What to say, what to say

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - I have been at a loss for words. I also feel somewhat guilty if I write an extensive amount here while my Masters project remains at 1.5 single spaced typed pages.

A few updates -

There was a recent loss I would like to take the time to mention and talk through. My former real estate agent, Lista Yarbrough, passed away last week at the age 0f 34 (click on her name to read the obituary). Nathaniel e-mailed me with the news, and I was struck rather hard. I had lost touch with Lista over the past few years. The last words I said to her were probably even not that kind, I was antsy about selling the house N and I used to own. Lista was such a kind soul - I remember that when we closed on our house, it was her last day of chemo that morning - she took it as a good sign; and so did we. In 2003, she managed to lure me into running in the Susan Komen 5K race in Raleigh and joining her team. It was my first (and only 5K) to this point (click HERE - I was #383 - hee hee; it was less than 10 minutes a mile - not bad!!). I am making it a goal to run again this year and raise funds under Lista's name. When her hair started growing back after the chemo, she got it cut into the style shown in her obituary - it was a shock to her to have short and sassy hair, as it was always long and styled ever so purposefully before the chemo. But after the haircut, I think many of us agreed she was the white Halle Berry with her awesome cut. As trite as it may sound, I always think of here when I consider chopping off my hair - "Could I pull it off as well as Lista?" The answer is always no - I'm not as brave as she was.

My heart goes out to her husband Kevin and the rest of her family - I cannot imagine what they must be dealing with right now. Losing Lista was a great loss to not only her family, but many other people in the Durham community as well.

There is probably more to say - Mike and I have started wedding planning, but I will mention that in more detail when there is more to say - we are super excited and ready to do this. We wish we could do it tomorrow, but we really want to throw one heck of a party. The invite list grows a bit every day - at some point we will have to say "NO MORE!" But, I will let you know how that goes. (Let's just say we are well over 100 people now, and that's pretty much just locals and family.)

Okay folks, I need to hit the gym and get to training. Let's see if I can get under 9 minutes a mile this time around...

What's wrong with this picture?

I got a snack out of the vending machine at work the other day. This is what I found inside.

Durham MLK Events

This weekend, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rev Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of us have the day off on Monday, and I encourage each and every one of you out there - whether you are working or not, to take some time and reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and the work of others in the civil rights movement. If you are in Durham, there are several fantastic events going on around campus. Some are posted here:

