratty plunges into a depression when many of his friends leave the river bank and migrate south for the winter. He feels left behind and discontented with his life. His friend Mole worries that Ratty “seemed to have lost all interest for the time in the things that went to make up his daily life” (Grahame, 1999, p. 219). Mole responds to his friend’s crisis by bringing Ratty “a pencil and a few half sheets of paper, which he placed on the table at his friend’s elbow” (Grahame, 1999, p. 219). He suggests that Ratty write some poetry. Mole then leaves Ratty alone, but when he peeps in a little later, he sees his friend absorbed in his writing. The chapter concludes with, “It was a joy to the Mole to know that the cure had at least begun” (Grahame, 1999, p. 220).

In a number of ways, Paul and Mole are alike. They both understand how the act of writing can help one cope with stressful situations. Both care about their friends’ welfare and reach out when they know their friends are experiencing problems. They know that we are wayfarers all on this journey called life, but to paraphrase a line from the Beatles, they also know that we can get by with a little help from our friends. I am glad to call Paul Elovitz one of my friends.

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