Thanks, Roy

In 1997, I was lucky to join Roy and Deborah on the ASA delegation of scholars to the Japanese Association for American Studies meeting. Traveling with Roy was a delight, the perfect occasion for his combination of curiousity and wit. What I remember most, though, was one evening late in the trip when we found ourselves singing karaoke with our hosts. There was every expectation that all the members of our delegation would sing, of course, and Roy and Deborah pored over the songbook, reluctantly discarding tune after tune. Finally, one of them announced that they would sing together. The tune would be "Hey Paula" by (who else?) Paul and Paula, which (it turns out) occupied the #1 spot on the pop chart for three weeks in February 1963.

I can't say that Roy and Deborah belted out a perfect rendition of the song, in which a boy and girl (as opposed, I think it safe to say, to a man and a woman) sing to each other. They looked pretty sheepish most of the time, actually, and Roy more sheepish than Deborah. But when they looked at one another, and sang the corny verses back and forth, they had this incredibly innocent sweetness about them. The performance itself was not memorable, but that sweetness was unforgettable. It's not often that we see our friends or colleagues so publicly in love, so unabashed and sincere. That was Roy and Deborah on that night. You could not help but to revel in the two of them, and to love them both in return. Thanks Roy, thanks Deborah.