A tribute to Dr Joanne Guilfoil

Just before the holidays it was my pleasure to MC a retirement dinner in honor of Professor Joanne Guilfoil. While prudence demands that we not share the video of the proceedings which included a performance by the Not Ready for C&I Players, we did want to acknowledge Joanne's service here at KSN&C.

Congratulations Joanne.

A tribute to
Dr Joanne Kurz Guilfoil
On the occasion of her Retirement
Eastern Kentucky University
December 2008

by Richard Day

Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen.

My name is Richard Day and on behalf of the department of Curriculum & Instruction, I’d like to welcome you to this evening’s ceremonies.

Being kinda new here, I have only recently gotten to know Joanne Guilfoil. But it turns out, we were almost old friends. At least, we knew a lot of the same people as undergrads at UK around 1970.

I’ve never been a speaker at an institute of art before - and I’m a little nervous. I’m not sure how these right-brained geniuses think, let alone celebrate. I mean, I was in the gallery earlier, and I heard a couple of professors discussing the pseudo-Zen pretentiousness of a painting’s underlying visual metaphor. Well, I started to think this was going to be a serious affair.

But then there’s the beach theme - in December. And I hear there’s a skit. So maybe this holiday/retirement celebration is simply another visual metaphor. We can all visualize that we are at the beach! – but we’re not.

But I don’t want the fact that I haven’t known Joanne very long to worry you. I’ve done some research. This being a university - I thought y’all’d appreciate that.

Well, my evidence suggests that Dr Guilfoil likes to keep busy.

• 66 in-services
• 2 Institutes
• 33 Exhibitions
• 15 Articles
• 8 Book Reviews
• 7 Book Chapters
• she wrote 7 Books – published 4
• presented 49 lectures & papers
• 4 video Productions
• a dissertation
• and a boat-load of service

The Kentucky Art Education Association recognized Joanne on several occasions:

• Art Educator of the Year
• Higher Education Achievement Award
• Marion Q. Dix Leadership Award

And Joanne has been recognized by the National Art Education Association, the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky and the Washington County Bicentennial Associations and the Lexington Fire Department, as well.

My research was going fine until I discovered that tonight’s honoree has been carrying a heavy burden – lo these many years - a terrible secret that could have cost her her job at Eastern.

I was really torn about whether tonight was the right time to share anything potentially embarrassing. And I wouldn’t normally do it, but we’re running out of time. She’s outta here – like - Wednesday.

But first – who is this colleague of ours?

Joanne was born in Yonkers, NY - and raised in Westchester County because her father worked in NYC.

Her lofty academic credentials hide the fact that Joanne was not a good student in public school. Even now, she ominously tells her students, “You’re gonna have a kid like me.”

Elementary school was not fun for Joanne. She felt stupid because she couldn’t read. Unfortunately, in her school system, nobody asked - and she didn’t tell. She got away with turning in the same book report for three years. But in 6th grade she tried that again and her male teacher said, “Kurz! Get up here.” He made her read Pippi Longstockings. Worse; she had to sit with her mother who signed off on each chapter. By 7th grade she was reading.

But Joanne had gotten off to a slow start in kindergarten: tonsils out - sick a lot - broken arm. In first grade she was hit by car. I’m not sure if this provides any insight into Joanne’s independent personality but she told me the story:

Her mother was holding her little brother in her arms while crossing a busy street, and told Joanne, “Hold on to my coat.” As Joanne tells it - “How boring is that? So I ran ahead and got nailed.”

A year later the family car was hit by a Mack truck – literally.

She says, it’s just possible she suffered a little head trauma.

“Even though they didn’t diagnose people in those days…I’ve always had way more energy along with “The attitude.” She gets bored easily, and needs to be up - doing…She thinks it’s from being hit.

So Joanne grew up as something of a scamp. That’s not a technical term of course. Today some professor might call her a pseudo-Zen attention-deficit hyperactive kinesthetic learner with oppositional tendencies. Or not.

Dad worked for General Foods so the family grew up on test kitchen food….powdered milk, 1,2,3 Jell-O. One day Dad brought home some hamburgers to grill that were – just too perfect somehow. They turned out to be Gaines Burgers.

The family moved to suburban Maryland in the early 60s where she and her brother - tormented her little sister, Julie. For example, while Mom was shopping, their favorite trick to play on their little sister was to leave her in the middle of the block while Joanne and her brother would race down the sidewalk in opposite directions and run around the corner – Then they would peek back around the building and watch the poor little thing melt down. We were hoping Julie would be with us this evening, but her therapist said she was not quite ready to travel.

You see, Joanne was not a girly-girl. Boys didn’t like her because she could beat them up…hit a ball farther, kick a kick ball farther and in dodge ball, she says, “I could knock you out…”

So cotillion was a mixed success. It seemed like nobody wanted to dance with her. Finally one boy agreed and they dance well together, but in the process she unwittingly broke the color barrier in the dance hall, much to the chagrin or some of the adults.

It was roughly around the time her parents offered her a horse in exchange for straight A’s - that Joanne became a scholar. She was also an athlete.

