Dear e-pards (as Jeff would say),
Jeff Arnold referring to ‘The Big C’ seemed apt to some of his blog’s loyal readers. No less a Western luminary than John Wayne reputedly coined the term during his own battle with the disease.
But Jeff posting about his own inoperable diagnosis was a shock to all his readers. Even though the notice was handled with (characteristic) grace, and even without knowing the man beyond his words, ‘The Last Post’ was a heart-rending read. For many of us, Jeff Arnold’s West had become an internet equivalent of a dependable friend.
Over time, the co-writers of this post found ourselves returning to the site often, reading the latest posts or searching the Index for a recently viewed film. Some of the returned posts were older, some were newer. Only rarely did one screen a Western that somehow escaped an essay by Jeff. The comparison of one’s own reactions to Jeff’s was a pleasure: usually (and satisfyingly) agreeing with him, occasionally (and interestingly) disagreeing, always enlightened by his knowledge and insights.
In his posts covering entire Western careers, Jeff often uses the acronym CV: Curriculum Vitae. But his own CV is impressive: over 1800 long-form essays spanning not just Western films and books, but the American West in history and popular imagination. The scholarship is staggering in breadth and volume; the writing style, while thoughtful, intelligent, and deeply knowledgeable, is friendly, wry, and easy to read.
So when we read the words “Actually, if anyone out there wanted to take it over, I’d be more than happy”, they struck a chord. We felt then, and feel now, that this CV is worth preserving. Several emails later, the two of us were delighted to learn we were not alone in feeling this.
Jeff himself brought us together. With his blessing, we two volunteers are happy to announce that Jeff Arnold’s West will continue. We are Bud Ford and RR; you have perhaps seen our comments and replies to various essays.
Two Rode Together, you might say.
But to be clear, we are approaching this venture as caretakers. Our overriding aim is to keep Jeff’s own work accessible for the foreseeable future. Although taking the reins of the site, we have no illusions of replacing Jeff or posting in the way that Jeff did. The length and, critically, the quality of Jeff’s articles are beyond the limits of our time and skills.
But, dear e-pards, we want the wonderful community of Jeff Arnold’s West to continue its engagement. This CV still has plenty of room for thoughtful comments, respectful replies, and perhaps more. Ideas concerning the future direction of the site are welcome, so please feel free to make suggestions below.
Adios for now.