January 20, 2008
Marian Wright Edelman to Speak at Duke's 2008 MLK Commemoration Time: 3:00 pm - Location: Duke Chapel - Duke University Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund and civil rights lawyer, will be the keynote speaker at Duke University's 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The event, which begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, in Duke Chapel, is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Bryan Center parking garage; directions are available in the campus map.
January 21, 2008
Triangle Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Time: Times vary by project - Location: Locations vary by project The Triangle United Way has organized the Triangle Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. As one of the sponsors, Duke University invites all Duke Raleigh employees to participate. Volunteers are needed for a variety of community projects in Orange, Durham and Wake Counties on January 21. Visit www.trianglemlkdayofservice.org for a list of projects in your area. Pat Kramer, DRAH United Way Chair, and the DRAH Diversity Team would like to gather a group of DRAH volunteers to help out on a Wake County project.
African Children's Choir Time: 3:00 pm - Location: Page Auditorium The African Children's Choir performs throughout the world bringing hope and joy to everyone they meet while shining the spotlight on the plight of children in Africa. It is comprised of children ages seven to eleven. Each child in the Choir, has lost one or both parents to poverty or disease. The Choir members are ambassadors for all children in Africa who have become orphans because of the AIDS pandemic. They are their voice to the rest of the world.
Durham: A Self Portrait Time: 7:00 pm - Location: Griffith Film Theater "Durham: a Self-Portrait" is a documentary film on the history of one of the South?s most remarkable communities. The Durham story mirrors America's own amazing journey over the past century, in all its glory and vexation. It includes more than 70 original interviews, and rarely seen film and photo images, about the "real Durham." A city that has lived the American story of race and class, and just may once again have something to say about where we are going as a nation.
January 22, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr. Observance and Prayer Service Time: 11:30 a.m. - Location: Duke Raleigh Hospital Chapel Rev. Adrian Dixon will lead an observance and prayer service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 23, 2008
Million Meals Time: 6-8 pm, 8-10 pm - Location: North Carolina Central University This coming year on January 23rd Duke University, Durham Rotary Club, North Carolina Central University, and the international hunger relief agency Stop Hunger Now will be participating in the Million Meals project. We plan to have students from the universities work towards the goal of packaging 80,000 nourishing, dehydrated, rice-soy meals. The meals the volunteers package for Stop Hunger Now will then be sent to crisis-burdened areas and school lunch programs to feed children in developing countries such as Ghana, Bolivia, and Haiti.
January 24, 2008
Breaking the Cycle of Prejudice: Taking a Closer Look at Discrimination, Prejudice & Stereotypes Time: 12:00 Noon - Location: Room 144 - Trent Drive Hall Conference Room On April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. third grade school teacher Jane Elliot decided to change her lesson plan, and changed the lives of her all white third graders forever. In response to Dr. King's assassination, this teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town devised the controversial and startling "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" experiment by dividing her third-grade class based on eye color and giving them a daring lesson in discrimination. Come view an excerpt of the powerful film "A Class Divided" that documents the experience of these third graders and the enduring impact that this simulation had on the student's lives. Judy Seidenstein, Duke's new Director of Diversity & Equity will facilitate a conversation on this "classic" diversity film and explore the impact of The Cycle of Prejudice by identifying the roots and relationships between discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes. Join the dialog and learn what you can do to help break the cycle of prejudice. Brown Bag Lunches Welcome. Space is limited. RSVP to Jean Toomer Friday, January 18, 2008 - 681-6435 or email jean.toomer@duke.edu
"4 Little Girls" Film Screening Time: 6 p.m. - Location: Schiciano Auditorium On a Birmingham Sunday morning, September 15, 1963, while attending Sunday school, four little girls were brutally murdered when a bomb ripped through the basement of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Dead were Addie Mae Collins (14), Carole Denise McNair (11), Cynthia Wesley (14) and Carole Rosamond Robertson (14). A terrorist attack, orchestrated by Robert "Dynamite Bob" Chambliss, the bombing was one in a series of racial attacks against Black people across the country, but one that had a tremendous impact on America. Told through the eyes of people who were there--survivors, witnesses, defenders and prosecutors, this account records a senseless act whose supporters once thought they would be able to put an end to integration in Birmingham. Instead, it fueled the movement further when it robbed 4 innocent children of their lives and their place in the world. Sponsored by the Black Graduate and Professional Students Association.

Every morning at our house...

It seems like that as the weather gets colder, the kitties get much friskier. Therefore, the following video is a mild representation of what we endure each morning. This was passed onto me via e-mail, and I have no idea where it came from. If anyone knows, pass on the info so I can give the creator some credit!! ENJOY

It's beautiful

What's beautiful? Life. Today, Mike and I celebrate our two year anniversary of being together. It is an exciting day to think about the future and to reflect on all the memories. It has been a wonderful two years. Sometimes it seems like we have always been together, but every once in a while, when I learn something new about Mike, it reminds me that we are still very early into our relationship. As we celebrate 2 years today, I can't help but think about the many more years we have begun planning as well.

Also, you know what else is beautiful? This is:

photo courtesy of Grimball Jewelers
(they took this photo for us this weekend to do the appraisal)

Gorgeous. He picked such a "Michelle" ring. It is me all the way around. I don't just love it, I adore it. I can't stop looking at it. The great thing is that he can't stop looking at it either. It stands for so much and it gets us both so very excited!!! Stay tuned, folks, the planning is already in progress...

Guess what??

I have debated posting this here, as there are so many people I want to share this news with in person - so so so many people - which is proving to be quite overwhelming. So, I am going to say it here, and I promise, I can't wait to tell everyone I know in person!!!

