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Your search for the tag 'the citadel' yielded 27 results

  • 1

    Interview: Oct 21st, 1994

    AOL Chat 1 (Verbatim)

    Jdieu

    I was wondering if the Dark One is ever going to be manifested into a single person, and was also wondering where you went to college?

    Robert Jordan

    I graduated from The Citadel and, for the rest, read and find out! That is neither to say yes nor no; just read and find out.

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  • 2

    Interview: Jan, 1991

    Starlog Interview (Verbatim)

    William B. Thompson

    Following military service, Jordan enrolled at The Citadel, earning a degree in physics in 1974. For a time, he toiled as a nuclear engineer for the Navy. He became a writer largely out of boredom with the works of authors he read during an extended hospital stay, recuperating from a severe knee injury.

    His first book, Warriors of the Altaii, was fantasy. So was his dream of a publisher. A book contract signed by Jordan was rescinded, reputedly due to "excessive demands." Despite the setback, Jordan determined he would no longer work for anyone else, that he would henceforth write full time.

    In a reversal of the path taken earlier by John Jakes, Jordan went from "generational sagas" to the fantastic. However, his first major commercial success came in 1980 with the historical novel The Fallon Blood. Eleven years later, Jordan has published works representative of many fields, including dance and theater criticism.

    Robert Jordan

    "I enjoy whatever I'm writing at the moment. Right now what I want to write is fantasy. But I would also like to do plays, horror, mysteries, poetry and maybe some hard science fiction. Fantasy is challenging enough. Day to day, I try to keep things fresh and vital so there's no danger of self-imitation or self-parody. At the same time, it concerns me occasionally that I might court burnout from staying too long in one world."

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  • 3

    Interview: Dec 8th, 1993

    Robert Jordan

    Thank you very much for your letter. Receiving it was like getting a great pat on the back.

    I have recently become aware of Internet, and have been a little dazed by the depth of interest Internet users display in my books. It's very flattering. However, I must correct the comment about Chapel Hill: I have never attended Chapel Hill in any way and I was not a geography major (sorry) . . I attended The Citadel, and took my B.S. there, with a double major in math and physics.

    Praise from a geographer for my world-building is praise indeed! Thanks for your kind words.

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  • 4

    Interview: 1994

    John-Mark Turner

    RJ was very patient and enthusiastic. He looked different than the picture mostly due to the dark tint in his glasses.

    Robert Jordan

    RJ also mentioned being unable to attend West Point due to poor vision in his left eye. Shannon Faulkner and the Citadel...he feels she should not be allowed to attend the Citadel because she lied on her application by not revealing her gender. He also feels that single sex education is beneficial for both men and women. He said men tend to be more successful in a competitive environment while women tend to excel in cooperative environments (e.g., studies have shown that girls that go to all girl colleges have less math fear, stress, etc. than coeds). He also mentioned that he personally feels that the physical standards suffer at military institutions when women attend. He talked about himself being shot down in a helicopter and having to run twenty-five miles literally and anyone who would have been unable to do that would not have survived.

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  • 5

    Interview: Oct 17th, 1994

    Daniel Rouk

    Jordan looks pretty much like the sketch, except add glasses. He was sitting in a nice comfortable chair calmly answering everyone's questions. Erica did rile him a little with one though. :-) He had a large ring on his right hand with some sort of reddish stone. Is this his Citadel ring? I don't know what one looks like, and didn't think to look when he actually signed my book.

    Now to the questions people asked and the answers. I hovered pretty close to the signing table to get as much in as I could...

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  • 6

    Interview: Oct 17th, 1994

    Erica Sadun

    Erica asked Jordan about Shannon Faulkner, the female attempting to get into The Citadel.

    Robert Jordan

    Jordan immediately said "She's a liar," and explained how she misrepresented herself on her application. The Citadel has an honor code that views lying as a very serious offense. He thinks the military is one role where men are physically more able to do the job, and if one can't meet the same requirements then they shouldn't be accepted. He frowned on the practice of West Point no longer having women march in combat boots. He mentioned that in Vietnam he had to run for twenty-some miles, and if he hadn't been able to make it he wouldn't be here today. He says in some fields though women would naturally replace men if tradition didn't keep men involved, such as law.

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  • 7

    Interview: Oct 17th, 1994

    Robert Jordan

    Girl at Citadel: "She is a liar. She and the guidance counselor deliberately whited out all references to her gender." (Followed by about 10 minutes of impassioned talk about how running in combat boots saved his life in Vietnam—fascinating, touching and irreproducible.)

