Acknowledgements
Title Page || 1: In the beginning...
A work such as this never happens at the hands of one person and such is the case with
this research. I would like to acknowledge all t he wonderful Colombians who supported
this work, from Diego Abierto, a concrete artist whose support was tangible to those who
cannot be named but whose support was no less tangible. Much of the bibliography was sent
from Colombia by Colombians who wanted me to research and write about what was happening
to *their* country. I hope I have provided some measure of that.
I would also like to thank Muhlenberg College for its support of this project. Dr.
Charles Bednar and Dean Richard Hatch were most generous in making the requisite
secretarial support available to me. And from the bottom of my intolerance for fine detail
I want to acknowledge the very fine work of Anitra VVitkowski who kept me on task and
focused in ways I doubt I could have managed on my own.
I would also like to thank and acknowledge the work of the members of my dissertation
committee, particularly Peter Sederberg and Morris Blachman. The constant challenge to
formulate and reformulate my research for greater clarity has improved my work not only as
a research but as a teacher.
Lastly and certainly not in the least I must pay homage to Colombianists such as Don
Leon Helguerra, Dr. James Henderson, and Dr. Fancisco Thoumi who gave most generously of
their time and expertise to a fledgling Colombianist. In addition to these specialists I'd
like to thank Dr. Donald J. Mabry, who has always thought I could get there from here and
never let me forget it. His assistance, tangible and intangible, made much of this
possible. He understood what kinds of things were needed and came through repeatedly. Dr.
David Ackerman taught me more about computer programs using "soft" data than I
ever thought I would want to know and has proven to be the best kind of writing partner.
These gentlemen taught me many things, but above all the meaning of the word collegiality.
Any and all mistakes are my own.
Patricia B. McRae
Muhlenberg College
Fall 1995