We're engaged!!! Mike proposed on Tuesday evening, and I happily, graciously and bubbly accepted!

The moment of acceptance!

The story is such: Mike and I play trivia at the James Joyce every Tuesday, less one of us is ill or we are out of town. We have been playing for the duration of our relationship, and we can gladly claim that we now bring with us each week anywhere from 6-12 additional folks that are now trivia regulars themselves. It's a great way to spend each Tuesday evening.

This Tuesday, we went to trivia like normal, and we had a big group there - two full teams worth (12 people) plus all of our other friends who were playing on other teams. We go through trivia - nothing is amiss. Until the bonus question. At that point, Kyle says over the mic, "Friends, we have a special guest for the bonus question this evening. Mr. Mike Brady, will you please take the mic?" So Mike grabs the mic and says wonderful beautiful things to me over the microphone (hardly any of which I can remember because I was in shock), and he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I flung my arms in the air and exclaimed, "Yes, of course!!!" The bar went crazy - applause, tears, hugs and shouts of joy. It was wonderful and beautiful, and it was made doubly fantastic that we were able to share that moment with so many of our close friends. It was a beautiful moment. Since so many people were there, we got to have instant engagement party. Thanks to Jason and the James Joyce, we had champagne and a great time. We didn't win trivia, but I think won the best thing in the world - the $75 bar tab can wait :-)

More soon on the developments....

Racist Much?

Click on this link and watch the Andy Rooney clip here.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3680218n

They actually pay this man to talk on television?

Restaurant Review: Ninth Street Bakery, Durham

http://www.ninthstbakery.com/
136 East Chapel Hill St.
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 286-0303

This place is a gem in downtown Durham. Since I work in downtown, I often go out for lunch on the days when I don't want to face my leftover stirfry in the fridge, or just to get out of the office. While the number of lunch places is expanding, I only have a couple standbys. One of those two is the Ninth Street Bakery. Most folks have never seen the place - it's tricky to find. In downtown, where Main and East Chapel Hill split heading into downtown, the bakery is in the back of what appears to be a loading dock (which it is - for the bakery). You will see a sign hanging above that door, and that's where you go in. During the day it usually isn't too hard to find some on street parking next to the bakery.

In the mornings, it is a hotspot for downtown workers to grab a cup of coffee and a fresh baked scone, croissant or other pastry. At lunch time, custom made sandwiches, pizza, and some killer black bean chili are on the menu. The breads are all organic. And the smell in there is just fantastic - who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread?? Go on certain days, and "day old" bread is available for a ridiculous price.

My favorites? The Vegan sandwich (not on the menu HERE but posted in store - hummus, romaine, cucumber, red pepper and tomato) and the totally non vegan Egg Salad Sandwich. All sandwiches come with your choice of Sun Chips, potato chips or carrots. When it's chilly out, nothing beats the black bean chili. I haven't yet been able to sample the gazpacho, but I look forward to when that's in season. If you are feeling saucy, grab one of their giant cookies for dessert (I prefer to go get a cookie at 3pm when I need a last push to make it through the work day!).

One note: the bakery prefers you pay in cash, for they are evidently getting screwed by their credit card company in how much they have to pay per transaction. They still take cards, but you may get a mini lecture. It's worth it though - either pulling out the cash or getting the lecture. This little deli is fresh homegrown food that makes you full and happy!

A Quick Update

Hello, everyone! Sorry it has been a while since I have posted any text, but the holidays provided a lot of time away from the computer, and since returning, there has been lots of work to do. Here's the quick rundown on the past few weeks:

I got sick around December 19 and ended up spending half days out of work the Thursday and Friday before Mike and I left for Tampa. I got a serious cold/flu bug that really knocked me out for the count. Mike and I still headed down to Tampa on Saturday, and unfortunately for Mike, he ended up doing all the driving on the way down since I was still feeling puny. We made the trip in about 12 hours - traffic was terrible between the SC and GA border, so we ended up in a parking lot for a while.

