Page 21 - Ninnau Jan-Feb 2021

North America Wales Foundation News

Newyddion o Sefydliad Cymru Gogledd America

Pages 21-23

President’s message – Reflections on 2020

As the end of 2020 approach- experiences are tales of forti- after-effects will remain with us
es, we reflect on the challenges tude combined with the deter- into the foreseeable future.
which COVID-19 presented to mination to complete their Among other concerns, the
the Foundation and Welsh- planned studies, often much opportunities for scholars and
American life during this year delayed. We will relate their performers to travel to Welsh
of the pandemic. The stories elsewhere. academic institutions and cul-
response of the community has Our Board of Directors met tural events will be more diffi-
been creative, inspirational, and by teleconference a few days cult. This may entail a change
open to new avenues to the before Thanksgiving. The meet- of emphasis in how we conduct
future. While we were unable to ing was notable in several our charitable activities.
enjoy the warmth of handshakes respects. We welcomed three However, we are assured that
and hugs at our usual new directors, namely Megan there are many other individuals
gatherings and festivals, we Lloyd, Roderic Owen, and and organizations that will be
have been brought together John Reinhart Jr, each of whom worthy of consideration for our
through the technological power is distinguished by their contri- support. This will be a source of
of the virtual. Enormous credit butions to Welsh-American life ongoing consideration and dis-
and a deep appreciation to the at the local and national level. It cussion as we continue to
many who made this possible. was a pleasure to speak of Myra broaden and extend our mission.
Tribute to the visionaries who Thomas Lawrence who cele- I end with two sentiments:
created the virtual programs, brated her 100th birthday the First, a deep-felt sense of grati-
those who designed the previous week. Myra has been a tude to the members of our
flawless infrastructure, the NAWF President, Philip Davies major contributor to the life of board for all that they do. They
many talents who entertained American life during its forty founding directors, we continue the Foundation, first as a direc- are a remarkably creative and
and educated us. They have years of diverse activities. This to have contact tor and more recently a major interactive group of individuals,
brought our geographically has been facilitated by close with Hywel Davies, Donna benefactor whose permanent each of whom bring to the table
remote communities across the interactions between our board Lloyd- Jones, Howard Patrick, endowment provides income for a vision that blends into a supe-
Atlantic and elsewhere closer members from North America and, of course, Arturo Roberts. the support of our scholarship rior whole. Second, as we
together, leaving great memo- and Wales to improve the many The Foundation has been able program. She received the approach the end of 2020, we as
ries to dim the frustrations of exchanges that have taken place to fulfill many of its missions Foundation’s Heritage a board, wish you a safe and
sheltering in place and social to the benefit of individuals and during 2020. Our Exchange Medallion in 1993 and fond peaceful holiday season with
distancing. The virus will even- organizations. While our pre- Scholars from 2019 are our memories of that occasion the hope that 2021 will bring us
tually be controlled, leaving us sent organization continues to heroes. Each of them has faced in Charlottesville, Virginia, together, be it virtually and,
with happy memories and an broaden our mission, we recog- difficult challenges imposed by remains vivid in my memory even better, in person.
incentive to move forward. nize those in whose footsteps the restrictions placed on them (see photograph on page 22). Nadolig llawen a
The Foundation, established and example we follow. in their academic and personal While we anticipate that the blwyddyn newydd dda,
in 1980, has made many lasting Happily among the original environments. Their individual threat and dangers of the pan- Philip.
contributions to Welsh- demic will recede in 2021, its
Board Member Dr. Stephen Jones,

