Category: University of Virginia

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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

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David Gies: A Memoire

by Michael Gerli

The Profession

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?! How long have I known this guy? I’ve known David so long that I really can’t remember when I first met him. It must have been in the late 1970’s at an MLA (was it San Francisco, 1979?) because by 1982, when I received a grant from what was then called the Fulbright Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain and United States Universities, I told him about it. I recall he sent me one of his famous David Levine postcards asking me about the program. Little did I know then that some twenty years later we would be colleagues at Virginia and that he would end up “owning” that granting program, which ultimately morphed into the Program for Cultural Cooperation, and subsequently into Hispanex! Hallelujah!!!!

When I got to UVa, I came to know David much better. Until then, I only knew him slightly (nodding to each other on elevators at the MLA) and of him, of course. (Rumor was that he was the Alan Alda of the profession and that his Castilian was like that of some character in a dream about a Galdós novel). Quite the opposite. David is his very own person, and a very good, kind, and genuine one at that. Anybody who ever saw him with Chico will confirm this. For nearly twenty years now, we have had contiguous offices and I have been able to see how much he cares about his students and his pets, although Foster has never come to the office (as far as I know).

David and, of course, Javier Herrero were two among several reasons I decided to leave Georgetown after nearly 30 years and come to Virginia. No sooner did I get here, however, when David told me that he had an offer from Columbia (and that I should please write to Ed Ayres to tell him how much I wanted him to stay at Virginia!). I couldn’t believe it! I had made the move, and now he was maybe going to leave me in the lurch! Although the request to write Ayers was comforting. Little did he know, too, that Ayers was a Richmond high-school friend of one of my oldest friends, who at the time was head of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. So, I wrote to Ayers on David’s behalf, as well as mentioning our old mutual friend. Ayers was delighted. He wrote back saying confidentially (I guess I can breach that confidentiality nearly twenty years on) and said: “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll make a nice counter and David will stay. He’ll never go to New York. He won’t be able to find a place to park his Mercedes.” Ayers was right, of course. While Columbia does offer housing, there’s one thing it definitely cannot provide: the most precious commodity at any university, parking!

 

Mallorca

In January, 2005 David was finishing up a J-Term course in Valencia and I was on leave in Mallorca. We exchanged emails. He told me he didn’t know Mallorca that well, so I said casually that, now he was finished with the J-Term he should come to Fornalutx (the other place I called home for more than 30 years). To my great delight, I went to pick him up at the airport in Palma a couple of days later. He stayed the weekend and was a great sport since my house was undergoing heavy renovation and had no heat at the time. However, it was warm enough in the evening to sit on the terrace, drink more than one copa of Mont Ferrutx (the wonderful local wine) and watch the last rays of the sun go down the Sóller Valley, sinking finally into the Mediterranean. We went everywhere that weekend, not just the village. I took him to Pollensa and the Roman ruins; to Formentor; Valldemossa; Deià; Sóller; sa Foradada; Andratx; we went to Es Baluard, the recently opened beautiful modern art museum built into the old city walls of Palma; sa Almudaina; sa seu; Carrers Sant Miquel and Oms; and finished the visit with a fabulous lunch at the recently renovated Gran Hotel originally designed by Domènech I Montaner, one of the many treasures of Modernisme one finds all over Palma.

However, this was not the only time David surprised me with a visit.

The Wedding

In December, 2006 I was getting married to Giselle and, as a courtesy, I let my colleagues in the department know. David asked if he was invited to the wedding. I said “Of course!” and sent him an invitation. Never did I imagine that on December 17, 2006 David and Janna would actually show up in San José, Costa Rica at the Club Unión for the wedding. Both Giselle and I were thrilled that he and Janna actually came.  At the very end of a great, great party, David and Janna came to say good bye. I suddenly noticed that he had changed ties with my best friend, Carlos Davis, who had also come from the U.S. for the wedding! On the trip from New York, Carlos had lost his luggage. As a result, he had gone to a tienda de ropa americana (an American used clothing store) and acquired a dark jacket and the only tie they had, the one David was now wearing! I could swear that he still owns the tie and that I’ve seen him wearing it not so recently!