We had an enjoyable stay in Florida. The weather was nice and warm, and I am assuming it helped me in my healing. Christmas day was very nice - Santa was very gracious to Mike, Mama Brady and myself. I got some perfume (Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise), some cool clothes (a fuzzy sweater and a velour track suit), as well as lots and lots of books (school and fun), gift cards and holiday decorations. Let's just say the car was probably more full on the way back to Durham than it was going to Florida. I missed being with my Mom and Dads, but it was also very nice to spend Christmas with Mike. It was difficult being away from him last year, and the year before I made the stupid decision to spend Christmas by myself in North Carolina (never again - I felt like it was some sort of price I needed to pay for separating from the ex - let me tell ya, Christmas by yourself in that circumstance was the loneliest feeling I have ever had....anyway).

We left Florida the morning of Friday, Dec 28 and headed to Atlanta to spend some time with Ed, Amy and Owen. I am so glad we decided to make this side trip. Mike and I had a wonderful time playing with Owen, and I think he enjoyed his time with "Uncle Mike and Aunt Michelle." It was also just as wonderful to spend quality time with Ed and Amy - chatting about the past and the exciting future (the arrival of the next Baby Grega!). We left with heavy hearts on Saturday morning, but we were soon cheered by a visit to Ikea. Mike and I managed to fill up the rest of the remaining space in the car with our Ikea finds, and we made the trip back to Durham.

Upon our arrival in Durham, we found that the kitties were VERY mad at us, and Scout had begun to use our bed as his personal litterbox. LOVELY. Luckily, everything was washed and repaired, but we learned one heck of a lesson on that one. It was back to work for the both of us on Monday, but luckily we had Kyle's awesome NYE party to look forward to (see the last post for pictures from that event). We had a great (and late) time at the party, getting home well into 2008 - about 4 hours into the New Year! January 1 was spent in recovery, and Mike and I both finished the work week.

Wrapping up this week was planning benchmarks for my Masters project. I have to have my final unbound draft turned in no later than April 8, 2008, and my exit interview is scheduled for April 18, 2008. That means I have about 13 weeks to crank out my Masters project. YIKES. That is scary. Hence, this weekend will be spent rearranging my office to be in the best shape possible for writing. From here on out, Sundays are dedicated to school. School and laundry. Trust me, that's not the ONLY day I will be working on the paper, but that will be the big chunk weekly that I will sit down to really crank some stuff out. Wish me luck.

That's it for now, folks. More photos from the trip coming soon - promise!

Happy New Year's!

Here's a big thanks to Kyle for hosting an amazing New Year's party. And since my head is banging with the remnants of champagne in my blood, we will just let the photos speak for themselves. Here's to 2008 - it will be fantastic!!!!

Monkey Madness

Hi, all - Mike and I have been in Tampa and Atlanta, only returning yesterday. I will post some photos and some stories in the next day or so, but in the meantime, I wanted to share a great skit from "The State" that Mike and I often quote. We quote it even more since I received this awesome peeler for Christmas.

Enjoy :-)

A Night at the Nasher

Last night was Duke's Arts & Sciences Holiday Party at the Nasher Museum. Lauren graciously invited me as her date. Here's the photo proof of our lovely evening. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: NO ART WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THESE PHOTOS

Some holiday pictures

Here are a few pics from 2007 holiday parties - Lauren and I are off to yet another one this evening at the Nasher Museum, so I am sure there will be more pics to come!!!

A trip to the Doctor

At my last dentist visit, my doctor spied something strange on my panoramic X-Ray. He said my right sinus looked like it had a polyp. He recommended I travel to an Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor and have it checked out. I didn't like the sound of having a polyp in my face, so I made an appointment to get it checked out. Last Friday, I had my meet-up with the Dr at Duke. Wow, that was an experience.

I have never been to an ENT doctor, so you can say I was slightly surprised when the first act of procedure was to shoot a numbing agent up my nose. Why on earth did they need to numb my nose? What were they going to do to me?

