The English department’s banned book reading was only the second time I had met Don, but I will never read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? the same way again, thanks to Don and his side-splitting political wit.
When I stepped into the room to give my pitch for a faculty research grant this fall, I remember looking out at Don, who kindly kept nodding and radiating enthusiasm, curiosity, and support—the genuine stuff. As he told me later, he really liked working for that committee (despite the huge time commitment) because he “truly enjoyed being surrounded by people who gave off a dizzying array of energy” and “fed his dilettante interests” with “new cocktail party conversation” (as if, he qualified, he would ever be invited to a cocktail party) about “bioluminescent algae, lead-testing in the marsh, sleeping-sickness in Tanzania, Nahuatl translation & orthography, and dissolved organic carbon.” Don’s intellectual passion was electrifying.
I was excited that we were talking about getting coffee together to discuss our mutual interest in “-isms,” especially after hearing his presentation on international surrealism a couple weeks ago. I deeply miss not having an opportunity to develop a friendship with Don. I will hope for a coffee conversation on the radical flip-side. For now, I just wish I could thank you, Don, for sharing your humor and generosity even with those of us who just grazed your path. It was truly an honor to have met you. It only takes a few times to really know, from somewhere in your instinctive core, that you have just met a truly astounding human being. My deepest sympathy goes out to Susan, Benjamin, and all those who knew him well.
Kelly Sultzbach
No comments:
Post a Comment