True Arkansas genius

I appreciated the story/obituary of Charles Portis following his death in Little Rock this past week. Portis was without doubt a tower of talent in Arkansas and a national treasure as a writer. Though his career took him to a lot of places in the world, it was plain to see that his roots were in his home state. I knew Charles as “Buddy” Portis during the time we spent in classes and writing labs in the old Hill Hall Journalism Building at the University of Arkansas. That was in 1957-58.

As was noted in the recent obituary, Portis is remembered as being a quiet guy, mature in his daily demeanor and not minding being alone in his own thoughts. He did not mind walking alone, but if you wished, you were welcome to join him. I recognized that his abilities far outdistanced my own, but he never exhibited any superior attitude.

I was proud of “Buddy” Portis’ release of his first great book, True Grit. I was not surprised by it coming from him. When I think of Portis, I recall the first time I really took note of his writing talent matching his wit. His short editorial published in The Arkansas Traveler (UA daily newspaper) received national attention. Not verbatim, but his words were: “With all the mess always going on in Washington, D.C., I think the entire area needs to be plowed up and planted in turnip greens.” Some of that unique thinking process comes through in the pages of True Grit.

I thank the writers of the Charles Portis obituary and the story contributors who paid tribute to a true Arkansas genius.

KEITH SUTTERFIELD Maumelle