Author: admin

Posted on

Amigos para siempre

de Pedro Alvarez de Miranda y Pura Silgo

Lo nuestro empezó en 1984. Pedro y David se habían conocido dos años antes en Bolonia, en un congreso sobre el siglo XVIII, y enseguida conectaron (el tris de pasta del restaurante Diana hizo mucho), pero la relación entre los tres tuvo que esperar dos años, y sucedió en Madrid una noche de primavera. A partir de ese momento todo fue fácil; las visitas de David a Madrid eran muy frecuentes y, si al comienzo nuestro amigo americano se quedaba en hoteles, en la Residencia de Estudiantes o en casas prestadas, poco a poco el Parador de Reina Mercedes (no hay que olvidar su afición inconmensurable a estos hoteles españoles) fue su lugar de hospedaje favorito y en donde nosotros tres le recibíamos con los brazos abiertos.

Y digo tres porque Irene, nuestra única hija, desde muy pequeñita descubrió con David que también se puede tener amigos adultos con los que hablar y hablar, además de jugar. Los días que él pasaba en Madrid eran una fiesta para la pequeñaja, que miraba a nuestro barbudo y delgado amigo con un arrobamiento indescriptible. Cuando estaba aquí David, hacíamos excursiones, salíamos a comer y/o a cenar, íbamos al cine… y eso que el profesor Gies venía normalmente “a trabajar”.


Hemos recorrido juntos muchas zonas de España en nuestro Opel Corsa rojo de dos puertas y sin aire acondicionado, aunque el viaje fuera en un sofocante mes de julio del 92 a la Expo de Sevilla.

Miles de anécdotas, casi siempre divertidas, se agolpan en nuestro recuerdo y cuando nos entra la nostalgia las hacemos aflorar en una celebración continua de la amistad.

También nos tocó a nosotros cruzar el charco y viajar a Virginia. Estuvimos unos días en casa de David, conociendo a los perros, a los amigos, el entorno… y luego empezamos la aventura de llegar hasta Orlando en coche. Lo hicimos en varias etapas y pasamos por estados muy distintos entre sí, pero en todos nos daban muy cordialmente la bienvenida. Por fin, llegamos a Orlando y allí fue la apoteosis de la diversión. Lo vimos todo, anduvimos por todas partes y David e Irene se montaron como dos niños de la misma edad en todas las atracciones con gran entusiasmo. Como muestra de ello, aquí quedan unas fotos:

Todo esto sucedía en el año 1993.

A partir de entonces, hemos viajado de aquí para allá con o sin Irene, con o sin Janna, por Europa, por América, y siempre hemos constatado el valor de la amistad. David siempre está ahí, cercano, sonriente, tranquilizador, bondadoso, vitalista, generoso con su tiempo y con su persona, disponible, presente en todos los acontecimientos importantes que en estos cerca de 40 años hemos vivido unos y otros.

Por lo tanto, si alguien quiere saber qué es la amistad, cómo se fragua y se mantiene, que busque a este señor en Virginia o en un barco por los océanos o en un Parador, entable conversación con él, procure que lleve el iPhone y le pida al camarero que les saque una foto, y casi con toda probabilidad pronto se hará una idea de lo que es un amigo. 
Pedro, Irene y Pura
Madrid, enero 2018.

 

Posted on

David T. Gies – What a CADSS!