Now I’ll bet that when you think about the outing of a CIA agent – the names Robert Novak or Scooter Libby come to mind – from the Valarie Plame affair. Let me suggest another name: Joanne Kurz.
One day she and another basketball player got permission to paint the school mascot - a Bulldog - on the school parking lot. But they thought that wasn’t dramatic enough. So they changed the plan – without consulting anyone - and decided instead to paint CLASS OF 1967 on the second floor wall of the high school - in letters that were 1’ wide and 10 ‘ tall – so that they could be read from far away. Cool plan huh?

They had just finished the CLA when the county police arrived to arrest them. But a school counselor convinced the authorities to allow the girls to try to clean off the oil-based exterior paint. And try they did. They had just finished removing the horizontal part of the L with gasoline and brooms when they were stopped. It seems the fumes caused the tar roof to melt and drip down the wall. When they quit - a huge CIA was left behind - this in suburban Washington DC.

A little time away from school - lots of negotiations about Honor Society and graduation - some money got paid - some sand blasting got done - and Joanne was off the hook.

But the other girl was never seen again! Really.

It was embarrassing when the local paper published a picture of CIA on the side of the school. And it was surprising when the Washington Post picked up the story and republished the photo. But it was totally shocking to learn that the other girls father, actually worked for the CIA.

Oops. Who Knew?

Joanne graduated, got a scholarship and moved on to UK because of the Art Department, women’s basketball and 2 race tracks.

It was the late '60s and college campuses were transitioning from panty raids to political activism. It was a time of hippies, Kent State and campus unrest. Joanne participated in her own way. ‘Nuf said.

Actually Joanne and I shared some of that experience at UK and knew many of the same people. We remember well the sit-ins, the tear gas, the ROTC building.

She hung out at the architecture school and through those connections she met a firefighter from Scott Co, who ultimately introduced her to John.

She completed her graduate work at Oregon and returned to Kentucky with a Ph D, $30, two dogs and no job. But that changed…

Joanne has worked in lots of places doing lots of things:

• fixing old lacquered wooden and brass transit boxes surveyors used in the 70’s
• Helped build a geodesic dome
• Worked at the Red Mile
• Fayette County Public Schools Instructional Materials Center
• conducted activities for handicapped individuals at the Stewart Home School
• She taught Art at St Pauls; in Eugene Oregon; The Lexington School; Sayre; UK; University of Oregon; a School in Alaska, Eastern Elementary in Georgetown; UK again - and since 1989 EKU.

And Joanne has spent the last couple of years volunteering at the VA – in the Psych Ward. Go figure.
I suppose a few words should be said about her art. Dr Guilfoil moved from surrealism to Photorealism sometimes working on rather large pieces – perhaps not the size of a high school – but large.

She sold her first painting to character actor Kevin McCarthy. (You’d know him if you saw him. Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Love Boat) She sold it for for $500. It was a 4X4 acrylic on plywood of a flower.

Her influences? Mostly very Whole-Earthy 60’s philosophical pieces that encourage us to see the world from under the belly of a buffalo. And, ….Sit there long enough to watch things change. Be in the moment.

She’s presently re-reading “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” but she doesn’t want to get to the end…because she knows what happens.

Her books show the connection between art and architecture.

• American Architects
• From the Ground Up
• Built Environment in Art Education
• Places and Spaces in Art

Personally, I’d love to get a look at Kentucky School Architecture 1900-1945

Now at the end of this phase of her journey, Joanne seems at peace with her memories and her loves. Her favorite place is The Ravine which her office window overlooks. She fondly remembers campus events …the Madrigal dinner…Caberet with her children…

Now she’s going to teach art in Florida…just west of St Petersburg.….and help young children learn to read before 7th grade…while watching the tides… and her crab traps on Boca Ciega Bay. “I think I have enough to do,” she says.

She’ll laugh when she tells you she’s going to the Causeway Village Retirement Home…pink and white - with plastic pelicans on the sign. After 20 years of communing, she plans to park the car and jump on her new 3-wheeler.

As for her time at Eastern: “It’s been a good ride,” she says. “I almost left more than once. I’m glad I stayed. It’s always been a gorgeous campus. Our department has been a good group of people to work with.”

For example, when her son Gabe was going through a rough time in middle school, Dr Ramsey helped him out by commissioning a painting – The Titanic – which still hangs in the departmental office. Apparently, this enterprising youth was in trouble with his parents for creating his own domain name on the internet and having them billed for it. So the commission saved his back side with his father.

But as I mentioned, Joanne has carried a terrible burden for all these years.

I must report that she lied in her employment interview with Eastern. Kelly Thompson asked her point blank: “Are you just going to be here two years and use EKU as a stepping stone?”

She told him she wasn’t going anywhere. And that was a lie.

“At the time, John was at the fire department with 9 years to go - and the kids were little. I didn’t intend on staying. I liked my job. But I had been at UK and I planned on going back,” she told me.

So there it is. Joanne’s secret - was a lie. But unknown to her at the time - it was also the true. She stayed. And we’re better for it.

“I’m glad I stayed. It’s been wonderful. I raised my kids here in this building. I hope Dr Ramsey will be proud of them." And Anna and Gabe – I’m sure she is.

On behalf of the College of Education and the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, it is my honor to publicly thank you for your service – to the university – to the field of art education – to the to the thousands of students you taught - and lives you touched.