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  • 8

    Interview: Oct 20th, 1994

    Robert Jordan

    Jordan also mentioned a few things about himself. He planned to go to West Point and have a military career, but his eyesight wasn't good enough, so he went to The Citadel and served a single term in the military. When he started writing he imagined living on the French River, working 2-3 hours in the morning, and spending the day on the beach with a blond, a brunette, and a redhead. Sound familiar?

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  • 9

    Interview: Oct, 1994

    Dave Slusher

    In your background, you attended The Citadel. And you're a military man, you served in Vietnam. Did that kind of help you with this head for intrigue and the Machiavellian interactions that we have in this book?

    Robert Jordan

    Actually, all that really helped me with is that I know what it's like to have somebody trying to kill you. I know what it's like to have a lot of people trying to kill you. And I also know what's it like to kill somebody. These things come through, so I've been told by people who are veterans of whether Vietnam, or of Korea, or combat anywhere—Desert Storm; I had a lot of fan letters from guys who were there.

    As far as the Machiavellian part, as I said I grew up in a family of Byzantine complexity, in a city where there has always been a great deal of Byzantine plotting. The court of Byzantium never had anything on Charleston for either plotting or blood feuds. It came as mother's milk to me.

    Dave Slusher

    Do you think that these books, such as they are, could only have been written by a southerner, and someone with a head for that?

    Robert Jordan

    These particular books could have only been written by a southerner because I write in a somewhat southern voice. My major influence as a writer, I think, is Mark Twain. And, there's no denying the southern voice of the books. If someone from another part of the country had written them, they would sound entirely different.

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  • 10

    Interview: Jun 26th, 1996

    Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)

    Eric Ligner

    Do you draw upon your military education for your battles or from general knowledge?

    Robert Jordan

    From both, actually.

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  • 11

    Interview: Oct 18th, 1996

    AOL Chat (Verbatim)

    Question

    How do you feel about women being admitted to The Citadel?

    Robert Jordan

    In the first place, I do wish that the school had been able to remain all male, but the fact is, women are in The Citadel, and as far as I'm concerned, it's time to get on with the business at hand and stop grousing about what's past.

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  • 12

    Interview: Nov 11th, 1998

    jude74

    What university did you attend?

    Robert Jordan

    The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

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  • 13

    Interview: Nov 28th, 2000

    Robert Jordan

    Talked about The Citadel and the workouts. Said that now for the long runs the cadets are allowed to wear sneakers but when he was there, they had to run in their combat boots. Said that it is because of the new women recruits—that they get shin splints running in the boots. Actually said "As big as I am, I once had to run a 15k in my combat boots."

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  • 14

    Interview: Jan 16th, 2003

    Robert Jordan

    He was asked if he had anything he would like to say about his time at the Citadel, and he said no.

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  • 15

    Interview: Jan 22nd, 2003

    USA Today Article (Verbatim)

    Robert Jordan

    The South Carolina native dropped out of Clemson University after one year. ("I didn't know how to study.") He served two tours in Vietnam. Afterward, he attended The Citadel, becoming a nuclear engineer. A fall from a sub at the Charleston Naval Shipyard left him hospitalized for a month. His knee was rebuilt, and he suffered a near-fatal blood clot.

    The avid reader decided it was time to try writing. "Life was too short," he says. He decided to quit his job after a bookstore manager pal told him that a famous bodice-ripper romance writer made $3 million on two books. Jordan decided to pump purple prose. But there was a problem. "I couldn't quiver," he says.

    He met Harriet, a Manhattan editor who had moved home to Charleston. She told him he could write but to bag the bodice-rippers, suggesting instead he write historical novels. He published several under the name Reagan O'Neal.

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  • 16

    Interview: Jan 6th, 2004

    Hellertown, PA

    I was in Iraq in '91 when I received a copy of The Eye Of The World. It was a spectacular read in the desert—wonderful fun reading. You went to The Citadel. Why did you choose that school?

    Robert Jordan

    Well, I went to The Citadel as a veteran student. And I was, frankly, going somewhere else, but Col. Bunch at The Citadel kept calling me after I came back the last time from 'Nam, and I went to talk to him, and he told me about the veterans' program there. And I knew they had a good reputation in engineering and the sciences, so I ended up going. I sometimes had the suspicion I might play football for them, but I was beyond that by that time.