By Reginald H. Garrett

Let me add my voice to the praise coming to David. David and I became friends through common interest in the Semester at Sea (SAS) program. David was, if not the first, certainly the most enthusiastic, faculty advocate for this sea-borne study abroad program when it came to the University of Virginia. I, on the other hand, was an outspoken skeptic. Then, in December, 2006, Provost Gene Block, after repeated entreaties, persuaded me to visit the SAS ship, the MV Explorer, in Nassau, the Bahamas, in early 2007. I confess to being susceptible to any sort of nautical adventure, particularly in the tropics in the dead of winter. I was immediately smitten with the ship and the notion that shipboard education could resurrect Jefferson’s ideal of an Academical Village where students and faculty live and learn together. Meantime,
David was making concrete steps to elevate awareness about the academic potentials SAS offers. One of his most significant contributions was the establishment of an informal committee consisting of past, present and future SAS Academic Deans, which were, by UVA’s agreement with the Institute of Shipboard Education, drawn from UVA faculty. Relying on the silly wit in which he sometimes revels, he dubbed this committee CADSS (Committee of Academic Deans for Semester at Sea). CADSS was an unsanctioned but very effective body that mentored new deans, partnered with ISE, reviewed and revised the SAS curriculum, and instilled a new sense of comradery across
the Grounds. As successive Academic Deans recruited instructors for semester-long voyages from the UVA faculty ranks, many boarded the ship as skeptics and returned as apostles. Of course, David was the perennial chair of CADSS, but of course, he was always the best choice. My interactions with David led to a friendship I cherish. Among many memorable moments was flying with David and Janna from Lima to Cuzco and on to Machu Picchu by train. I send them warmest wishes as they begin their retirement years. Knowing them, I know their path will be bound by the sentiment of  Constantine P. Cavalfy’s poem Ithaca, an homage to Homer’s Odessey — May there still be many a summer morning when, with such pleasure, such joy, you come into harbors seen for the first time… Hopefully, your voyage will last for years, so that you are (really, really) old by the time you reach the island, even wealthier in heart and mind with all you have newly gained on the way.
Reginald H. Garrett
Emeritus Professor of Biology

Posted on

David Gies: Foodie for the Ages

By Roberta Johnson, Emerita, University of Kansas and UCLA

Gracious, gallant, and generous are three adjectives that come readily to mind when I think of David Gies. David has the knack for recognizing and promoting talent in others, as his students have amply testified. My career owes much to David (for example, the opportunity to serve on the Executive Committee of the PCC [Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain’s Ministry of Culture and US Universities], which led to our both being inducted into the Order of Isabel la Católica), but this message is about David and not about me. Others of David’s wonderful qualities that do not fit the “g” alliteration include smart, fun, and savvy about good food. Since I have had the good fortune to share many culinary experiences with David, I will concentrate on that aspect of his conviviality. Over the years, I have dined with David (and often Janna too) at MLA, AIH, and PCC meetings, each researched and organized by David in the most diverse locations. Each meal was a memorable occasion with appreciation of great cooking laced with lively conversation. Not only is David an astute detective at finding the best restaurants in any locale, he is himself a consummate chef. He produced a to-die-for dinner at his lovely Charlottesville “estate” when he organized the annual PCC meeting at the University of Virginia in 2005.

In addition, I especially remember the cozy Paris restaurant David scoured out at the 2007 AIH meetings where we dined with Harriet Turner, Pedro Alvarez de Miranda, and his wife Pura.

David was instrumental in my being invited to join the Executive Committee of the PCC, which led to our being awarded the Order of Isabel la Católica in 2007 in a ceremony at the Spanish Ambassador’s residence in Washington DC.

David Gies, Harriet Turner, Roberta Johnson, George Greenia Washington DC 2007

When Pedro Álvarez de Miranda was inducted into the Real Academia de la Lengua in 2011, we had a dinner to honor Pedro at the legendary Zalacaín. The group included Pedro, Pura, their daughter and her husband, David, and Rosa Montero.


The reception after Pedro’s investiture was held at the Residencia de Estudiantes where David, Harriet Turner, and I spent many happy hours drinking and chatting when we met in Madrid for the PCC meetings.

Roberta Johnson, Pedro Alvarez de Miranda and David Gies

David was a huge hit when he came to UCLA to give the prestigious Mathews lecture, and of course the occasion offered several opportunities for meals with southern California colleagues.

With Maarten Van Delden, Jesús Torrecilla, Roberta Johnson, Maite Zubiaurre, Teo Ruiz and David.

With Robert Ellis, Paul , Maite Zubiaurre, and Lisa Vollendorf

And just to prove that it wasn’t all just eating with David (there was plenty of culture too), I end with David and Janna at the Getty Museum in Brentwood.

