Joe Cash is dead. Joe used that sentence when he wrote about his friend, Cato Valandra. That blunt statement puzzled me over the last four years; I never asked him why he wrote it like that. Now I realize it was his style--blunt, straightforward, and to the point. Allow me to share reflections about my inimitable friend, Joe Cash. He never left the Institute. His books, papers, memorabilia, pictures, and stories about him are here. A walk down the hall to the American Indian Research Project/South Dakota Oral History Project offices is a reminder of his vision. He never left the campus, community, or region. Colleagues share their thoughts about the Dean with little prompting. For those who took time to get beyond his gruff exterior, their reward was finding a kind, gentle man whose pragmatism was balanced with sensitivity. His views on campus affairs, though not always understood nor appreciated, were broad and pervasive, and his foresight is ongoing. He fought for an Indian presence on campus when being for Indians was not fashionable. When you attend the Tiospaye Club's Annual Wacipi in the DakotaDome, remember Joe Cash who, working with Steve Emery, brought that dream into reality. Women's rights in academia are now being realized in part due to his efforts of support and encouragement, and women are taking their rightful place not only in the classroom but also in administrative roles. And yes, I have some personal reminisces. We are both former Marines and maybe that is why he always reminded me that I needed a haircut. Dissertation? Just get it done. Why did we always give him elephants? In exchange for jelly beans and western movies? Tickets to Coyote ball games--always available if he were not using his. Straight, unembellished answers to sometimes anguished questions, that was his style. And you know, I am happy because we will meet again, for the United States Marine Corps made this promise to us: because we served our time in hell, our reward will be guarding St. Peter's Pearly Gates. Salute, my Friend! Semper Fidelis! Leonard R. Bruguier [Reprinted from The Bulletin, Institute of American Indian Studies, Summer/Fall, 1991] Return to A Tradition of Scholarly Pursuit Return to Institute mainpage 2 November 1999, lrb
He never left the Institute. His books, papers, memorabilia, pictures, and stories about him are here. A walk down the hall to the American Indian Research Project/South Dakota Oral History Project offices is a reminder of his vision. He never left the campus, community, or region. Colleagues share their thoughts about the Dean with little prompting. For those who took time to get beyond his gruff exterior, their reward was finding a kind, gentle man whose pragmatism was balanced with sensitivity.
His views on campus affairs, though not always understood nor appreciated, were broad and pervasive, and his foresight is ongoing. He fought for an Indian presence on campus when being for Indians was not fashionable. When you attend the Tiospaye Club's Annual Wacipi in the DakotaDome, remember Joe Cash who, working with Steve Emery, brought that dream into reality. Women's rights in academia are now being realized in part due to his efforts of support and encouragement, and women are taking their rightful place not only in the classroom but also in administrative roles.
And yes, I have some personal reminisces. We are both former Marines and maybe that is why he always reminded me that I needed a haircut. Dissertation? Just get it done. Why did we always give him elephants? In exchange for jelly beans and western movies? Tickets to Coyote ball games--always available if he were not using his. Straight, unembellished answers to sometimes anguished questions, that was his style. And you know, I am happy because we will meet again, for the United States Marine Corps made this promise to us: because we served our time in hell, our reward will be guarding St. Peter's Pearly Gates.
Return to A Tradition of Scholarly Pursuit Return to Institute mainpage
2 November 1999, lrb