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  • 17

    Interview: Apr 9th, 2008

    Brandon Sanderson

    As you might have noticed, things have been a tad dead here this week. That's because I've been out here in Charleston visiting Robert Jordan's house. Harriet, Alan, Maria, and I have been working on things for Book Twelve, and there was also a panel at The Citadel (where Mr. Jordan went to college) about Mr. Jordan and his effect on the fantasy genre. Harriet wanted me to be part of it, and I was very happy to do so. (David Drake also flew in to sit on the panel. I know it was video taped; I don't know if it will get posted anywhere. If it does, I'll try to get a link up here for you all.)

    Regardless, it's been a busy few days. I flew out on Monday and have to be back on Thursday to teach my class. However, we've put our time to very good use, working out the outline for Book Twelve. (There were some holes in the plot and questions about characters we needed to work through.) Maria put it best with some of these holes: It's like we're putting together a jigsaw. We need to sift through Mr. Jordan's notes and figure out what he wanted to have happen, then figure out the best way to make it happen.

    This, of course, is only for the sections that are more ambiguous. We're doing our best to make certain this book has as much of Mr. Jordan in it as possible.

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  • 18

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2008

    Wilson Grooms

    Family, friends and fans of fantasy gathered at The Citadel on Tuesday 8 April 2008 to dedicate a permanent memorial to my brother/cousin, James Oliver Rigney, Jr. This was a celebration of Jim's life and his work. I would be lying were I to tell you I was looking forward to the event. We had assembled only a few weeks earlier at the Citadel to induct Jim into the South Carolina Author's Hall of Fame. That evening had propelled me back to the awful moments in September when we lost Jim. Both Harriet and I were in dread of the same happening yet again. It didn't. Rather the opposite.

    Harriet had told us all, Onward, still she and I (and I'm sure the rest of the family) were mired in that part of grieving that causes us to hang on, denial. Only a day before, Harriet had rolled up her sleeves and dove headlong into the first chapter of A Memory of Light. She, Jim's loyal staff and Brandon were hard at work on the book. She called me to share that and her excitement was obvious. She sounded like a new woman. Harriet told me that she finally knew that Jim wasn't coming back. That doesn't mean that she doesn't still hurt. The hurt will never totally subside, but now it doesn't interfere with going "onward". Indeed it helps to maintain purpose and focus.

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  • 19

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2008

    Wilson Grooms

    The memorial dedication was begun by a brief introduction of the event from Angie LeClercq, the Director of the Library. The introduction of the panel was made by our own Harriet. Sitting with her were Michael Livingston (Assistant Professor of Medieval Literature at The Citadel), Brandon Sanderson (Elantris, Mistborn) and Dave Drake (Hammer Slammers series, Lord of the Isles series and at least 60 other books).

    Michael Livingston began by offering what he thought Jim had meant to literature. He compared the body of writers to that of waves on the ocean with peaks and troughs, with the last peak being JRR Tolkien. After him there was a long period in the trough of the wave, then came Jordan. Brandon then waded in with the impact Jordan had upon him as a 15 year old reading fantasy for the first time. He said that his parents were directing him towards Chemistry and Medical School. But Jordan's fantasy world hooked him so much that he too wanted to write. But every time he'd try something, he'd say to himself, "I can't. Jordan already did that." (For you writers of the future out there, Brandon wrote 12 books before getting one published. Never quit.)

    This prompted questions about Jordan's impact on other writers, "were there people following his style?" I think you all know the answer to that question, there are many. Dave Drake added the observation that there are those who write about something and there are those who write about something that they know because they've lived it. He used his own experience from Vietnam to illustrate his point. He said that when you read Jordan you are privy to Jordan's experiences. The question was asked about who might be the next wave peak. Brandon offered a wonderful bit of insight. It won't be someone who imitates another's work. Brandon said that the one(s) who get it right will look not at what Jordan did, but how he did it. If they are successful in applying the method to their own experience, then we may see the next great writer.

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  • 20

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2008

    Wilson Grooms

    The photo below shows (from right to left) Harriet, Michael, Brandon and Dave. The glass case directly behind them houses the memorabilia. There you will find copies of all of Jim's books, a Heron marked blade, his wide-brimmed black hat, his ram's horn cane, his military decorations as well as his unit insignia from the 68th Attach Helicopter Company, photos of Jim throughout his life and of course, his Citadel ring. Should you find yourself in the Two Rivers, Charleston, do make time to go by The Citadel to see this very moving display. I've also included a copy of the dedication program.

    Footnote

    The photos are no longer available online.