Roberta Johnson

Posted on

Amigo David

de Rafael Benjumea

Amigo David,

Son ya muchos los años desde que nos conocemos, y muchas las veces que hemos coincidido. Siempre he sentido contigo esa conexión fácil que es la base de toda amistad. Para la Fundación Duques de Soria que me honro en presidir siempre has sido un gran amigo y siempre has dado tu apoyo cuando ha sido preciso. Sabemos bien que la amistad es necesariamente recíproca, y la que siento hacia ti la comparto con los Duques de Soria (la Infanta Doña Margarita y su marido el Duque de Soria), que tanto afecto te tienen.

Podría recordar alguna de las muchas veces que nos hemos encontrado, en España y fuera de España. Pero me referiré especialmente a lo mucho que hemos hablado seriamente, y también a lo mucho que nos hemos reído juntos, en Asambleas de la Asociación Internacional de Hispanistas de la que ahora eres Presidente de Honor: eso -como el homenaje- es porque te estás haciendo mayor, por culpa de los años y de la buena salud. Estuvimos juntos en Madrid con los Reyes de España y los Duques de Soria, en Nueva York con los Duques de Soria, en Monterrey con el Rey Felipe VI, entonces Príncipe de Asturias, en París con los Duques de Soria y en Roma con el Duque de Soria.

Pero sobre todo fue muy importante para mí acompañarte en Buenos Aires en 2013, donde tuve la doble satisfacción de verte elegido Presidente por tus colegas hispanistas de todo el mundo, y de asistir al acuerdo de la Asamblea de hispanistas de fijar en Soria su Sede mundial.

En julio de 2016 nos hiciste el honor de pronunciar en Soria la lección inaugural del acto académico central de la Fundación y de participar en la presentación de una gran escultura de bronce, donada por su autor, Greg Wyatt, que desde entonces adorna el jardín de la sede que la AIH y la FDS compartimos. Poco después, en Münster, el Duque de Soria y yo, con Pepe Ponga, te acompañamos en la Asamblea de hispanistas que presidiste con tu habitual acierto.

Sabes que en mí, en los Duques de Soria y en todos los que formamos su Fundación, tienes un grupo de amigos siempre a tu disposición, tan irreductibles como los mismos numantinos.

Un gran abrazo,

Rafael Benjumea

Presidente del Patronato, FDSCCH

Posted on

BRACE YOURSELF!

By María Celeste Delgado-Librero

The oldest email message I have kept to this day is from David Gies. He wrote to me in 2009 (6 years after I completed my Ph.D. at UVa) to apologize for what he described as an “unforgiveable,” “MAJOR blunder,” a “horrible oversight” for which the word “sorry” seemed “too lame.” “BRACE YOURSELF,” he wrote in ominous capital letters. I remember feeling a sense of dread – what crime could he possibly have committed against me that I had not even noticed? When I got to the explanation, I sighed with relief: Somehow, I had not been credited for the translation of an article in a book that he had edited. David had no idea how this had happened but, as the ultimate responsible individual of the project, he accepted full blame.

In those days, I was into my second year as director of a study abroad program, a very demanding job for which my university studies and teaching appointments had not really prepared me, a job in which I had no option but to make mistakes right and left, something that made me feel very insecure and vulnerable. To be honest, at that point in my life, I had completely forgotten about the translation and about the fact that the book would one day be published. So David’s unexpected message touched me as one of the most sincere, most generous, most human gestures I had received in a long time, and I don’t think I can overstate the impact it had in my attitude. Those 215 words simply changed the way I approached my own mistakes: They taught me to be honest, direct, and humble, to admit my errors as soon as I realized them, and to try to rectify if possible.

That single message made me a better person and a better professional, so I’m really happy that David made “a gaff.” If he hadn’t, my name would have been included in a footnote in a book; as it was, many students, parents, and study abroad professionals (including my own staff) were the indirect, but real, beneficiaries of David’s wisdom and humanity.

