Sunday, July 17, 2005
For anyone who had the good fortune to study with Prof. Edwards, read his work, or know him personally, these are sad days. Those who were closest to him are very much in my thoughts right now.
As one of his graduate students at Rutgers, I remember Tom Edwards as the very model of a modern scholar: wise, eloquent, seasoned, open to the best new ideas, and steadfast in holding all ideas old and new to high standards of clarity, rigor, and honesty. As a teacher and lecturer, he brought a consistent beacon of sanity to our large and often fractious department. I had the honor of working with him when reading for my PhD orals, and I couldn't have had a better chairman for my committee: imaginative, supportive, tough, and fair in perfect proportions. He inspired everyone who came in contact with him; he expanded the world's storehouse of both knowledge and wisdom.
I like to think that somewhere right now, he's engaged in playful banter with Jane Austen as Henry Fielding hands him a glass of fine sherry and Jonathan Swift offers him a cigar.</b></font><br><br>
