Homer'sWorld

When I was in graduate school, sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s, Tony Hillerman came to speak at the Anthropology Department. He was receiving an award from the department (one of his two main characters had a degree from the Arizona State University anthro department) and he gave a short talk. Afterwards there was a book signing and many of the students brought copies of his new book. I was a poor, struggling anthro grad student, living on about $550 a month (rent was $270) so I couldn't afford a new book. Luckily, I had a paperback copy of his most obscure mystery and I took that up for him to sign for my mother. Hillerman looked at me and said, "You are a cheap bastard, aren't you?" and we both laughed. I gave the book to my mother for Christmas (she is a huge Hillerman fan) and she was so excited to have his signature, she didn't care that it was on a worn paperback.

He led a good life and his books opened the world of the Navajo and Hopi to millions of people around the world. I'm glad to have met him for a fleeting moment.