After letting the numbing take effect, Dr. Jackass came in the room with his Indian resident. Dr. Jackass mispronounced Indian doctor's name at least twice - was correct at least twice by Indian doctor - and barely acknowledged that he had addressed her completely incorrect. Anyway, this guy must have missed bedside manner day in med school. He proceeded to say my dentist was an idiot and that there was no polyp on my sinus. He then jammed a camera up my right nostril and down my throat (I nearly fainted at this point - really. I was seeing little colors, getting all sweaty and very very woozy. Thanks to relaxation and some self-hypnotism techniques I learned a few years ago, I kept conscious.) Then he said the three words anyone loves to hear at the doctor. "That looks bad. " A few sentences later he popped out with the one word that can beat out the first three - cancer.

WHAT? This is the second time I have had this happen at Duke. Something strange happens to me, and the doctor starts to prepare me for cancer. Is that REALLY necessary??? Anyway, folks, if you are worried, I am guessing I do NOT have cancer. My left tonsil is abnormally large, and I have had recurring problems since I was a kid with my tonsils. Well, evidently my left one decided to get big at some point and stay that way. Dr. Jackass doesn't like the way it looks, and he thinks I need to have my tonsils pulled out of my throat.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about adult tonsillectomy:
Tonsillectomy in adults is more painful than in children, although each patient will have a different experience. In adults it can be extremely painful often referred to as more painful than child birth. Post-operative recovery can take from 10 up to 20 days, during which narcotic analgesics are typically prescribed.

Worse than childbirth???? Oh goodness. And 10-20 days recovery means at least one week off work, and possibly two. Normally this would be great, except I am at a new job where I had to sweet talk to get the week of Christmas off. I DO NOT want to have this surgery.

So, I'm going to get a second opinion. I'm going to make an appointment with a non - Dr. Jackass, and I will see what he or she has to say. If they say I should do it, I just may have to go through with the procedure. I'll keep you updated on that.

In the meantime though, I got a cool little toy at the doctor - a nose flushing kit!!! You know that in many parts of Asia, flushing your nose is as routine as brushing your teeth? I also learned at the doctor that I have very tiny nasal passages were also hindered by a rather deviated septum. He said that by practicing nasal irrigation, it will help me feel better. So, I'm working on making it part of my routine. Sounds weird, but so far it's helping. Aren't you glad you know that about me????

Now I just have to write it...

I learned today that my new project proposal has been approved. I successfully registered for my final semester of graduate school - WOO HOO! I'm not posting the new proposal for a bit, as I do not want to jinx this success. If you guys want to read it, I will post it - but I don't want to bore my readership to death :-)

How to be Happy - a Step by Step Guide

Well, not exactly - but today at work, we had our annual health and wellness fair. Besides all the cool freebies (bags, snacks, first aid supplies, etc), there was a booth for our mental health provider. They had a flier on the table entitled: Tips on Keys to Happiness. I thought the 8 tips were pretty nice questions to ask yourself. We're nearing the end of the year - are you happy? Do you want to be happier in 2008? These may be some good things to keep in mind (my comments are in parenthesis and are completely unofficial guides to happiness courtesy of ME):

"Happiness is the result of our living according to a set of values, being content with ourselves and our place in life, and having the ability to overcome significant life problems. The following are some of the habits of 'truly successful' people.

Those who have learned how to make themselves happy:

1. View life as a challenge and change as an opportunity.
2. Have a deep sense of commitment to what is important to them.
3. Feel empowered to the extent that they can at least influence every situation.
4. Deal with problems directly and creatively.
5. Nurture supportive relationships and surround themselves with positive people.
6. Maintain a sense of balance by taking time for all areas of life.
7. Live a higher sense of purpose by standing for something important to them."

It's an interesting way to assess what's going on for you, isn't it? Are you committed to something in life? A cause? Your family? Do you have good coping skills? Do you feel empowered? Something to think about folks.....it's your life, so go live it. Don't let it just happen to you - be a force to be reckoned with.

Coolest movie poster in a long long time???

The thanks on this one goes 100% to Becky - thank you for sending it to me!!!

Here I go again.....

