Thursday, November 28, 2019
Land of heterodoxy
The JFK assassination specialists have been highlighting the work of Beverly Brunson, a writer and poet who lived in Baxter Springs. In the '60s she did a huge amount of research and developed some theories that later turned out to be valid.
The modern specialists are surprised to find an unorthodox thinker in flyover territory. They shouldn't be surprised. That part of the world was FULL of seriously original thinkers and writers. I've been highlighting Alphia Hart in Enid.
An earlier parallel to Brunson was Angie Debo, who lived in the tiny town of Marshall. Like Brunson, she did the NYC bohemian thing for a while then returned home. Like Brunson, she retained bohemian habits while doing strictly objective and empathetic historical work. She was the main writer of the WPA Guide to Okla, taking over the whole project after the original team got tangled up in typical leftist ideological squabbles.
I met Debo in 1970, when a history prof at Phillips invited her to give a lecture on Okla history. The prof was a firm Republican and Debo was a firm Socialist, but they were friends on the neutral ground of objective history. Debo was about 80 at the time, a small intense passionate woman who knew the facts and knew how to tell them clearly and sharply.
(My little graphic salute to Baxter Springs.)
Are there still any unorthodox thinkers around there? Not much evidence on the web.
¶ 5:41 AM 
(My little graphic salute to Baxter Springs.)
Are there still any unorthodox thinkers around there? Not much evidence on the web.
¶ 5:41 AM
