Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tribute to a Great Man



Today, the world is losing one of the greatest men I have ever known. The keys look blurry through my tear-filled eyes as I write this tribute, but there is no other way I can think to honor my mentor and esteemed professor, Dr. Darryl Gless.

Dr. Gless came from a small town in Nebraska, and was the first in his family to go to college. He ended up winning the Rhodes Scholarship and was in the same class with Bill Clinton.  He attained his masters at Oxford and his Ph.D. at Princeton.  He wrote books and essays and won many awards.  He’s a respected scholar on the works of Spencer and Shakespeare – but it was his place in the classroom that won so many hearts and minds.

It was my first semester of senior year at UNC-Chapel Hill when I met Professor Gless.  The class was “Shakespeare” and Gless had a reputation for being a difficult teacher. But from my first class, I knew he would be one of the biggest influences on my college life.  As it turns out, he was also one of the biggest influences on my adult life. 


Darryl (as he has been encouraging me to call him for the past several years) opened up the word of Shakespeare like the unveiling of Russian nesting dolls.  Each layer was pulled back to reveal something even more intricate and astounding waiting to be discovered within.  I didn’t just learn Shakespeare – I learned how to decipher hidden meaning, I learned about the history and politics of 16th century Europe, and where the foundation for our current language originated.  I was challenged to see the myriad ways that Shakespeare’s writing influenced not just literature to come, but culture, art and politics.  It made me realize the outstanding mark that simple written words can have on the world – not just for a lifetime, but multiple lifetimes.  

It’s hard to explain exactly how it happened, but Darryl broadened my horizons and, simultaneously, my desires for my own existence.  It was at his prompting that I applied for an honors study abroad program in London, and jumped through many obstacles to get there.  When I decided to apply for a scholarship that would allow me to spend three additional months traveling around Europe and learning about history and culture, he was my biggest cheerleader – writing me recommendations and expressing total confidence in my achievement.

I was accepted into the London Honors Program, and awarded the travel scholarship.  While I was gone, I kept a regular blog.  Despite grading papers and writing books of his own, not to mention the endless reading that an English professor is always obliged to do, Darryl kept up with my blog.  Upon my return, he mentioned several things he’d read from my trip, laughing with me over the funny incidents, and talking seriously about those more disturbing moments. 

Every few months, I went back to visit my old stomping grounds, and Darryl and I would sit together in his garden and talk about everything: life, literature, travel, jobs, friends, family and the future.  I loved our talks.  He was far and away the smartest person I have ever had the privilege of speaking to – much less calling a friend – yet he never made me (or any other student) feel less-than.  He was humble and kind, witty and fascinating.  

It is no wonder that he earned a Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.  (Of course, I only know this from reading about it online – he would never have bragged about such a thing).  When asked about the award, he apparently said, “That award intensified my already deep commitment to enabling all my students to think imaginatively, to question, to value ideas and language, and to speak and write well.”  

I am confident that Darryl needed no award to be the mentor and teacher that he was to hundreds of students over three decades at Carolina.  He made every student feel worthwhile, understood and appreciated for who they were.  Personally, he encouraged me to step outside the girl that everyone assumed I’d become, and look deeper.  

If I hadn’t happened to be assigned to his class, I never would have gone on that study abroad trip.  I may not have won the travel scholarship, and I certainly would not be where I am today.  Most sadly, I would not have had the opportunity to get to know such a brilliant mind, and kind-hearted person.
Over the last year and a half, Darryl has battled myelodysplastic syndrome – a disease that renders the bone marrow incompetent.  This disease caused him to need continual platelet and red cell transfusions, but the doctors said there was only one way to possibly be cured – a bone marrow transplant.  Darryl didn’t want to undergo such a risky surgery, but his sweet wife, Frieda (who is only in her 30s), asked him to consider it for the sake of their unborn child.  

Frieda is the head of the honors study abroad programs at Carolina, and, consequently, I got to know her during my London trip.  Like Darryl, she is very kind, very smart and incredibly positive.  They got married shortly before Darryl was diagnosed with this terrible disease, and both remained ever-positive despite setback after setback. 

Given Darryl’s exercise regime and strong support system, the doctors believed he may be able to pull through a bone marrow transplant. Either way, Frieda and Darryl decided they would try to have a baby.  It would be a first for both of them.  Frieda is now 7.5 months pregnant with their daughter, Elena (Leni) Stefanie Gless. 

A perfect match was found for Darryl’s bone marrow transplant, and the outlook was good at first.  However, after a couple weeks, the doctors realized the marrow did not take.  In preparation for a second infusion, Darryl contracted an infection.  The doctors worked tirelessly to get it under control, but as of last night, Darryl was going into full lung and kidney failure.  Frieda, who is keeping all his loved ones updated via CaringBridge, let us know that life support was removed, and they were keeping him comfortable with morphine. 

He is expected to pass away today.  Frieda is with him, holding his hand and talking to him about all the good times they had together. 

As devastated as I am at this loss, I cannot imagine the grief and pain that she is experiencing right now.  My heart breaks for her and for all the hundreds of people who will be grieved by this loss.  I also mourn those students who will never have the opportunity to learn from this great teacher.

Goodbye, Professor Gless.  You will be greatly missed, and never forgotten.

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