I did not personally know Hal Bush, but I would see and greet him when we
encountered each other every four years in Elmira. I did speak to him to
thank him for and compliment him about his book, *Mark Twain and the
Spiritual Crisis of His Age, *and I certainly mourn his loss to us, Mark
Twain scholarship, and scholarship generally, and I grieve with and for his
family. He and they will be included in our prayers.
On the cover of my copy of *Spiritual Crisis *is a drawing of Mark Twain
weeping at the grave of Adam. I recall his soliloquy there. Paraphrasing
it, I can write of Hal Bush, "He was a distant relative. He did not know
me, and I did not truly know him, but I do know his work and felt his
passion and now genuinely feel his loss. We can take comfort that he was
with us and left us much."
On Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 9:41 AM Bird, John C. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> This is a sad loss. I have been following Hiroko's updates as she dealt
> with the ups and downs of Hal's treatment. Hal will be remembered for his
> excellent scholarship, especially his work on Mark Twain and religion. But
> we will also remember him as a lively and fun loving friend. His guitar
> playing added to the comeraderie at the Elmira conference. We will sing to
> his memory next summer. Rest in peace, Hal!
>
> John Bird
>
> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
>
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Joseph Csicsila <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 8/18/21 6:50 AM (GMT-05:00)
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Hal Bush
>
> Hiiroko Bush shared early this morning that Hal died last night. A memorial
> service will be scheduled for November.
>
> Joe Csicsila
>
> CAUTION: This message originated from an external source
>
--
John H. Davis, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of English
Department of English
Chowan University
One University Place
Murfreesboro, North Carolina 27855
252.398.6240 [log in to unmask]
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