Juniata Professors Find their Heartsong
Valentine's Day is approaching, and lots of love and romance is starting to fill the air. Everyone celebrates Valentine's Day in his or her own special fashion, and one way to express it is through a heart-warming love song. We asked several Juniata professors for favorite Valentine's Day music, and quickly realized that faculty really are concerned with more than just books and exams. Here's some selected faculty picks:
David Reingold, Professor of Chemistry
"Time in a Bottle," by Jim Croce, and "Just You 'n' Me," by Chicago. Both songs were spoken at my wedding.
David Hutto, Assistant Professor of English
I'll choose "Pretty in Pink," by the Psychedelic Furs, which I really like just because I love that band, but I'll claim that it's because pink is a Valentine's Day color. And I'll ignore the fact that I think Valentine's Day is a stupid holiday. I once read a cranky discussion of Valentine's Day on a Russian website, and the writer called it (I'm translating his term) "All Idiots' Day." I kind of liked the new name.
Janet Lewis, Associate Professor of Philosophy
"You Don't Send Me Flowers," by Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond.
Henry Thurston-Griswold, Professor of Spanish
One love song which has a particularly warm place in my heart is "Joanna," by Kool and the Gang. It was very popular and often played on the radio while I was living and working in Costa Rica back in 1984. It so happens that my girlfriend at that time, who is now my wife, is named Joanne, so every time I heard the opening line of "Joanna, I love you. You're the one, the one for me...," I would remember my distant sweetheart and long for the day that we would be reunited.
Deb Kirchhof-Glazier, Professor of Biology
"Valentine," by Martina McBride. The first part, the ineffable, is very significant to me ("If there were no words, no way to speak, I would still hear you"). That covers a lot of ground, even between partners when one of them has died.
Christopher Bender '10, Student Reporter