It Was a Dark and Stormy Night Redux ... A Visit With Steve Fanning....

The Looking Glass
by Jennifer Johnston




















Jennifer and Steve, Freda's Seafood Grille, Austin (Lakeway), Texas
March 13, 2009

It was a dark and stormy night ... again ... putting me in mind of the mini-reunion in Dallas last year with Nicki and Jim, Linda Kay and Wayne Cook, Phil (The Bish) and Winnie Tutor, Coach Joe Warren and Yahn and my happy self (described in detail ... with pictures ... on the Reflections blog). Some might speculate that the "dark and stormy" stuff is following me ... kinda like the perpetual cloud around poor old Joe Btfsplk of L'il Abner fame ... but ... nahhhh ... and I digress.... (grin)

On Friday, March 13 (no fear here!!!) I traveled to Austin without Yahn, who is not yet strong enough to make such a quick trip, to take some things to our daughter Chiara, see her daughter and son (our grandchildren) Morgan and Griffin ... and get together with Sheila Martinez and Steve Fanning (Class of '65) for dinner at Freda's Seafood Grille in Lakeway (a suburb of Austin).

Those of you who have joined us on Facebook (and for those who haven't, why?) may already have become "Friends" with Steve, or at least have read some things about him on my page, or Sheila's, or Nicki's or others ... but those who haven't may be interested in a bit of information about Steve and his life since he (and we) left the hallowed halls of CHS.

For example, one thing I didn't know until recently is that Steve didn't graduate from CHS. His family moved to Levelland at the end of the school year in 1963, so he got his diploma there in 1965. From there he went to Texas Tech, where he earned B.A. and M.A. degrees, going on to achieve his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He was Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago from 1996-1999, and has been a member of the Department of History there since 1980, where he is now an Associate Professor. He has also been Visiting Assistant Professor in the History Departments of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Minnesota.

Steve has published many articles in magazines, journals and encyclopedias and has been the recipient of many grants and awards to further his work. He is the author of two books: Mystics of the Christian Tradition (New York and London: Routledge, 2001) and A Bishop and His World Before the Gregorian Reform, Hubert of Angers, 1006-1047 (Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 78, Part I, 1988). I am reading Mystics of the Christian Tradition (didn't have time to finish before our get-together) and it is very well researched and written; truly a scholarly and thoughtful treatment of his subject. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in such things, or who just enjoys reading diverse books. It is available on Amazon, and probably some other sites.

In 1998, Steve was in a serious accident while in England, which left him him a coma for two weeks, as well as paralyzed. Subsequently he was healed and learned to walk again, despite his doctor's prognosis that it would be neurologically impossible for him. While in the coma, Steve had a near-death experience (NDE), and from that point he began re-ordering his life, "listening to his conscience, ignoring his ego, and started studying mysticism...." As you may imagine, if you have inferred anything from several of my blogposts about what I have come to believe, when I learned this I knew we just had to get together for a long talk. Sheila felt the same way, so when we found that Steve would be in Austin presenting a workshop on spiritual healing last week, we made arrangements to get together for dinner.

Steve and Sheila Ann Martinez, March 13, 2009



I picked Steve up at The Crossings, a lovely place set in Austin's hills, surrounded by woods with a view of Lake Travis. It was amazing (well, maybe not quite so much since I had seen his photo on the cover of his book ... grin) but when he came walking toward me I did feel a recognition.... Of course we hugged and exchanged the usual greetings for such an occasion. Steve looked great (someone has astutely commented that he has aged well). We walked out to my little Prius, dodging raindrops and talking easily (without any conversational "drag" or other indication that we hadn't seen each other in almost 46 years) all the way to the restaurant.

Sheila joined us soon after we arrived, and the three of us spent a wonderful evening of getting reacquainted, memories mixed with "catch-up" and an exchange of metaphysical (and other) experiences and philosophical musings. It was one of the nicest evenings I've spent in a long time. I was so sorry that Yahn hadn't been able to make the trip (he is still not quite strong enough after his surgery) because he is so erudite and well-read himself. I know he would have enjoyed the time with Steve (and Sheila, who has spent a lot of time with Yahn and me over the past few years), exchanging thoughts and stories ... but the CEO "in the sky" willing and the creek don't rise (again ... it was really wet out there last week!), we will have an opportunity to get together with Steve again sometime in the future. Yahn and Steve did exchange pleasantries by phone.

Among the many things we discussed (and for those who don't know) was the loss of Steve's brother Keith (CHS Class of 1962), who had made a career as a police officer and died so relatively young (age 50) and unexpectedly several years ago. We commiserated over the loss of our siblings (as many of you know, my brother Scott died in 1981 at age 31, and I've written about it on the Reflections blog, most extensively in the Elvis Presley blogpost). Steve said that when he was in a coma and during part of his recovery in London, Keith came to be with him, which he so appreciated. Like many siblings, Steve says he and Keith had some conflicts growing up, but that as they matured they became close.

Steve also spoke poignantly about how difficult it was for him when his family moved to Levelland after his Sophomore year at CHS, when he had to leave his friends and activities and the life he had lived there.

After the long dinner, and great conversation, it was bittersweet to return Steve to The Crossings, as I believe we could have gone on talking for hours, if not days. Oh well ... I will treasure the time we had ... and look forward to the future ... which I do a lot.... (grin)

I spent the night with Sheila, in her little "treehouse" ... and want to thank her again here for extending her hospitality to me. We sat up chatting for a while over dishes of vanilla ice cream, Triple Sec and pecans (yeee-hah!!!). Her "treehouse" is indeed in a lovely, wooded hilly area ... but unfortunately the rain prevented us from sitting out on the balcony and communing with nature and the resident wildlife, of which she has spoken so many times. I was up early Saturday morning and off to see Chiara, Morgan and Griffin before I returned to Dallas later that day. A fast trip ... but good, and definitely worthwhile.



Thurmann Cove, Lake Travis, Texas

On the way to the restaurant, I played just a bit of the CHS Class of 1963 CDs that Johnny Goyen did for me some years ago, and it was fun to listen to some of the "oldies but goodies." Steve says his daughter just loves the music from "our time" ... she thinks we lived through a wonderful "American Graffiti" period (and we did!). I gave him the CD set that was in my car, and he says he will share the CDs (and the memories on them) with her ... after he's finished listening to them. (grin)

Apologies for the blurry pictures. I forgot my camera, so we had to use my cell phone....

I will leave you with this: While we were listening to the CDs, Steve had a "flashback" and opined that the "Childress High School Song" is the worst school song ever! I hope I am not stepping on any toes when I say I must concur. And yet ... I can sing that song (more or less on key, I hope) to this day.

Steve sends his regards and good wishes to all his former classmates ... and I am waiting to hear how he enjoyed his hot stone massage (which I love) on Sunday, and the music from long ago when we all lived in Childress and bled Bobcat blue.

Steve, if you're reading this, we'd love to hear from you....

)O(