Chris Gunn '84 turns out to be a treasure trove of Davidsoniana. He's been in Flagstaff since the turn of the century, directing the Counseling and Testing Center at Northern Arizona University, a mile from his house near downtown. He's clearly a globally civic-minded person, doing what he can to act locally. For example, he converted the 1973 gas-burner furnaces in his home, even though the windows are single-paned. And he replaced the water-intensive grass yard with volcanic pebbles and a naturalized plant mix. Recently, his production company, Shot By Gunn, produced this montage of public art in Flagstaff, Public Art Personalized, with music by his Davidson classmate Pat Donley.
Chris has planted maple trees along with his roses, fire poker flowers (right), and low-growing indigenous purple flowers.
Over coffee---my coffee, since Chris never learned to drink it even after during a year JYA France---wait, did you say JYA France? Me, too! That would be why I recognized the name but not so much the face, when Chris responded to my blast e-mail to westward alumni some months back: we were only on campus at the same time for one year, my freshman, his sophomore. And of course, there was the Pat Donley/Malcolm Campbell connection. Those two '84 classmates befriended me as an overflow freshman living on a sophomore hall. Pat makes his career as an artist and musician, Malcolm as a bio professor and go-to genomics guy at Davidson. Malcolm's married to my JYA classmate, Susan Kaufmann Campbell '85.
"The worlds are small," says Chris, "especially if you're connected to Presbyterians, to Davidson College, or God forbid, JYA France."
And if you have a box of photographs with friends like Malcolm in their graduate-school days at Johns Hopkins.
Malcolm Campbell having a happy birthday... overall.
Those of us of Chris's vintage might remember the psych-major projectionist who had his own fledgling production company, under the formal and informal auspices of Ed Palmer, Ruth Pittard, and the College Union. Today, Chris calls in to work to say he has had an unexpected houseguest and will be a little late, all the while popping in a DVD conversion of a video he made at Davidson. The conceit is he's flipping channels (manually, no remote), and then inserting commentary and skits, the most notable being Kenny Wilson '84 spoofing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in a bra and skirt. Weird, the day after Michael Jackson has died. Moving on, then.
One last Davidson story, Chris says. Soon after he moved here, he met a woman named Malene, who works in community theatre, of which Chris is an aficionado. They struck up a conversation about her current production of revolving doors, which discussion revealed that she had gotten help via the Internet on a thorny set problem from none other than Davidson's own Joe Gardner.
The worlds are small. And the Grand Canyon, my next stop, is huge. Thanks for the hospitality, Chris!
Yes'm done done. Had to, thermostat gauge said so after 115-degree trip across the Hoover Dam. I took a civil engineering picture of the new bridge there for you! Safe and sound and having coffee with good Rich this morning, Tuesday. Love, John
I couldn't have said it better myself!
Thanks a lot, John. A great story. I'm so glad you've had the opportunity to visit Chris. He and I "go back a fur piece," and he truly inspires us all to embrace life fully and give back more than we take in our fleeting walk on this planet.
Warm best,
Ed
It was my pleasure, John! Not only were you and Dodger easy guests, tripping down memory lane was great fun. It was intriguing to compare our similar and different DC and JYA experiences. Clearly, Montpellier was pivotal for us both.
Best wishes for your continued trek across the country.
-Chris
Son, you better slow that ragtop down, you heah me? Mom
Fabulous picture of the Young Malcolm!