Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Be Careful Out There


I received word this morning that a friend from my graduate school days died over the weekend. I have many, many memories of Leslie, bookended by a spur-of-the-moment Who concert in early 80s Houston and a reunion of our cocktail-consuming-trio on an Oregon beach in 2003. 

The one constant in all these years? Laughter.



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5 comments:

Christy Raedeke said...

Sorry about your sad news, Blue. He looks like such a lovely man.

Peace.

December 2, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Anonymous said...

I mean no intrusion on your grief but this man was my professor. We had, of course, a very limited interaction but he was one of my favorite instructors. The greatest compliment I can think to give him is that he reminded me the education is more important than the grade. (That is an easy thing to lose sight of in academics.) He was compassionate, gentle and always encouraging. I was actually looking forward to his lecture on Nietzsche tomorrow. An uncommon sentiment that...and the mark of his professorship.

While our experience doesn't compare to the sense of loss his friends and family must be experiencing now, his students will miss him and those who will never have the opportunity to take his classes will be the poorer for it.

December 2, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Anonymous said...

I was also a past student of Dr. Marenchin. His class was challenging and one of the few classes I did not recieve a solid "A+" in but he taught me that questioning one's beliefs is not necessarily a bad thing and how to be open to the ideas and humor of others.

Marenchin had a quirky personality-one that engaged the class with humor, creativity, efficient use of profane language to seize our attention and hold onto it for the next 90 minutes he lectured, and most of all, he taught us how to love philosophy.

The first day of a college course, the professor walks in, introduces himself quickly, and then speaks of the course.. 10 mins. later you are out the door and heading home. Not Dr. Marenchin. You better believe he lectured for all 90 minutes the first class and then would question you about some of that first lecture in his first exam.

I will miss him. Though we never had a close relationship and though I disagreed with some of his teaching style and beliefs he perpetuated in class, he was a wonderful person and there was no denying it.

UH had a loss today and one that can never be replaced. Friends, family, past and future students will never be the same.

RIP Dr.

December 2, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Kelly Hudgins said...

To the two students who have left comments:

Thank you so very much for your kind words. Your appreciation of Leslie's intellect means a great deal. Beneath what can only be described as his very special style lay a passion for ideas and language and it gives me great joy to know that his students discerned it.

December 2, 2008 at 7:52 PM
Kelly Hudgins said...

Christy....I can just hear Leslie snickering at your choice of adjectives. Perfectly unintended irony and, as such, a perfect compliment. What could be better for a philosopher?

December 2, 2008 at 7:54 PM

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