Special notes reminds us

Pois                                               Sarah Brown, 2013

Robert Pois was not just any history professort; historians face a dichotomy of knowing and understanding for the human race that is both rewarding and a heavy burden; they carry our collective memory. He made sure you left his courses critically thinking, despite his topics and advanced scholarship on World War I. One summer day I visited him at his home. The visit was one of many, but this particular time he inscribed his book he wrote on WWI and gave me a copy of Waiting for Godot; maybe he was telling me not to wait?  On the day of my graduation, I remember how we were laughing and trying to pose for the photograph outside the history department building. I gave someone one of those old disposable film cameras. He has long been a person of encouragement, and this framed portrait of us sits on my work desk. Pois passed away in March of 2004.