 

Posted on

A Foodie and Fabulous Cook

By Emilie Rissman

David and I met many years ago through membership in a small and wonderful “cooking club”. About 3-4 times a year we would gather at one of the member’s homes and share a meal. We had many memorable meals and great conversations. David as you all know is a foodie and fabulous cook. In 2005 I was attending a Neuroscience meeting in Turino, Italy. I went with colleagues to a Slow Food restaurant reputed to have an amazing wine cellar. Of course when went to tour the cellar guess who was there!

 

Posted on

Primer Presidente “soriano” de la AIH

de José Mª R-Ponga
Secretario General, FDSCCH

Querido amigo David:

He tenido el placer de conocerte gracias a tu condición de hispanista, y a que durante muchos años has estado en la Junta Directiva de la Asociación Internacional de Hispanistas (AIH), cuya relación con la FDS (Fundación Duques de Soria de Ciencia y Cultura Hispánica) data al menos de 1992. En ese año la Asamblea trienal de la AIH se reunió en Irvine (Calfornia), y allí la

FDS promovió una sesión sobre la primera Gramática del español, de Antonio de Nebrija, que cumplía entonces 500 años. Tú ya estabas en la AIH, aunque creo que no en su Directiva, y yo en la FDS, aunque no estuve en Irvine.

Tu primera visita a Soria con la FDS fue en 1998, con ocasión de la Asamblea de la AIH que inauguraron en Madrid los Reyes de España, y en ella coincidimos por primera vez. Por tu altura física (de la que no tienes mérito personal) y por tu sonrisa expansiva (que sí es mérito tuyo, porque responde a tu forma positiva y entusiasta de encarar la vida) eres siempre fácil de recordar. Tu altura interior -que tu permanente simpatía intenta disimular- se descubre con el trato, como nos ha ocurrido a todos los que te conocemos. Yo he podido descubrir que, además, comparto contigo la afición superlativa a las croquetas… ¡y las inclinaciones gastronómicas unen mucho!

Volvimos a coincidir en la Asamblea de la AIH en Nueva York, en 2001, con nuestra común amiga Lía Schwartz. Y recuerdo bien tu visita a Soria en el 2006, con la Junta de la AIH. Allí posamos juntos para la foto que adjunto, en las escaleras del Convento de la Merced, hoy Sede de la AIH.

Probaré, con otra foto adjunta de esa misma visita, que no solo posaste, sino que participaste activamente en los trabajos de esa reunión, preparatoria de la Asamblea de la AIH 2007 en París, presidida por nuestro común amigo bretón Jean François Botrel, en la que también volvimos a encontrarnos.

En la Asamblea de la AIH en Buenos Aires (Argentina), en 2013, la AIH decidió fijar su sede mundial en Soria, y tú fuiste nombrado Presidente. Has sido pues el primer Presidente de la AIH que al venir a Soria ha venido a su casa, a su propia Sede. Por eso cuando en 2015 reuniste en Soria a la Junta Directiva de la AIH, te recibieron el Alcalde de la ciudad y el Duque de Soria, como prueba la portada del diario que adjunto.
En 2015 reuniste en Soria a la Junta Directiva de la AIH, y os recibieron el Alcalde de la ciudad y el Duque de Soria
Fue en parte por esa condición de primer Presidente “soriano” de la AIH, pero sobre todo por tu larga y meritoria trayectoria académica como hispanista, por lo que la FDS te pidió que pronunciaras en 2016 su “lección magistral” anual en Soria. Y con esa ocasión fuiste testigo de excepción de la donación por Greg Wyatt de un gran bronce dedicado a Cervantes y Shakespeare, que también inauguraste en los jardines de la Sede de la AIH. Adjunto una foto de tu intervención de ese día como testigo, en la que los dos conseguimos dar la impresión de estar trabajando muy seriamente.

David Gies and Jose María Rodríguez Ponga

Pocos días después de ese brillante paso tuyo por Soria, volvimos a coincidir, esta vez en Münster, donde presidiste (adjunto foto) la Asamblea de la AIH en la que pasaste el testigo de la Presidencia a Aurelio González, del Colegio de México. Allí estuvieron para acompañarte el Duque de Soria y el Presidente ejecutivo de la FDS, Rafael Benjumea, y yo tuve también el honor de estar contigo en esa ocasión.

