Thanks for letting us know, Joe.  That's sad news, but Larry has left a
legacy of kindness and bold scholarship for all of us.  Like many of you,
Larry made quite an impression on me.  He was the first Twain scholar I
ever emailed when I began considering how I could write about Twain and the
West in my dissertation.  He was so generous and friendly and helpful.
What a mentor he was.

Jarrod

Jarrod Roark, Ph.D.
Upper School English Department
Dean of Junior Class
Coordinator, Barstow Speaker Series
Executive Coordinator, The Mark Twain Circle of America

The Barstow School
11511 State Line Road
Kansas City, MO 64114

On Sun, May 20, 2018 at 3:36 PM, Holger Kersten <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> I met Larry Berkove for the first time in January 1989, when we were both
> d=
> oing research at the Mark Twain Project in Berkeley=2E Beginning with our
> f=
> irst conversation, he took an active and intensive interest in my work=2E
> L=
> arry accompanied my academic career from the beginnings of my Ph=2ED=2E
> dis=
> sertation to the day of my installment as a full professor of American
> Lite=
> rature and Culture at Magdeburg (Germany) university and even after that
> he=
>  never stopped sharing the most helpful insights and giving me support in
> a=
> ll matters concerning life in academia=2E
>
> The seriousness and genuineness of his interest was such that, during his =
> work with microfilm newspapers, he would keep his eyes open for original
> ma=
> terial that might be relevant to my research=2E One particular afternoon
> du=
> ring our first encounter produced an impressive example of the enthusiasm
> w=
> hich was so typical of him and which was so wonderfully contagious:
> Returni=
> ng from his microfilm-reading session in the library, he stormed into the
> M=
> TP reading room, waving his arms in excitement and shouting: "Your search
> i=
> s over, your search is over! There are endless articles on your stuff in
> th=
> e [San Francisco] Call!"
>
> Our initial meeting led to an intensive correspondence in which he shared =
> with me his latest findings on Dan De Quille, the Comstockers, Bierce,
> Lond=
> on, Kate Chopin, and the many other people and topics he worked on=2E
> Soon,=
>  the scholarly camaraderie became friendship=2E Several times he and Gail
> i=
> nvited me to stay at their house in Southfield so that I could do research
> =
> at the Detroit Public Library and explore John King's marvelous used-book
> s=
> tore=2E In the years that followed, we spent vacation time together in
> uppe=
> r Michigan and the Adirondacks=2E In the process, I learned many important
> =
> things about American literature and American culture in all possible
> ways,=
>  including proverbs, jokes, and puns=2E I'm sure that most people who have
> =
> met Larry have experienced, in his presence, the feeling of intellectual
> in=
> quisitiveness, good cheer, and the power of his contagious laugh=2E
> Through=
>  him, I also learned that beer makes you more intelligent=2E He knew for
> su=
> re =2E =2E =2E because it made Bud wiser=2E =E2=80=93 Just the kind of
> thin=
> g that would crack him up=2E
>
> In 1993, Larry encouraged me to attend the Mark Twain Symposium in Elmira =
> where he introduced me to many of the Twain scholars who I knew as the
> auth=
> ors of the books that I had read during my studies=2E Because of him, I
> was=
>  warmly welcomed into that circle of Twain aficionados that has given me
> th=
> e most valuable academic experience of my life=2E I owe many debts of
> grati=
> tude to Larry, this is the biggest of all=2E
>
> I will miss Larry very much =E2=80=93 a truly lovable, kind, and generous =
> person with a sharp mind and a big heart=2E
>
> Larry Berkove =E2=80=93 Scholar, Teacher, Friend=2E I will hold his memory=
>  dear=2E
>
> Holger
> ______________________________________________
> Holger Kersten
> Professor of American Literature and Culture
> English Department
> Martin-Luther-Universit=C3=A4t Halle-Wittenberg | Germany
>