Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon in Sandusky, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie, helping my dear friend and mentor Aldo Magi celebrate his birthday. He turned 96 on February 23.
I have known Aldo for over 32 years, having met him in Richmond, Virginia in May 1988 while attending my first meeting of the Thomas Wolfe Society. I had recently begun research on Wolfe’s relationship with Germany and I had written to Aldo who is one of the world’s most knowledgeable authorities on Wolfe and an avid assembler of Wolfeana. His vast collection at the Wilson Library on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presently exceeds 53,000 items. I had written to Aldo upon commencing my research in 1986, and he immediately took me under his wing and opened so many doors for me in the years since.
We finally met face to face over lunch in Richmond two years later and the rest is history. Since then we have remained regular correspondents as Aldo has granted me continuous access to his encyclopedic knowledge of Wolfe and his collection while constantly singing my praises to other Wolfe scholars. I have leaned on Aldo and listened. And he has always spoken to me. So what a treat for me to share this landmark birthday with him. It means more to me than I can ever say. Time and memory.
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