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  • 21

    Interview: Apr 23rd, 2008

    Jason Denzel

    We also received some additional words and photos from Alan Romanczuk, one of Jim's assistants. Here's what he writes:

    Alan Romanczuk

    Jim's memorial case was put on permanent display in The Citadel library on the 8th of this month. It's a beautiful piece of work, and is probably worth more than some of the houses in the neighborhood. On display are a variety of artifacts representing different periods of Jim's life, and include photographs, articles of clothing and accessories, weapons, everything one would expect to give insight into the personality and experiences of this complex and fascinating individual.

    Jim's Harriet convened a panel to discuss his life and literary works before an audience that filled one large section of the library. The panel was comprised of [I'm doing this in order of position, from the left, in the photo shown above] David Drake, famous author of fantasy and military science fiction, and friend/admirer of Jim and Harriet's for many years; Brandon Sanderson, talented young fantasy writer who was selected to finish the last volume in the Wheel of Time series; Michael Livingston, Assistant Professor of English at The Citadel, specialist in medieval studies and author in his own right, who is dedicated to ensuring that Robert Jordan's work be recognized by scholars to be among the masterpieces of world mythology; and, standing, Harriet. The discussion lasted about a hour, and included questions and comments from the audience. All in all, it was a stimulating evening, a fitting tribute to Jim, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It also gave Brandon the opportunity to say for the first time, "Read and Find Out."

    Footnote

    The photos are no longer available online.

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  • 22

    Interview: Jun 9th, 2008

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm not sure if you've all seen these or not, but I thought I'd post them. I've been hanging onto them for a while, waiting for a good time for it on the blog, and finally realized I just needed to get them up.

    Back in April, The Citadel (where Mr. Jordan attended college) put up a permanent display about him and his writing in their library. It was a wonderful gesture, and the display is very nice. I flew out for the event, as did David Drake, and joined a very knowledgeable professor in a short panel on what Robert Jordan's writing had meant to the world and to us personally. Mr. Jordan's assistant sent me these photos of the event.

    Harriet and myself right before the event. Note the stylish Asha'man dragon pins we're both wearing, sold by our friends at Badali.

    Shots of the display case itself. There's a copy of a Heron marked sword in there, I believe. ;)

    The panel, moderated by Harriet, with Dave Drake on the end, then me, then Michael, the local literature professor who knew a TON about the fantasy genre and Mr. Jordan's work.

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  • 23

    Interview: Oct 21st, 1994

    AOL Chat 2 (Verbatim)

    Question

    Your perspective on Shannon Miller?

    Robert Jordan

    Do you mean Shannon Faulkner? [no response]

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  • 24

    Interview: Dec 5th, 2000

    Br00se

    Someone asked what year he graduated from The Citadel.

    Robert Jordan

    His answer was 1974. The follow up was a comment about the school turning out some great writers. He said that it was not so much the school as the person.

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  • 25

    Interview: Mar 15th, 2003

    M. L. Van Valkenburgh

    Jordan's background is not, however, in history. After a year at Clemson, he left school and did two tours of duty in Vietnam. He then enrolled at The Citadel where he got his degree in nuclear engineering and went to work for the government. But a badly injured knee that suffered complications nearly cost him his life and he turned to his real passion—writing.

    Robert Jordan

    "Writing is not something you make a living at unless you're very lucky. Go into something solid or safe like acting," he advises.

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  • 26

    Interview: Jan 4th, 2013

    Petra Mayer

    Although I think you're right—we are getting into kind of details, but I do want to come back to the worldbuilding a little bit later in the conversation. But without giving too much away about the final book–there's a lot of fighting because, you know, it is the Last Battle, right?

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes.

    Petra Mayer

    And I know that your husband had a military background. Can you talk about that, and how it may have influenced his writing?

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes, he served two tours in Vietnam, in the Army. He was a helicopter door gunner.

    Petra Mayer

    And a Citadel graduate, right?

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes, he was. He went to The Citadel as a Veteran student, and loved that institution and the Army with–with all his heart, you might say. A friend of his said to me once, "Some people take off the uniform, and that's that. Other people, the uniform sinks right into their skin." And my dear husband was one of the latter.

    Petra Mayer

    And it really shows in the books. There's a lot of tactics, a lot of military strategy.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes, it does. The New York Times said at one point that the books reflect the last 30 years of American experience, including war, in the way that Tolkien's book reflected the last 30 years of the English experience when he was writing during World War II, that Robert Jordan's battle scenes are pretty wonderful.

    Petra Mayer

    That's an interesting parallel to Tolkien actually.

    Footnote

    The New York Times' article on Tolkien and Jordan, published in 1996, can be read here.

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