... so I found out my proposal wasn't totally "approved" by the program for my final project. It was, but it wasn't. I have to submit a new statement of purpose, but my adviser and I agreed that rewriting the proposal was the way to go - I want to have a strong document in place when I start writing.

Therefore, I am going to dedicate my writing energies to that rather than to the blog. Will be back soon....

A different type of quiz

Thanks for this, Darrah!

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?

1. Produce: tomato
2. Bakery: cheese danish
3. Meat: I'll just pocket the money ;-)
4. Frozen: red baron 4-cheese pizza
5. Dry goods: jasmine rice


Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?

(I assume I'm already wearing some clothes?)
1. black dress
2. white button down shirt
3. nice jeans


If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?

1. No problem
2. sweet
3. awesome
4. cool
5. no way

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?

1. Eat a good lunch
2. Get at least 6 hours sleep
3. See Mike

You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?

1. someone riding my bumper
2. someone with their turn signal on and no turn offs anywhere in sight
3. someone going more than 5 miles below the speed limit


Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?

1. napping
2. shopping at the mall
3. cleaning house
4. getting the stuff to make an awesome meal
5. watching a sappy girl movie


We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?

1. Elephants

2. bats

3. the largest fish exhibit the zoo has


You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?

1. I Love New York (hell yeah!)
2. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (he has to take me with him)
3. Good Eats (great choice, Darrah!)
4. 30 Rock (I wanna be Tina Fey!!!)

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?

1. Vanilla
2. Chocolate
3. Strawberry

(They put them all in one package for a reason....)


Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?

1. A collection of theater ticket stubs in a Chicago ticketmaster envelope stuff behind my checkbook
2. a list of Mike's shoe and clothing sizes
3. my Burt's Bees chapstick
4. my green iPod mini
5. crushed up coupons for paper towels


You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?

1. animal care
2. economist (I could help fix the world :p )
3. mathematician ( you would know lots of cool stuff)
4. trivia quiz writer


If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?

1. Get in a routine of working out.
2. You won't always be able to eat like this - control your portion sizes!
3. Keep your pants on - sure, it's fun, but it comes with a lot of baggage.
4. Even if you fail, you really will learn from it and probably be thankful for the experience later.

Professor Warren Lerner 1929-2007

UPDATE: Obituary is posted here - http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/print.cfm?type=obituary&o_id=168174&fh_id=10877&s_id=8304E690667C8835085A916FA5260BF4

I just received word that one of my Professors in the MALS Program, Dr. Warren Lerner, passed away yesterday. Going to his class was always like going to "storytime." Professor Lerner would give a 2 hour lecture with no notes on the history of communism and tell it with such fervor that you would think he was actually there. The loss of Professor Lerner is saddening to the students of Duke University and the wider academic community. Peace to his family and friends. I received some info about his passing, and some excerpts are here.

"Warren was a pillar of the history and Slavic studies communities at Duke
and in the Triangle since he was first appointed at Duke in 1961. During
his four-and-a-half decades at Duke, Warren served as chair of the Duke
History Department and as a member of the Policy Committee of the Center for
Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies from its inception. In addition
to Warren's extraordinary contributions to the Department of History and
CSEEES, his years of teaching for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and
Focus programs and for the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies forever
changed the shape of those units, their faculties, and students.

An author of many notable books and articles on 20th century Soviet history,
Warren Lerner was a leading scholar and teacher who supervised dozens of
doctoral students, many of whom now teach at universities throughout North
America. To the thousands of undergraduate and graduate students he taught
during his long tenure at Duke, Warren was a gifted, generous, engaging
teacher.

For those of us who had the privilege to work with Warren Lerner, he is
simply irreplaceable. Warren was a generous and kind friend and colleague
to so many of us; his impact on our lives will never be forgotten. In the
dictionary, next to the word "mensch" you'll see a picture of Warren Lerner.
He will be sorely missed.

We invite anyone who would like to share their thoughts and remembrances of
Warren with us to send an email to mnewcity@duke.edu. We will post them on
our web site. "


From: Edna Andrews and Michael Newcity
Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
Duke University