JOHN KNOWLTON LETTER

I think he was friends with Dad.

Memory: I went to his office 1975 and I used the words "una problema." He told me that problema was masculine. I never made that mistake again. In the same meeting he told me the name for a button hole: ojal. He told the class about how important it was for him to have spent time in Spain.

You know, he used to stop when speaking Spanish to a student and say, "¿Coca Cola?" It was funny.

We read La muerte de Artemio Cruz BY Carlos Fuentes in the class. I remember the words: "... humedeció una toalla y se cubrió el rostro con ella." I looked them up on Google and the whole story's there. Here's a part:

Luego dejó caer la navaja en el agua caliente, humedeció una toalla y se cubrió el rostro con ella. El vapor empañó el cristal. Lo limpió con una mano y encendió el cilindro de luz neón colocado sobre el espejo. Exprimió el tubo de un nuevo producto norteamericano, la crema de afeitar de aplicación directa; embarró la sustancia blanca y refrescante sobre las mejillas, el mentón y el cuello. Se quemó los dedos al sacar la navaja del agua. Hizo un gesto de molestia y con la mano izquierda extendió una mejilla y comenzó a afeitarse, de arriba abajo, con esmero, torciendo la boca. El vapor le hacía sudar; sentía correr las gotas por las costillas. Ahora se descañonaba lentamente y después se acariciaba el mentón para asegurarse de la suavidad. Volvió a abrir los grifos, a empapar la toalla, a cubrirse la cara con ella. Se limpió las orejas y se roció el rostro con una loción excitante que le hizo exhalar con placer. Limpió la hoja y volvió a colocarla en el rastrillo, y éste en su estuche de cuero. Tiró el tapón y contempló, por un instante, la succión del charco gris de jabón y vello emplastado.

HERE IT IS ILLUSTRATED

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On October 13, 2012, John Frederick Knowlton, 87, of Gilbert, Arizona moved on. He was born April 27, 1925 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and served in WWII in the Pacific Theatre as a signalman. He then received his undergraduate degree from Lewis and Clark College, where he met his wife Anita, whom he married in 1954. Later, he received an National Defense Education Act Fellowship to complete his Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon, and during that time traveled to Venezuela on a Fulbright scholarship. In 1964 he and his wife came to Arizona, where he became a professor of Spanish literature at ASU. He loved nature, cats, and Spanish poetry, particularly Federico Garcia Lorca, He made numerous trips to Spain where he met many Spanish poets, including Vicente Aleixandre, a 1977 Nobel Prize laureate for literature, and returned with recordings of them to share with his students. He retired in 1992 and enjoyed many years of hiking and travel. John is survived by his wife, Anita Garman Knowlton, son, Sean Knowlton of Queen Creek, Arizona, daughter-in-law Amy Willkom and grandchildren Tiffany and Taylor Knowlton and Luke Willkom. Donations may be made to the Humane Society at www.azhumane.org. A memorial service will be held in the chapel of Falconer Funeral Home, 251 W. Juniper Ave. Gilbert, AZ at 3:00 p.m. on November 3, 2012. Please visit www.falconerfuneralhome.com for details.

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