Desde entonces además de mantenernos en comunicación regular, como desde hace años, hemos coincidido varias veces. Y confío en que este año 2018 nos dé nuevas ocasiones de encontrarnos, tal vez en Madrid o en Soria.

Con nuestro ya largo recorrido como amigos, no puedo menos que sumarme con entusiasmo a este justificadísimo homenaje que te están organizando, y que espero que -al menos un poco- te pille de sorpresa.

Un gran abrazo de tu amigo,
Pepe

 

Posted on

The embodiment of ebullience at UVA

By Jahan Ramazani

Dear David,

You are the embodiment of ebullience at UVA. Your vibrant enthusiasm, your tremendously strong will, your profound passion—these have made for so many friendships, for brilliant developments in the Spanish Department at UVA, the Faculty Senate, Semester at Sea, the Paramount, and eighteenth-century studies. You have been such a precious and dazzling colleague. The way you do everything with such joy and exuberance helps knock the dust off the grim grind of any committee, any meeting, any endeavor. You have an almost alarming but ultimately endearing way of locking into one-on-one exchange—such intensity of alertness, such wise and incisive questions, such spirited and playful engagement. There’s no one else who does it quite like you. Your shrewd, wise, and incisive questions about the things that truly matter have made a huge difference in my life and no doubt in the lives of many colleagues. Thank you for sharing the brilliant radiance of your heart, your intellect, and your soul with UVA and with all of us. Caroline and Cyrus and Gabriel (pictured on our first excursion on the ship to Turks and Caicos in January of 2009) join me in sending love and showering you and Janna with affectionate good wishes for the next phase.

Jahan Ramazani

Posted on

On and off the ship, a wonderful colleague, mentor and friend!

By Katherine Beach

Dear David,

On and off the ship, you are a wonderful colleague, mentor and friend! Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and fun-loving spirit. You’ve given so much to the Charlottesville and UVA community and your impact is beyond imaginable all around the world!

So great to have the opportunity to work with you and Janna with Semester at Sea and I’m proud you trusted me with the care of dear Chico and Foster in 2014.

You are an example to all of us! Thank you!

Kate

 

Posted on

I strive to one day become David Gies.

By Julie Roa

During the Summer 2014 voyage of Semester at Sea, I got to sail as David’s Registrar.  What an amazing summer that was!  Having studied at the University of Virginia and then worked there for many years, I was well familiar with the name, but I hadn’t had too many chances to interact with David.  He always cracked me up in his speeches, I knew of his many accomplishments and once I even came by his office to introduce myself and ask why he didn’t come to more of our events (I ran the Multicultural office for Student Affairs), but it wasn’t until I got to live and work with him out at sea, that I understood what all the fuss is about.

David taught me to have fun while getting things done.  We had a big job and we often faced some serious things, but David’s approach is always light-hearted.  There was nothing that could take that great smile off of his face.  He led with grace and humor, always pointing to the bright side, and if there wasn’t one readily available, he’d say something wise like “if it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end yet.”  When issues came up with students, fellow professors, missing books, change of plans or anything, he simply asked smart questions, gave options, encouraged and inspired. Offering wine always helped too!  One of the many things I loved about working with him was feeling his trust for the whole team, his genuine respect for absolutely everyone he encountered (even people who are not his favorites) and the fact that he always seemed to have time!  I couldn’t believe it.  He’s so prolific and involved in so many things, a friend of everyone and an active support for many, and yet he had the time to just sit and get to know me.  I felt that he is invested in everyone’s success.  David cheers people on, he builds people up, he openly offers knowledge, love and care.  It was such a joy to get to know him. I honestly strive to become him one day.

Early on in our voyage, I asked him what the secret to his success was.  He said that he naps daily.  In the four years since, I have enjoyed a blissful nap every day after lunch, and I preach the benefits of this practice to anyone who will listen.  Thank you David.  May our friendship always be strong.  I’m so glad we’re now neighbors!