(Not about language, but linguistics figures in the story.)
During the past few days, I’ve spent a fair amount of time putting together a brief bio for my man Jacques, for Haverford College’s class of 1963 (whose 50th is coming up fast). A difficult task for me, bringing up memories both sweet and painful, though I had the help of J’s family and Haverford friends. Here’s the result; it gives no sense of his personality, but gets the bare facts.
Jacques Henry Transue
Born 1/22/42 to William R. Transue (a professor of mathematics) and Monique Serpette Transue (a native of Bordeaux, France). Grew up mostly in Gambier OH, where he attended local public schools. An older brother, Wm. R.R. Transue (deceased), and younger brother, John Transue (now of Binghamton NY). Marriage to Harriet Adams Transue ended in divorce. Two children, Christopher (Kit) A. Transue (born 1968; now of Baltimore MD) and Emily R. Transue (born 1971; now of Seattle WA).
Education: Haverford College, entered with the class of 1963, majoring in mathematics; took a year out to study in Paris; returned to graduate with the class of 1964, majoring in Russian. Then a period of graduate study in Slavic Languages at Yale. Moved to Ohio State, where he completed an M.A. in 1967 in Slavic, with the thesis: A linguistic study of the Croatian Tabla za Dicu of 1561. He then switched to Linguistics, eventually working on, but not completing, his Ph.D. He taught many sections of OSU’s Introduction to Language course, until he was afflicted by brain cancer in 1980. He survived and then established a career of volunteer work (Reading for the Blind in Palo Alto CA, volunteering in the Columbus OH Park of Roses and laboring for a number of political candidates in Ohio) — until radiation-caused dementia brought him down. He died on 6/6/03 in Menlo Park CA.
Survivors: his son Kit, daughter Emily, brother John, and domestic partner Arnold M. Zwicky (of Palo Alto CA).
So much left out.
October 14, 2012 at 6:35 am |
I think you’ve done the basics. Where you go from here is what your heart tells you. Of course, being a pathologist, I’d like to see the exact name and location of the tumor.
October 14, 2012 at 7:19 am |
It’s in the Haverford class’s hands now. But the answer to your medical question: medulloblastoma. Yes, rare in adults, but it happens. Excised, then aggressive radiation — which 10 years out, resulted in radiation dementia and an extraordinary variety of other neurological symptoms: Bell’s palsy on the left, TIAs, extensive hearing loss on the right, peri-ictal schizophreniform-like psychosis (characterized by auditory and visual hallucinations), anosognosia, temporal lobe epilepsy (with complex partial seizures), left-side weakness, MS-like motor difficulties, pan-hypopituitarism