New "angle" on an icon New "angle" on an icon (February 18, 2005)

Wallace Stegner exhibit showcases Peninsula writer

By Robyn Israel

Wallace Stegner loved bourbon, adored Harpo Marx and paused thoughtfully before he spoke. He also saved Dinosaur National Monument by writing a book of short stories.

These are just some of the tidbits people will discover when they visit the Los Altos History Museum, where a new exhibit dedicated to Stegner's life and work is on display. In addition to being a respected novelist, Stegner was a beloved teacher who founded the acclaimed Creative Writing program at Stanford University. He was also a passionate environmentalist who co-founded Committee for Green Foothills and fought to preserve open space on the Peninsula and in other states.

What could have been a dry, academic enterprise is instead a creative look at a man whose love of words and landscape left a legacy, both locally and nationally.

But the installation is not just about dates, books and official papers. Thanks to voice recordings, film presentations and video interviews with his family, friends and colleagues, viewers also learn more about Stegner, who died in 1993.

Look beyond the pictorial timeline on display, and visitors will discover that "Angle of Repose," his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (1972), was turned into an opera (which closed after five performances at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco) and that famed authors Scott Turow and Larry McMurtry were Stegner's students.

"I think it's a remarkably thorough revisiting of Wally's life and career -- early and late," said Nancy Packer, a Stegner fellow (1959-60) who later became the director of the Creative Writing program at Stanford. "The text and the accompanying pictures tell the whole story very well indeed and are quite handsomely presented. The exhibit does justice to this great man."

Stegner was a prolific author who continued to produce great works -- even in his later years. When he was 58, he wrote "All the Little Live Things," which was awarded the California Book Award Gold Medal by the Commonwealth Club of California in 1967. At the age of 62, Stegner published "Angle of Repose." "Crossing to Safety," his last novel (1987), was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He kept a full calendar of literary appearances until his death. (He died at the age of 84, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident).

Visitors will even discover a recreation of Stegner's home study with personal artifacts, such as his lamp and a gavel presented to him from the National Parks Advisory Board. There is even a photograph depicting the view of the foothills Stegner saw when he sat at his desk.

"We're really excited about the depth of interest visitors have. Many are repeaters," exhibit co-chair Julie Cummer said. "People reflect. They read. They actually watch a 56-minute video"

When Stegner's widow viewed the exhibit, she was very moved, Cummer said, by the sight of her husband's Scandinavian sweater, which along with his walking sticks, glasses and fedora, were encased in a glass display. She was also moved by the simulation of a seminar room on the second floor of Green Library, where Stegner would meet with his students. It includes a photograph of the author with his students and photographs of prominent fellows, including Nancy Packer, Ernest Gaines and Larry McMurtry.

"He stayed in contact with his students," Cummer said. "He would write congratulatory notes. It was important for him to encourage them in that way."
Information

What: "Wallace Stegner: Throwing a Long Shadow." Where: Los Altos History Museum, 51 South San Antonio Road, Los Altos When: Through June 12. Regular viewing hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Cost: Free. Call: 948-9427 or visit www.losaltoshistory.org
Upcoming events:
March 1: Miriam Marr will lead a discussion about "All the Live Little Things" from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Hillview Community Center Room, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.
March 9: Miriam Marr will lead a discussion about "All the Live Little Things" at 7:30 p.m. at the Los Altos Library's Community Program Room, 13 South San Antonio Road, Los Altos.
March 16: Professor Ken Fields of Stanford's Creative Writing Program will lecture and lead a discussion about "All the Live Little Things" at 7:30 at the Los Altos Youth Center, 1 North San Antonio Road, Los Altos.
April 14: The museum will present Stephen Fisher's film, "Wallace Stegner: A Writer's Life," from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public.

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