I met Vic at the Mark Twain Papers a long time ago while I was doing some
research there.  I recall his generosity in talking about his own work and
his interest in what I was doing.  I can't remember if we got around to our
backgrounds, but we had a Buffalo connection that surely helped our
conversation along.

I last talked about his critical responses to Huck Finn last Wednesday
during a capstone course I'm teaching.  We're doing one more session
(evening course, a long stretch) on Huck, and I'll include his insights
once again, as I had planned.

I send my mental grief and sorrow to his family and friends.  I will miss
him.

Hal Hellwig
Interim Director of Composition
Idaho State University

On Sun, Dec 4, 2016 at 8:40 PM, Larry Howe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I'm sorry to hear that Vic Doyno has died.  He was an incredibly genial
> man=
> , and a truly generous Twain scholar.  I first met him when I was a
> graduat=
> e student at Berkeley.  He happened to overhear me talking with a
> librarian=
>  when I was paging some material from the Twain collection.  So he came
> ove=
> r and introduced himself and asked what I was working on.  I was
> flabber-ga=
> sted and flattered to think that someone of his stature in Twain
> scholarshi=
> p would want to know what a green grad student was doing. =0A=
> =0A=
> Later we went out for coffee and he held me in rapt attention as he talked
> =
> about his work on the _HF_ ms.  This was before the lost portion had been
> f=
> ound.  I can still recall his enthusiasm as explained the challenge of
> solv=
> ing triple cancellations.  We crossed paths at conferences for a number of
> =
> years, always with his usual warmth.  His curiosity about the work of
> other=
> s never flagged. =0A=
> =0A=
>  I knew that he'd suffered some serious health issues a few years ago, and
> =
> his absence at Elmira and other events where Twain scholars congregate was
> =
> often noted by those with fond memories of him.  Although we've been
> missin=
> g him for a while now, this news strikes with somber finality.   =0A=
> =0A=
> He characterized many of the qualities that drew me to the Twain
> community.=
> =0A=
> =0A=
> Larry Howe=0A=
> Professor of English & Film Studies=0A=
> Department of Literature and Languages=0A=
> Roosevelt University=0A=
> =0A=
> =0A=
> =0A=
> ________________________________________=0A=
> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Taylor Roberts
> <tayl=
> [log in to unmask]>=0A=
> Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2016 9:15 PM=0A=
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Victor A. Doyno, 1937-2016=0A=
> =0A=
> I am sorry to report that Vic Doyno died on November 16, according to=0A=
> an obituary at http://buffalonews.com/2016/12/04/1165405/=0A=
> =0A=
> His wonderful edition of MT=3DE2=3D80=3D99s skeptical writings strongly
> att=
> racted=3D=0A=
>  me=0A=
> to MT many years ago (_Mark Twain: Selected Writings of an American=0A=
> Skeptic_ [Prometheus Books, 1983]). A couple of memorable sections=0A=
> from Doyno=3DE2=3D80=3D99s introduction to that book are below:=0A=
> =0A=
> "One current widespread view of Mark Twain holds that his scathing=0A=
> skepticism and acid pessimism were caused by the many personal=0A=
> tragedies of his life.... But another, more thorough view of the man=0A=
> and his work would transcend this simple biographical explanation. As=0A=
> this book demonstrates, Mark Twain=3DE2=3D80=3D99s skepticism is found
> thro=
> ughout=0A=
> his published works, early to late. It is an oversimplification--and=0A=
> finally disrespectful to the man and his mind--simply to say that=0A=
> personal difficulties caused his skepticism. A wider perspective=0A=
> reveals that his background, his experience, his journalistic ability=0A=
> to be objective and to see only what is there, his reading, and, most=0A=
> of all his intellectual acuity contributed to the shape of his=0A=
> thought." (2)=0A=
> =0A=
> "His overall life experience led Sam Clemens/Mark Twain to know that=0A=
> this life, this earth, is all we know of heaven--and all we need to=0A=
> know of hell." (12)=0A=
> =0A=
> I had the pleasure to meet Vic at some conferences and he was such a=0A=
> pleasant gentleman, as one would hope of one=3DE2=3D80=3D99s heroes. I
> send=
>  my=0A=
> condolences to his family and friends, and also my gratitude for his=0A=
> many other contributions to MT studies and to the Forum.=0A=
> =0A=
> Feel free to post your own memories so we can "give him a good=0A=
> send-off and waltz him through handsome" (RI ch. 47).=0A=
> =0A=
> Taylor Roberts=
>