You asked "What's with these names?" A friend of ours, Chris Abbott, a girl I met when I was in 8th grade, who was writing for "Little House on the Prairie" at that time, needed a name for the professor that was subject to many mispronunciations and could be made fun of. My maiden name was INDEED Woestehoff, and my father was INDEED a professor (as was hers...that's how we knew one another). We pronounce it WES-tuh-hoff, (remember that the professor wrote it on the board and said," Wes-tuh- hoff...three syllables...don't mess it up"), but people would say Wes-ter-Hoff, Woe-ster-hoff, Wes-tern-hoff, Woo-ster-hoff and even Wes-ting-house. During this episode, I heard variations on our surname that I had never heard before. We weren't quite sure whether to be flattered or offended. We lived in and spent summers in several states while growing up, and had a HUGE circle of friends and acquaintances, so there were MANY, MANY people who got the joke.
For the record, my father was a WELL RESPECTED professor at the University of Chicago and the University of Rochester, and FAR from being a sleaze. Coincidentally, my brother had,that very year,applied for a professorship at the University of Arizona. He did not get the job, and I've always wondered whether or not this episode influenced the U of A's decision.
Thanks Chris..from "the other Kris."