Date: Thu, 27 Apr 1995 20:11:15 -0400 From: AAllan[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM Subject: Allen Walker Read Some of us have been concerned about the health of Allen Walker Read, who published his first American Speech article and joined the American Dialect Society in about 1928, and who has been most active in the profession and in the Society ever since; but from whom little has been heard recently. The good news is that he is doing reasonably well. This is from John Algeo, who with Adele visited him and Charlotte recently. Here are excerpts from John's answer to my question: "Allen and Charlotte were talking about coming to Cleveland for DSNA, and we encouraged them, but I will be more surprised if they do than if they don't. We had supper with them a couple of weeks ago, while Adele and I were in New York. They are both frail. . . . However, they are otherwise in good spirits and mentally alert. . . . "Allen finds it difficult to answer mail. He never was a prolific correspondent, of course, but now things are an effort for him. . . . He doesn't talk on the phone because he simply can't hear much of the time. " In person, you can talk up and he can watch your face and get most of what is being said, but telephones are quite impossible (actually I sympathize). For the same reason he has not been coming to meetings. . . . "I think he would appreciate having a card or a line from people. Just don't expect an answer." - To make this perfectly clear, the card or line would *not* be to express sympathy, which he neither needs nor wants, but simply to keep in touch. Now - for those who'd like to write - his address (as you'll find it in the ADS directory) is: 39 Claremont Ave., New York, NY 10027-6824. Perhaps there are newcomers to ADS-L who haven't heard of Allen Walker Read. If so, we should have some informative postings. For further reading: He gave a wonderful talk at the ADS annual meeting in New York City in December 1992, printed in the ADS newsletter 25.2 of May 1993; and, the latest issue (24.5 Feb 95) of Gerald Cohen's _Comments on Etymology_ has Richard W. Bailey's "Allen Walker Read: American Scholar." - Allan Metcalf