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In ENVS 1, I read Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. Desert Solitaire introduced me to Arches National Park, one of my favorite places to visit. Prior to Arches the summer after I graduated college, I don't think I had been to a national park since I went to Yosemite in 5th grade. Now, they are an integral part of my various cross-country travels, and I have an annual pass. We read a lot of other material I never would have found on my own. Some great (Encounters with the Archdruid and The Control of Nature by John McPhee come to mind), some neither great nor memorable. Desert Solitaire stuck with me in a way the others did not, though. For that alone, I am thankful to both Professor Perrin and Professor Friedland; it more than justifies my time in the class, and I reflect on that class whenever I visit one of the parks.

I was never as dilligent about going to office hours or getting to know professors outside the classroom as I ought to have been, but I did meet with Prof. Perrin on numerous occassions. He was a completely captivating and engaging character, so when he started weekly lunches for people in the class to talk about the reading, or nature in general, I didn't pass it up. For the most part, he talked and we listened. He told tales about his farm and why he was so interested in nature and the environment while we snacked on food he had grown himself and was kind enough to share.

Late in the term, I was struggling to find a topic for my term paper. I started writing about one thing (I don't remember the topic), got a few pages in, and hated it. I had a more creative, less term-paper-like idea bouncing around in my head, but wasn't sure it would be appropriate. I wanted to write about the jury deliberations in a trial for eco-terrorism (already the aspiring lawyer, apparently). We hadn't read Abbey's Monkey Wrench Gang for class, but we had talked about the issues generally. I saw the jury deliberation as a perfect setting for dialog about the moral, ethical, and legal aspects of it. Shortly before the paper was due, I went Professor Perrin's office to talk to him about my paper topic. I told him that I had started writing but was unhappy with my work, and was thinking about going out on a limb to write something more creative. Without asking what my idea was, he gave me a big, mischievous grin and said, "Sometimes you find the most interesting views when you are out on a limb."

Rest in peace, Professor Perrin.