I cannot write the obituary that Terrell suggests, but I certainly can echo
his remarks about Ed's generosity, kindness, and scholarship, and share my
own experience. I visited Ed in his home when I bought his library five or
six years ago. We had corresponded by letter, phone and email some years
before and after that visit. The books in his library showed more wear and
tear and evidence of hard use than any I have seen. Ed's working library was
his toolbox, used his scholarly constructions and teaching. He read them and
reread them, and marked them all to pieces, and shared them with others, and
then reread them again and marked them some more. But those familiar with
his scholarship will know that Ed's enduring legacy will be his enthusiastic
trail-blazing explorations of Sam Clemens' early writings and riverboat
career, where there were few tools in the toolbox to help --this was
research driven by a clear-eyed determination to squeeze everything that
could be squeezed from rare and obscure original sources.

Not relevant to Twain studies, but worth mentioning as a sidebar --  When my
wife and I visited,  we were struck by how active and fit both Ed and his
wife were --they were in far better shape than anyone their ages that we had
ever met, and better shape than most people half their ages. We told them
so, and asked for their secret (prudent diet, physical activity, positive
outlook). Forty years their juniors, when we got home we looked again in the
mirror, and were truly embrarrassed, and were motivated to change our
lifestyle. Although not quite in fighting trim even now, we've radically
changed our diets and exercise, and we thank Ed and Mary Jo for providing
the impetus and inspiration to do what we knew we had to do. This is a
personal debt now publicly acknowledged.

Ed gave his papers to Miami University some time ago, and most of the books
from his library were long ago sold to young Twainians who could not afford
pristine copies in dust jackets but who were happy to have worn out veterans
of Ed's toolbox. A few special books of his sit on my personal shelves next
to the same titles from the libraries of Ham Hill, Arthur Scott, Walter
Blair, Fred Anderson, et al --and even the less scholarly Clara, Isabel
Lyon, Kate Harrison, and others.

Terrell, I thought he was a great guy, too.

Kevin Mac Donnell
Austin TX