I could go on about the memorable picnics at the start of every academic year, David’s warmth and wonderful hospitality! However, I am sure others will attest to these. Hence, a more personal memoire about some great times we’ve spent together.

In closing, I will say simply that it has always been a pleasure to work with you and to count you and Janna among our friends. Now, nearly 19 years after making the move to UVa, and almost at the end of my second career, I will miss you on Grounds. But Giselle and I know where we can always find you both: First Fridays on the Mall! And if not there, come visit us in Playa Blanca over the next winter break . . .    (I am sure they will!).

 

 

 

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That’s the kind of professor, mentor and friend David is

By Gaby Miller

The biggest of congratulations to you, David! Thank you for always being so generous to your students and colleagues. There are so many memories I could share, but one you probably won’t recall was taking almost an hour to explain the entirety of the MLA citation style to me as a first year MA student and convince me why it mattered that all those periods and colons and parentheses were in the right places. You DEFINITELY had better things to be doing with your time…but that’s the kind of professor, mentor and friend that you are. I am so excited for you and Janna on this next adventure and wish you both the very best. I’m sure our paths will cross soon.

Un fuerte abrazo,

Gaby Miller

This photo is from celebrating Melissa Frost’s dissertation defense in 2017.

David with Gaby Miller 2017
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Hands down my favorite professor at UVA

 By Brandi Durkac Farmer
David was hands down my favorite professor at UVA.  His class, Conservation Cinema, was my favorite class across my four years on grounds.  I only wish I had met David sooner in my undergraduate experience.  Although I didn’t have as many years with him as those of you who were fortunate enough to have him as an advisor or colleague, I am very grateful to have connected with him and to have reconnected with him when I returned for visits to Charlottesville over the years.  Now working in university advancement, I am reminded every day of how formative the special relationship between a professor/educator and a student can be!
With gratitude and admiration,
Brandi Durkac Farmer
CLAS 2000
The photo below is of David and me, along with the late Professor Charles Julian Bishko, at my graduation from CLAS in May 2000.  Professor Bishko, or “Julian” as we preferred to call him, was my grandfather’s first cousin and taught at UVA through 1978.  He was a distinguished historian of medieval Iberia.
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Teachable Moments

By Jennifer J. McCune

I first met David, at that time Mr. Gies to me, almost 24 years ago, the fall of 1994, when I first began my graduate studies at UVa. He ended up becoming my advisor for both my Master’s Thesis and my Doctoral Dissertation, and yes, he taught me tremendously academically throughout my 6 years as a graduate student at UVa, and he also imparted other incredible lessons that shaped my life in very meaningful ways.

First notable memory and teachable moment with David – he was going to help watch some small children one weekend; I cannot even remember whose, etc. He shared a hysterical depiction of what had transpired that had the whole class laughing to the point of crying. Prior to watching the kids, he planned numerous different activities – puzzles, games, books, so many that we were exhausted just listening to him share what they were. He looked at us with that incredibly sparkly, gleaming look in his eyes and said that once those 10 minutes were up, he didn’t know what to do with the rest of the day with the kids! It stuck with me throughout the years and was that much more impactful when I had my own kids – and oh so true it turned out to be!

Second notable memory and teachable moment with David – I was going through a rough patch during my academic career, and David was nice enough to give me some of his time and advise me through some bumps. As we were talking, he shared with me that he always knew that he would be happy doing whatever it was that he decided upon because that would embrace the decisions he made. That really stuck with me – happiness is a decision and a choice and that we all have options to move forward in life.

