When we go to wakes, one thing many of us do is tell stories. Dr. Hitt was a teacher of stories and since most of us will not be able to attend his wake or funeral, we are going to use this space to tell our stories about Dr. Ralph Hitt.
It was just after Thanksgiving and mid-terms were around the corner. He said at the start of a class,
"I found a lamp at the antique store this weekend and it looks like something Ali Baba made off with from the cave ..." (reference from One Thousand and One Nights, I'm sure you all know)
"... so I was cleaning it up and while rubbing it..." We were on the edge of our seats at what he was going to say next ..."...a genie popped out and told me Kimbrough could wish for anything her little heart desired, except one thing. So, what do you want?"
He looked at me and I didn't think to ask him what was the one thing I couldn't wish for, so I sat and thought and everyone was quiet and he said, "before the class is up, please..."
It dawned on me to ensure an A in his class, so I said "I wish for an A in this class."
Of course he replied and I'm sure you all saw this coming but hey, I was 17...
"Darnit, that was the one thing she said you couldn't wish for!"-- L. Kim Kimbrough
I can't remember if Dr. Hitt and Ginger were dating or already married at the time but I was taking one of his classes and developed a wretched respiratory infection complete with horrendous coughing episodes. I asked to sit in the back near the door so I could slip out unnoticed for water or during a coughing spell. He took advantage of the situation and each day would send me to Ginger's class bearing gifts. I would interrupt her class with erasers, chalk, pens pencils....whatever he could find to ensure her of his true love. She would tell me to return the gift as it wasn't needed but when I did this he would send me back insisting that she accept his token of love. I would look at him and beg him not to send me back but to no avail as I always delivered the gift....it may have taken one trip or three....but she would finally accept to end the intrusions. Now as a young student it seemed as if these episodes lasted all semester but I'm sure it was only a week or two. Wonder if they had a good laugh each evening?--Chellie Revord
My favorite Ralph Hitt story: Ginger and I had been friends for years and, of course, I knew Ralph but not as well. We had a new Vicar at Good Shepherd and since they were members, I invited them to a small dinner party I was having to introduce the new minister and his wife. The new minister was a vegetarian and so I scouted far and wide for suitable vegetarian dishes to serve. I began with vichyssoise in elegant(!) crystal bowls...about halfway through his soup, Ralph turns to Ginger and behind his hand in a very loud stage whisper says, "I don't want to upset our hostess, but my soup is cold...) Well, I almost sprayed my mouthful across the table and we all erupted into laughter. There are other stories, but I love that one since it is so typical of his humor. I never had him for a class--Jill Wood
Another story about Dr. Hitt will be admitting my young foolishness and HUGE embarrassment when be told everyone about what I'd done. Bit of backstory: my mother worked in the Dean of Students' Office (Dean Mac, probably at the time) so she usually knew immediately if I skipped class or, in this case, did something really stupid. I was given a written assignment to write about a lone rooster in the hen house. I decided to write, jokingly, about his escapades in being the only rooster surrounded by the hens. My rooster took on the human form of the lone man surrounded by beautiful women and how he strutted about proudly displaying his beautiful red comb to attract the most suitable hen. Of course, I used the word comb repeatedly throughout the assignment and how he impressed the hens. Blah, blah, blah!!! Much to my dismay, I had inadvertently used the word (forgive me!!!) cock instead of comb. Please forgive my vulgar vocabulary....but it's the only way to tell the story. Now you can use your imaginations to come up with all the ways I used that word!!!
I don't think I'd ever seen Dr. Hitt laugh so hard....or anyone else for that matter. I was mortified. And to make matters worse, I went to the office to see my mom and her words to me were, "Oh Chellie, you didn't". Then the entire office erupted in laughter. Dr. Hitt promised to pass me if I never took anything from him again. Win-win for all.--Chellie Revord
A roast was held for Ralph when he retired. He got up and roasted every president he had worked with at MUW. Of Charles Hogarth he said, "That man had erections on every corner of campus." Sure he was talking about buildings but he knew darn well what he was saying. Ralph was quite a character. Hope his eulogy does him justice. --MB Strickland
I had Dr. Ralph for freshman English and on the first day, first class of my college life, he called roll and said,"Laurie Kimbrough"? I sat there thinking, hey, cool, there's another Kimbrough here at the W. I look around and he says, "Laurie Kimbrough"? I'm thinking this chick didn't get out of bed for this 8 a.m. class. Allison Archie from Corinth and a high school classmate of mine was in class and knew my first name but she didn't want to be the one to say, hey Kim, he's talking to you, using your first name dummy, so ...
Dr. Ralph says "Let's see if she's here by calling her middle name. Is there a Kim Kimbrough here"?
Well, I wanted to crawl under the desk but sheepishly said here, while raising my hand. He said "How nice is it to learn for the first time in your life that your parents gave you more than one name"?
The class burst into laughter and after it got quiet, he said,"Imagine what would have happened to her if her parents had given her a first name that started with a K? Good thing that didn't happen".
And when he learned I had gone by my middle name all my life, he addressed me with every alliterative combo he could come up with and frequently reminded the class, "We should all avoid alliteration, always.... except when we're talking with Kim Kimbrough." And to throw me off, when he'd call on me in class, he'd call for Laurie and of course, it took me a minute or two to realize he was calling on me and the jokes would flow. He always did it in a humorous way and I was never offended. At the end of the semester, he congratulated me for being a good sport about it.--L. Kim Kimbrough
A huge number of memories of Ralph Hit have been running through my head---sitting in his mythology class in the fall of my freshman year (1975) thinking he was the funniest old man I'd ever known (he wasn't that old---I was just young and silly), listening him introduce Andrew Lytle at the Southern Literary Festival my senior year, and on and on. But here is something I remembered last night. It isn't funny, but it shows just how kind and versatile a man he was. After Ralph retired, he became interested in designing and drawing "one of a kind" tee shirts. He was a very good artist/cartoonist, and he would spend hours on the lettering and color choices. He even did a few for early Welty Symposiums. When our son Alex was born, Steve and I asked Ralph and Ginger to be godparents. We were thrilled when they agreed. Ralph even made a beautiful little baby teeshirt for Alex. It had a warrior on it---a bright design--and meticulous block lettering: "Alexander the Great." I still have it will all my children's baby clothes.--Bridget Pieschel
Do you have a Dr. Hitt story? Please share it with us.
is probably the best book I've read all year.
