Preface
The third annual meeting of the Illinois Medieval Association, held under the auspices of
Northern Illinois University, met on February 22, 1986, at the Holmes Student Center in
DeKalb. Approximately ninety members attended the meeting. Officers present were
Roberta Bux Bosse, Past President;
Mark Johnston, President;
David Wagner, Vice President;
Robert Kindrick, Executive Secretary;
Norman Hinton and Richard Clement, Advisors.
The meeting was preceded Friday evening by a lecture, co-sponsored by the English
department, "Changes in the English Profession--Past and Future," by John H. Fisher of the
University of Tennessee. During the Saturday meeting, 38 papers were presented in 12 sessions.
At luncheon, Professor Fisher delivered the keynote address, "European Chancelleries and
the Rise of Standard Written Languages." The conference concluded with a reception and
business meeting. Officers for 1986-1987 are
Mark Johnston, Past President
David Wagner, President
Richard Clement, Vice President
Robert Kindrick, Executive Secretary
Norman Hinton, Advisor, and Patricia Hollahan, Advisor
The annual meeting and the publication of these Proceedings would not have been
possible without the generous support of Northern Illinois University, especially the President, the
Provost, and the Deans of the Graduate School, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and International and
Special Programs. For this support we wish to thank Clyde J. Wingfield, John E. La Tourette, Jerrold
H. Zar, James D. Norris, Daniel Wit, and James M. Mellard. We also wish to thank the departments of
English and History as well as several individuals who contributions greatly aided our efforts: Debbie Booth of
the College of Continuing Education, Helen Satterlee of LA&S Word Processing, Carol Grehn of the History
Department, Debby Stronsdorfer of Art/Photo, and Don Isley of Printing Services.
We dedicate these Proceedings to Robert L. Kindrick, who has served as Executive Secretary since
the founding of the Association.
Ruth E. Hamilton and David L. Wagner