Third notable memory and teachable moment with David – live life to the fullest! This has been something I have observed in David and Janna when I was at UVa and since graduating. We are connected via social media and I see him in the community. He continues to be involved in matters which are important to him, he pursues academic opportunities, and he travels and spends time extensively with his incredible wife, Janna, and the kids and grandkids in their life. He is the epitome of successfully having it all, in my mind, and I love seeing that role model.

My list of notable memories and teachable moments could go on and on, but ultimately, I want to thank David for being a mentor and a friend during very critical, formative junctures in my life. I generally choose the road less traveled in most everything I do, and I have David, among other inspirational people in my life, to thank for having the courage to do so.

Jennifer J. McCune, Ph.D.

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Somehow you figured it all out!

By Bob and Maria Chapel

Dear David,

Well I could have waxed a tiny bit sarcastic, as you did about me when you spoke at my retirement party, and asked you what sort of racket you ran to somehow teach less than you traveled over these past number of years (and still pulled down your regular enormous salary) or how you managed the multitude of voyages you and Janna took as UVA’s MISTER SEMESTER AT SEA or WHAT kindled your never-ending happy and positive spirit that made the rest of us look and feel like boring dips and dolts – but I won’t mention any of these things.   They would make me look like Mr. Sour Grapes!

BECAUSE you somehow figured it all out – how to become a true scholar, a true lover of life, a tremendous diplomat for the University of Virginia, an oh so generous philanthropist (I thank you and Heritage thanks you), and one who contributed so very much to not only our school but to the Spanish speaking world and language as well, and, with Janna, a superb and gracious host. AND, to top all of this off, you have, over the years been one of my closest theatre buddies and co-lover of Mr. Sondheim.

Thank you for all your excellent professional advice you have given to me.

Thank you for introducing Maria and me to Central and South America that catapulted us to have the opportunity to go around the world — on a ship no less – something I never thought I would ever do.

Thank you for singing “Leave You” better than I’ve ever heard it sung

But most of all, thank you for just being a GREAT friend and a lot of fun!

We wish you many many days of productivity and enjoyment in your retirement, as we know you really will never ever stop DOING.

We love you and Janna dearly,

Bob and Maria Chapel

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Not Your Average Superstar

By Matthieu P. Raillard

To say that David has had an impact on my career would be an understatement.  Prof. Gies is one of the main reasons that I became a professor, and I owe him not only the discovery of the fascinating Spanish eighteenth century, but also for all of his help throughout my career.  I was a somewhat disoriented M.A. student when I took his survey course on Enlightenment and Romanticism, and I was inspired by the manner in which he made fascinating these authors and works that, let’s face it, often have a reputation for being cold or prosaic.

He was always there to support me, be it as my professor, as my dissertation director, or as my mentor after I left UVA.  We’d all heard horror stories about superstar academic who treat their students like garbage, yet with David it was the opposite.  I always felt that he was there for me, it didn’t matter that I was “just” a grad student, or a fellow academic at a conference.  David has taught me that being a famous, respected professor doesn’t have to mean that you are aloof, distant, or condescending to students and other professors. Quite the contrary- I always felt that he genuinely wanted all of us to succeed, and time and again gave us the opportunities and support to do so.  He made me us all feel as if we were part of the one big family, and to this day I believe that attending UVA was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  I am eternally grateful to count him as a professor and a friend.

Matthieu P. Raillard

Lewis & Clark College

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Priceless!

By Alvin (Lin) Sherman

            There are people who enter and pass through one’s life, leaving few evidences of their presence. There are others who one would simply prefer to forget. There are still a select few who come into one’s life and impact it for a lifetime. David Gies was one of those few, select souls who came into my life and influenced my way of seeing, understanding, and appreciating the world around me.

