Professor
      Profile:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      George
      Anderson
      talks
      with
      English
      prof,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Richard
      Lemm
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hree
      years
      ago
      |
      first
      encoun-
     
    

    
     
      tered
      Richard
      Lemm.
      To
      me,
      at
     
    

    
     
      the
      impressionable
      age
      of
      nine-
     
    

    
     
      teen,
      this
      man
      seemed
      to
      give
     
    

    
     
      me
      an
      appreciation
      of
      English
     
    

    
     
      that
      |
      did
      not
      acquire
      in
      high
     
     
      school.
      So,
      in
      light
      of
      this,
      |
      decided
      to
      undertake
     
     
      this
      assignment
      to
      somehow
      give
      thanks
      to
      Dr.
     
     
      Lemm
     
    

    
     
      Born
      in
      1946
      in
      Seattle,
      Washington,
      Dr.
     
     
      Lemm
      was
      the
      product
      of
      aworking
      class
      family.
     
     
      He
      grew
      up
      in
      Seattle,
      becoming
      acclimated
      to
     
     
      its
      cultural
      diversity
      and
      cosmopolitan
      atmos-
     
     
      phere.
      His
      university
      life
      began
      with
      a
      short
     
     
      interval
      at
      the
      University
      of
      Washington
      in
     
     
      1964.
      Initially,
      he
      was
      insecure
      concerning
      his
     
     
      ability
      to
      intellectualize;
      so,
      he
      postponed
      his
     
     
      academic
      pursuits
      in
      1965
      to
      pursue
      a
      Jack
     
     
      Kerouac
      lifestyle.
      That
      is,
      his
      Karmen
      Ghia
      took
     
     
      him
      to
      many
      locations
      across
      Canada
      and
      the
     
     
      United
      States.
      In
      this
      brief
      interruption
      of
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      Dr.
      Lemm
      conjured
      up
      dreams
      of
      be-
     
     
      coming
      a
      writer
      and
      poet.
     
    

    
     
      In
      1967
      Dr.
      Lemm
      returned
      to
      begin
      studies
     
     
      at
      San
      Francisco
      State.
      Here,
      Dr.
      Lemm
      found
     
     
      his
      niche,
      so
      to
      speak.
      He
      thoroughly
      loved
      San
     
     
      Francisco
      State
      because
      of
      its
      place
      as
      an
      enter-
     
     
      prising
      school
      committed
      to
      issues
      that
      had
     
     
      some
      relevancy
      in
      the
      late
      1960's,
      these
      being
     
     
      civil
      rights,
      the
      question
      of
      the
      United
      States
     
     
      involvement
      in
      Vietnam,
      and
      the
      radical
      change
     
     
      in
      the
      entire
      social
      fabric
      of
      these
      times.
      At
      San
     
     
      Francisco,
      Dr.
      Lemm
      did
      extremely
      well
      in
      all
      his
     
     
      English
      courses,
      and
      became
      immersed
      in
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      life.
      1968
      saw
      Dr.
      Lemm
      transfer
      to
     
     
      Simon
      Fraser
      University
      to
      accomplish
      his
      hon-
     
     
      ours
      in
      English
      while
      at
      the
      same
      time
      working
     
     
      in
      a
      book
      store.
      As
      soon
      as
      he
      completed
      his
     
     
      studies
      at
      Simon
      Fraser,
      he
      accepted
      a
      position
     
     
      at
      Vancouver
      General
      Hospital
      as
      a
      remedial
     
     
      therapist.
      This
      job
      enabled
      him
      to
      understand
     
     
      disturbed
      children
      and
      help
      these
      unfortunate
     
     
      people
      to
      lead
      a
      better
      life.
      Due
      to
      cutbacks
      in
     
     
      the
      government,
      Dr.
      Lemm’s
      position
      was
      ter-
     
     
      minated
      abruptly.
     
    

    
     
      By
      1974,
      Dr.
      Lemm
      was
      living
      in
      Hope,
     
     
      British
      Columbia
      teaching
      creative
      writing
      and
     
     
      composition.
      His
      poem
      Second
      Acceptance
      in
     
     
      1975
      won
      him
      laurels
      in
      the
      national
      poetry
     
     
      contest.
      This
      stage
      in
      Dr.
      Lemm’s
      life
      was
      the
     
     
      realization
      of
      his
      capacity
      to
      write
      beautiful
     
     
      literary
      works.
      From
      1978
      to
      1986
      he
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      10/X-Press/October
      7,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      teaching
      at
      Banff
      college,
      with
      a
      brief
      hiatus
      at
     
     
      Queens’
      to
      finish
      his
      MA
      in
      English,
      eventually
     
     
      moving
      to
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      to
      teach
      English
     
     
      here
      at
      the
      university.
      In
      1992/93
      he
      received
     
     
      the
      position
      of
      chairman
      of
      the
      English
      Depart-
     
     
      ment.
     
    

    
     
      What
      are
      some
      of
      Dr.
      Lemm’s
      interests,
      you
     
     
      might
      ask?
      Well,
      for
      starters,
      Dr.
      Lemm
      is
      a
     
     
      sports
      enthusiast,
      most
      notably
      basketball
      and
     
     
      football.
      Musically,
      Dr.
      Lemm
      is
      capable
      of
     
     
      playing
      the
      sax
      and
      the
      recorder,
      and
      his
      musical
     
     
      roots
      tend
      to
      be
      focused
      on
      jazz,
      blues,
      folk,
      and
     
     
      reggae,
      to
      name
      a
      few.
      His
      literary
      influences
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      include
      Dylan
      Thomas,
      T.S.Eliot,Joseph
      Conrad,
     
     
      Charles
      Dickens,
      Herman
      Melville,
      and
      Robert
     
     
      Frost,
      and
      Canadian
      poets
      like
      Browen
      Wallace,
     
     
      Alistair
      MacLeod,
      Alice
      Munro,
      Dale
      Zieroth,
     
     
      and
      Derrick
      Wolcott.
     
    

    
     
      To
      capsulate,
      Dr.
      Lemm
      is
      a
      fine
      individual
     
     
      who
      believes
      in
      the
      continuation
      of
      the
      English
     
     
      language
      and
      the
      literary
      tradition.
      The
      students
     
     
      at
      UPEI
      are,
      in
      Dr.
      Lemm’s
      eyes,
      really
      terrific
      in
     
     
      their
      friendliness
      and
      enthusiasm
      for
      English
     
     
      literature.
      “Literature”,
      Lemm
      says,
      “is
      the
      best
     
     
      way
      to
      understand
      life,
      lover,
      and
      friend.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Richard
      Lemm,
      looking
      very
      spontaneous