Don was a unique presence on this planet. I have never known anyone quite like him. On the day I learned he was gone, his booming voice reverberated in my head for a long time. I thought of all the funny and wise things he has said in the time I’ve known him. I thought of his unending curiosity, the vast range of his intellect, his passionate attachment to his beloved Susan and Benjamin, his loyalty to his friends, and his devotion to justice. I thought of his compelling teaching, to students, to area teachers, to the campus community, on all kinds of critical topics. Don was an accomplished person, an influential person, but he never conveyed self-importance. He was fundamentally egalitarian, humble, and a humanist through and through. He modeled for me and so many others a constant search for truth and justice, leavened by a fabulous ironic sense of humor. Sometimes edgy and always pitch perfect, Don’s humor was rooted in the tender-hearted idealism that went along with his brilliance.
The last time I saw Don was a few weeks ago, when I sat at his table for a Faculty Research roundtable. The group had a discussion prompt about the good of one’s research to society, or its commercial implications. Somehow I knew it would be interesting sitting with Don and Susan during this discussion. And sure enough, Don had the answer: he said he was considering inventing a surrealist breakfast cereal.
Though this is one of the few ideas that probably would never have gotten to the top of his to do list, there are so many gifts Don had left to give. My heart aches for the family that will miss him. And I am deeply saddened to contemplate what we all could yet have learned from Don, as his friends, colleagues, students, and fellow travelers. Still, it was a privilege to know him, and to know that he lived his 46 years so fully. His memory will be treasured.
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