            My time at the University of Virginia did far more than provide me with an amazing education. I had the privilege of being mentored by David and of working as his research assistant. He never hesitated to give credit in his publications of the work that his assistants gave. His classes were enthralling. One of my favorites was a course on Romantic Theater. His enthusiasm and engagement with the subject was contagious. He was also a bit sneaky! As part of the class we read volumes of critical articles. I remember getting to class to discuss the articles. He would ask us what we thought of the readings. Of course, we wanted to impress our professor with our intellect, so we would begin to laud article after article. Then, at the appropriate moment, David would say something like, “Such-and-such article is terrible!” We quickly learned to read secondary articles more carefully. He taught us to be discerning and to not accept everything we read as “gospel truth.” I learned quickly that a published article doesn’t always communicate intelligence. On a broader scale, David taught me to pause, to think carefully about what I hear (or read), and then ask the right questions. I have tried to emulate his example in my own teaching.

            Our one-on-one conversations were engaging. I never felt like a “student.” David ALWAYS treated me as a person with ideas, opinions, and sacred beliefs. As a Mormon I could have felt out of place in that academic environment, but David never made my religion an issue. I am certain that he didn’t always agree with me, but I knew that he respected me and my opinion. He would listen carefully and then take the opportunity to teach. All of us know that he has an amazing sense of humor. His wit pushed the envelope and caused me to pause and think about what lay beyond the humor.

            David looked for opportunities to broaden our contacts and horizons. On one occasion I received a phone call from David with an invitation to dinner. He then added that I would be Isabel Allende’s dinner companion and would need to pick her up from her hotel and take her home. I was very nervous, but accepted (of course!!). It was an amazing experience to sit in on and participate in that conversation. He believed in giving his students as many opportunities to “rub elbows” with visitors to the university.

            David never tired of mentoring me (if he did, he never let on!!). Early in my career David would read and critique my writing, providing me with insights of how I could improve an article. The result was some very productive scholarly works. There is nothing better for any young scholar than to have a star like David to take time from his busy schedule to continue that valuable mentoring activity.

            We are all aware of David’s academic and intellectual successes as a writer, professor, administrator, and mentor. Most importantly is his humanness. While offering a short course at BYU David came to our home for dinner. At the time we had four young children. When he arrived at our home, our children were playing with their Rescue Heroes on the floor in the dining area. David came in and almost immediately fell to his knees and began to play with my children. David engaged with my children at their level and made them feel important. Priceless!

            I count myself fortunate to have David as a friend. With his dear wife Janna (who I love and respect) they continue to spread kindness, love, generosity and goodness to friends, family and strangers. Thank you for all that both of you offer those around you.

Abrazos, Lin Sherman (Ph.D. 1990)

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Buenos modelos

By Linda Boone Bartlett

Given that the Enlightenment project of eighteenth-century Spain emphasized the importance of imitating buenos modelos, it is altogether fitting that I and countless other UVA students have found one of those outstanding examples in Virginia’s eminent teacher and scholar of the dieciocho: David T. Gies. David introduced me, among many others, to the thinkers, writers, and reformers of the Spanish Enlightenment, and nearly thirty years later I cannot think of that period without mentally hearing David catalog the Spanish –ar verbs that reflected the essential spirit of the Enlightenment project: “¡Educar! ¡Analizar! ¡Mejorar! ¡Iluminar! ¡Reformar! ¡Deleitar!…” His enthusiasm for this somewhat obscure era in Hispanism was infectious, making even el Padre Feijóo and his encyclopedic efforts to desterrar errores stimulating. In the years since I had that first M.A. class with David, I have come to realize fully something I only sensed at the time: my classmates and I were being educated, amused, enlightened, and scholastically improved by a modern-day ilustrado who shared the spirit of Jovellanos, Iriarte, los Moratín, and the other hombres de bien he brought to life so vividly in his lectures. David embodied the very ideals he was describing.

As I reflect on my now long-ago years at UVA, I remember again the debt I owe David and the other faculty for all they shared with me and other students during the formative years of graduate school: outstanding teaching, stellar scholarship, excellent mentoring, and, perhaps most notably, a genuine concern for us as individuals. The camaraderie of the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese was truly special, an atmosphere of collegiality, collaboration, support, and cooperation that flowed directly from David’s personal ethos and leadership as department chair. The famous Gies hospitality (departmental picnic, countless parties and gatherings), warmth, and generosity helped keep us encouraged during the rigors of preparing for comps and the countless other stresses of being a graduate student.