“Artist-Professor” and Scholar of Some Things Welsh

By Dr. Stephen M. Jones about King Arthur were of Community College system,
Welsh origin only sealed the where he has spent the last few
Steve Jones is a teacher and deal. years reworking the British lit-
musician with roots among the Fast-forward a few decades: erature curriculum to recenter
Ohio Welsh (and he also occa- Steve was in the process of fin- Welsh writing. He is still baf-
sionally writes in the third per- ishing his MA at Indiana fled that “British” typically
son). His great-great-great- University, with an emphasis in means “English” (and occasion-
grandparents, David D. Jones Film Studies (and especially ally even “Irish”) when it comes
(aka “Dave Jones #2”) and film adaptations of literary to the literary canon, and he is
Margaret Lewis Jones, were works). He suddenly found him- part of the movement to expand
Welsh immigrants from West self researching his family tree “British” literature to include
Wales who settled in the “little and Welsh literature almost as Welsh, Scottish, Cornish, and
Cardiganshire” area of southern much as he was researching postcolonial authors. Just this
Ohio in the mid-19th century film. Clearly he was feeling semester alone, he has wit-
(sidenote: their eldest child, Ada some sort of cultural void, along nessed his students debating
Jones Edwards, was the mother with the need to understand who whether the figure of Arthur
of the members of the “Edwards and what formed his own back- was appropriated by the English
Sisters” quartet). ground. This led to him to for propaganda purposes; if
His family has especially attending Welsh Heritage Shakespeare’s Cymbeline con-
strong connections to Jackson, Week, finally learning the tains anti-Welsh stereotypes;
Ohio, with several ancestors words to the Welsh melodies and the degree to which Welsh
serving as teachers there and that had (beautifully) haunted literary history has influenced
one, Milt Miller, as mayor. his memory for so many years. Dylan Thomas’s and Gwyneth
Steve was born in Ohio, where It was during these summers Lewis’s English-language poet-
his parents met, but the family that he decided a change in ry. He is, as some might say in
moved around the country quite study was needed. English-speaking Wales,
a bit in his earliest years; he, Steve began pursuing a PhD NAWF board member, Dr. Stephen Jones “chuffed.”
rather coincidentally, grew up in in British Modernist Literature, Steve currently lives with his
part of the Philadelphia area that which allowed him to explore tives in West Wales, many life- er, he stubbornly insists that it wife, the artist Alejandra Abad,
was once known as the “Welsh the early Welsh literary and long friendships came out of his makes perfect sense once you and his dog, Kiba Skybarker, in
Tract.” mythological works that wonderful year in “Aber.” read the dissertation in its Colorado (nota bene: “kiba”
Steve’s interest in all things informed the writings of authors Steve had the opportunity to entirety.) He soon after joined means “fang” in Japanese, while
Welsh began at a young age like Gerard Manley Hopkins, teach in a study-abroad program the board of directors of the the similar-sounding “ci bach”
with hearing his grandparents, David Jones, Saunders Lewis, for U.S. students in Ireland the North America Wales is, in fact, what he is; Skybarker
Blaine Burlile Jones and Joan Kate Roberts, and Dylan following year while finishing Foundation, serving on the means nothing, except to illus-
Miller, singing Welsh hymns Thomas. He received a his dissertation. He then scholarship board. trate that Steve is also an admit-
and folk songs. They always Fulbright Scholarship and an received his PhD in 2013, with Steve has spent most of his ted Star Wars nerd). Alejandra
had a WNGGA hymnal on their NAWF Exchange Scholarship his dissertation titled time teaching since returning to is finishing her MFA in Visual
piano’s music stand, and Steve for dissertation research, spend- “Postcolonial Welsh the U.S., although he also plays Arts at the University of
was mesmerized by the sounds ing a year studying (among Modernisms: Ethnic in several bands in the rock, Colorado, Boulder. Steve cooks
of Cymraeg contained therein – other things) the correspon- Performativity in Welsh Writing folk, and experimental electron- passable Venezuelan food, and
not to mention by that very dence between David Jones and of the Late 19th and 20th ic genres (though he again stub- Ale makes fantastic Welsh
cool-looking dragon that graced Saunders Lewis at the National Centuries.” (He realizes that bornly insists that the music is cakes. They aim to bring joy
the cover. This was, perhaps, Library of Wales (Llyfrgell authors he greatly respects, like not as odd as the genre cate- and foster empathy through
the root of his interest in litera- Genedlaethol Cymru) in George Orwell, would have gories might suggest). He is their teaching, music, and art as
ture and mythology as well; Aberystwyth. While he was laughed at the overly complicat- currently a professor of litera- a dynamic duo of artist-profes-
learning that the earliest tales unable to find any living rela- ed wording of this title; howev- ture in the Colorado sors.

January-February 2021 NINNAU Page 21