Doran—The Elephant-in-Chief

How can I forget that Akan proverb, When the elephant steps on a trap, it does not spring shut (Fig. 1), which I picked up from Doran's 1982 article “The Verbal Art of Akan Linguist Staffs” in African Arts. I wanted to know this guy who shared my interest in African proverbs, especially as they infuse some humor into African art studies. The articleis still my favorite of all his works and has become a staple in my “African Arts and Orature” course to this day.When I finally met Doran at one of our ACASA Triennial meetings, I discovered he was a splendid man, of great intellect and big heart. It was my privilege to know him through most of the years he served as deputy director and director of the Fowler Museum. He combined with his charm an unlimited energy and the highest integrity. From the exhibitions that he curated, one saw that he was a man of superlatively high standards and boundless enthusiasm for whatever task he took in hand. The metaphorical elephant touched nothing that he didn't brighten and better

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