The first picture I have included, of David and Paula Frías, is from Halloween 1987. 

Dressed as his dog Gruff, David was engaged in a serious conversation with Paula (likely about a recent play or film they had both seen), even as he revealed his playful nature. It is photographic evidence of the buen modelo David has provided: one can be a top-notch teacher-scholar and a kind, down-to-earth human being at the same time.

The second photo is of David, Betsy Lewis and me at MIFLC 2015, where David gave the keynote address.

He continues to serve as an inspiration, and I count myself fortunate to have known him as a professor, friend, and mentor for many years. I am profoundly grateful for all I have learned from his example.

 

Linda Boone Bartlett (MA, ’88, Ph.D., ’92)

Professor and Chair, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Furman University

 

 

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Olé, Olé, Olé !

By Jim Cooper and Shamim Sisson

Congratulations, David! What a wonderful occasion to honor you and your remarkable career, surrounded by so many whose lives you have influenced and enriched…we are honored to be among your admirers at this milestone event.

Taking this opportunity to reminisce about our associations with you over the last 30 years, Shamim recalls the challenging work of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society review, your and Janna’s longstanding advocacy for the Women’s Center, and your always being a key faculty ally to Student Affairs. Jim remembers your steadfast interest in education, your support for teaching as a profession, and your work with experienced teachers at the Center for Liberal Arts with Hal Kolb, even when…perhaps especially when…this was above and beyond your own professional endeavors.   He also remembers your loyalty and attendance at so many of U.Va.’s athletic events…no, wait…what???

We share an appreciation for the amazing and critical leadership you provided to Semester at Sea, watching as you helped faculty members move from intransigent opposition to full participation and enthusiasm. In ways invisible to most of us, you understood and cultivated the many factions and personalities within both the Institute for Shipboard Education and the University, resulting in a memorable and successful decade under University of Virginia sponsorship. As voyagers on two fall semesters (2009 & 2012), we are eternally grateful!

The seminal leadership and unselfish commitment to service you have given the University have been informed by your inquisitive mind, being open to listening to others and to examining multiple options before making decisions. David, you have always heeded the internal compass of your convictions, beliefs, and goals to ask, “What truly matters?” Colleagues know this about you and, as a result, trust your judgments and decisions.

Beyond stellar teaching and scholarship, you are a citizen of the University in the truest form.  We have respected your service to your department, the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Faculty Senate, but also your ability to reach across traditional lines on behalf of the greater purposes of the University of Virginia. The University recognized these contributions in 2000, and we both remember your shocked expression when it was announced that you had received the Jefferson Award, so richly deserved! This impressive civic-consciousness extends to the Charlottesville/Albemarle community, with your and Janna’s tender care of the Paramount and steadfast support for Democratic candidates as only two examples.

We know that you have been honored by the Spanish government and numerous other professional recognitions making you officially an emissary of Spain and Spanish language and culture. But we have been the beneficiaries of your informal ambassadorship. Your introduction to Vanessa Guibert Heitner of Limitless Argentina opened whole new ways of travel to us and resulted in one of our most memorable adventures ever.  From insider info on great flamenco in Seville to more recent intelligence about Barcelona, you have been unfailingly generous in sharing your knowledge, experiences, and associations.

On a more personal level, we have always appreciated your quick wit, good humor, genuine interest in others, and conversation that never lags.  You and Janna are a brilliant team and we know that this new chapter will continue to be rich and filled with as exciting endeavors as ever…maybe now just a bit more on the schedule you two can choose. We look forward to sharing many fun times in the years to come. But just now, savor this beautiful time of celebration for you and your extraordinary life’s work.

With every best wish, Jim and Shamim