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Highlights In June Mr. Gorka Aulestia, Basque instructor with the Program for three years, received his MA in Spanish, and his wife, Mertxe de Renobales, received a Ph.D. in biochemistry. They recently moved to Pullman, Washington where Mertxe is completing a one-year post-doctoral project. Congratulations! Lucien Offenburg, a Swiss writer who is preparing an encyclopedia about the American continent and a 1978 visitor to the Basque Studies Program, has written a series of three articles about our activities and about Basques in the United States. The articles appear on the front page of the August 3, 4-5, and 6 editions of the Swiss newspaper, Journal de Genéva. Ms. Chantal Eguiluz of Guecho, Vizcaya, recently joined the Program as a trainee under bibliographer Jon Bilbao. Upon completion of her work in Reno she plans to return to the Basque Country where she will form a part of the team of the projected International Institute of Basque Bibliography. The Federation Francaise de Pelote Basque provided the Basque Studies Program with ten 12" x 16" black and white photographs of txisterak and palak, the wicker baskets and paddles used in various forms of pelota or jai alai. The earliest txistera in the set is made of leather and dates from 1800. Jacques Casaubon, coach of the French handball team, presented the photographs to NABO President Janet Inda at a luncheon on August 30, following the team’s visit to the Basque Studies Program. In June we were visited by Mr. and Mrs. André Luberriaga. Mr. Luberriaga is the mayor of the town of Azkaine in Labourd. During the past several months we have been conducting archival research in several California locations as a part of a U.S.-Spanish Joint Committee for Educational Cultural Affairs grant to study nineteenth century Basque emigration to the American West. Members of the research team include Ms. Teresa Baksh of San Diego, Mr. Michael Boot (under the direction of Professor Mary Paquette) of Bakersfield, and Dr. Jean Decroos (who is working in the San Francisco Bay area.) In August the Basque Studies Program participated in the festival held by the San Francisco Basque Club at the Pier Two facility. Approximately 8,000 persons attended the two-day event. Our staff provided slide and film presentations, a rare books display and an exhibit of Richard Lane’s photos of the Basque sheepherder. |
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