Keruac Biographer Recalls Armand Gauthier

August of 2014, I received a very nice note from Kerouac biographer Paul Maher, Jr. Below is the email. I plan to get copies of the Antlantic Monthly article and the "Good Blonde and Others".  Many thanks to Paul for reaching out and sharing some wonderful observations about Pepere. 


"Hello,

 "I read your blog on Armand and enjoyed it. I am a biographer of Kerouac and just wanted to alert you to another reference of Mr. Gauthier in Kerouac's short story      "In the Ring" where Arman is called Roland Bouthelier: "who was my father's unofficial chauffeur 'cause my father couldn't drive his 1929 Ford himself his legs being too short, or him having to talk too much while driving, and Roland also a young friend of the family's (about 22) and a worker in his printing plant to boot"

   "The whole piece seems  to be about Armand. It can be found anthologized in the Kerouac book Good Blonde and Others (Grey Fox Press) and still in print.

   "Incidentally, my grandmother, Gertrude (Larrivee) Maher told me once that she knew Armand and his family, and her brothers also knew him well. One of her brothers actually also worked in Leo's boxing gym.

     Best wishes, Paul"

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