Honoring Don Gregory
When I was a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, my English Major adviser was the great Don Gregory.
Don died a week ago today and the news of his passing is wounding and saddening:
Donald L. Gregory, 71, Lincoln, died on Friday (7-17-09). Donald was born 1/20/1938 in Newark, Ohio to Mike and Thelma (Horner) Gregory. Director of General Studies at UNL from 1987 until his death. Donald's department received five National and five All-University awards. Professor of English Literature at UNL from 1967-1992. PhD from Ohio State 1967; MA from Ohio State 1962; Graduate Assistant from 1960-1967; BA from Bucknell University, 1960. Attended all grade levels and graduated from Granville High School, Granville, Ohio. He was a fan of sports car racing and attending SCCA auto cross events with his sons.Dr. Gregory was always kind and forever patient. I can't remember an instance when I ever heard him raise his voice in anger or lose patience with a student or colleague.
Don Gregory taught me how to be precise and prescient and to indulge every intellectual whim -- even if I didn't know if the end result would be worth welcoming.
When I was pressed into indecision about graduate schools, it was Don's kind hand and massive heart that led me through the thickets and into a Presidential Scholarship at Columbia University in the City of New York.
Without Don Gregory watching my back and tending my emotional welfare and cajoling my human indifference, I would still be staked in Lincoln, Nebraska wondering what might have been or what I could have become.
Thanks to Don Gregory, I found my life and discovered my calling and that, I now realize, is a debt that cannot ever be repaid -- it can only be forwarded upward by trying to give the golden touch to my students that Donald L. Gregory was so kind to gift to me.
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6 comments:
He sounds like a great man. I like he was always able to remain calm. That's a gift in itself.
He was a burning intellectual, but he always remained cool and calm. Don Gregory was the true voice of reason.
He sounds like a wonderful mentor who will be truly missed. The significance of such a teacher is that they touch our lives in such a deep & important way & we should let them know, when we can, the lasting legacy they leave with us as teachers, as mentors & lifelong inspirations to us all.
Nagoya95 --
Well said! You are certainly right that staying in touch is important and I am guilty of not constantly honoring Don Gregory across my life and the remainder of his. I thanked him in the moment, but never in the glowing aftermath... until he was dead. That's a hard lesson to learn and an even harder one to abide.
Thanks...what is the saying, that some things between friends should never be left unsaid or unspoken? It has become my mantra if you will to try to NOT leave those things unsaid between friends, mentors, people who have touched my life, no matter how insignificant. For we all know that the one thing in life that is certain is death but never know the exact expiration date if you will. For me, I am making a concerted effort to now let those who have made an impact on my life, that they are truly appreciated & honor them as I can in life even with a mere thank you..when and if I can.
Nagoya95 --
You are certainly right. If we value people, we need to let them know that in an ongoing basis!
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