Looking back.

Feeling reflective, I thought I'd go back and take a look at the e-mails my former orchestra director, Dr. David Littrell, sent me following my bowing out of his program. Each time I look at these e-mails, I go into it with an open mind (perhaps I misread; perhaps he was being a reasonable and decent human being), yet each time, I am reminded of how ridiculous and petty the man really is, probably due to his height and his receding hairline. In honor of dear old Dr. Dave, as he is lovingly referred to by me, I will quote some of the conversation's finer points here now for you. Hopefully I haven't done this already... if I have, then I apologize for the redundancy.

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My initial e-mail:

Dr. Littrell,

I have decided to no longer continue with orchestra so that I can maintain better focus in my other classes. I am willing to take the necessary steps in order to return scholarship money. Thank you very much for your time last semester.

Michael Trenary
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Selected quotations from his response(s)

"I'm sorry that you've made that decision. Perhaps you'll realize someday
that it was the wrong decision."
- First of all, that's not your place. Second of all, while I do wish I still played the cello, I still don't think that I made the wrong decision. If there is anything to be regretted, it is that he was the orchestra/cello instructor.


"You received scholarship money for the first semester and, therefore, you "owed" a least
one day's work at String Fling. That, coupled with your deliberately missing rehearsal on Monday night before Thanksgiving [the only rehearsal I missed all semester] with last minute notice to me, has greatly
disturbed me.
Please clean out your cello locker immediately. When you pay back your
scholarship, I strongly suggest that you pay an additional $50 OR come work
for me doing library and miscellaneous duties for eight hours---your choice.
You didn't fulfill the obligations of your signed scholarship contract."
- Scary! (not that he had the authority to tell me to clean out my cello locker, but I did.) After this, I called the music department how they prefer I pay the extra $50. The woman told me that he was not allowed to ask me to do that, and had the head of the music department contact Dr. Dave. His response:

Michael,

Forget the $50 penalty.

David Littrell
University Distinguished Professor of Music
Kansas State University
National President-Elect, ASTA with NSOA
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~dlitmus
http://www.ksu.edu/orchestra
http://www.astaweb.com/

My favorite part is the whole "University Distinguished Professor" bit.

Sigh. I wish I could e-mail him and tell him how much of an ass I continue to think he is to this day, as he seems to me to be quite the Gilderoy Lockhart (i.e. takes himself very seriously.) BUT... given the nature of his e-mails, I'd be concerned that he might track me down and kill me.

You guys could contact him, though...