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When George West plays the fiddle, he is totally unselfconscious. Among the crowd of people in the Folk Music and Acoustics class, he isolates himself by closing his eyes and letting the music flow from his fingertips. He takes a relaxed stance against the door and draws the fiddle bow with the mastery and precision of an English longbowman. He is an archer, but instead of shooting arrows he flings melodious, passionate music. Looking at Mr. West, it is easy to see how important music is to him and why he has chosen the lifestyle he lives today.
Unfortunately, Mr. West is not always seen so concentrated on a single task. One can see him throughout the school day lecturing, reading, and answering students' questions simultaneously. At times, he will become so engrossed in these activities that he will run behind schedule for his next class or appointment. Even though he may have to leave the room quickly, his thoughts will often remain. This is not always because they are the most profound thoughts in the room, but more because he will continue to shout them down the hallway on his way to the elevator.
Going into the interview, I was curious to know what type of person George West was when he was in high school. Was he senior class president? Was he a Beatle-look-alike? Was he a stoner that later moved to San Francisco for the free love in the '70s? Or did he content himself in being a suave ladies' man? Did he always know that he was bound for Harvard? I admit I was surprised when he told me that he was an Eagle Scout from an extremely conservative family, who was good at math, and "painfully self-conscious."
I interviewed Mr. West in the Humanities office of the writing labs one morning during his senior English composition class. He sat back in his chair, hair carelessly falling around his head, with a faint smile on his lips. He held his hands gracefully in front of him as if to shield away any inappropriate questions. Students walked in and out of the office, asking him questions about their upcoming papers. He was attentive to them, but never seemed to notice what an engaging effect his large blue eyes have on students.
Mr. West started by telling me about growing up in a straight-laced family in Little Rock in the 1960s. His father had a desk job with the Army Corps. of Engineers, and for a long time Mr. West considered becoming an engineer. He ended by telling me about his wife Starr, and his two sons Logan and Cane. In between were stories of how he still shows his sons the front porch where he first kissed a girl, how he started to love camping when he became a Girl Scout, and how he learned to respect, but not be overawed by genius.
Striding down the hallways of ASMS, his lanky frame can quickly be recognized. His students at the math/science school easily mistake his iron gray hair as premature and are surprised to learn that it is not untimely. In fact, Mr. West looks so youthful for his age that Mr. Harrison accuses him of having a portrait of himself aging somewhere in his attic.
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