It’s lovely to be reminded, in remembering Larry Berkove, how persistently fond he was of the bunch of us—individually, for sure, but especially as a community, as a gathering of kindred and familiar souls that his affection and warmth and intelligence did so much to bring and hold together. At the Elmira conferences where many of us came to know him best, he and Gail were centers not so much of gravity as of comity, of welcome and of reconnection. And for all the kindness and generosity he showed us, there was a fierceness about the way Larry pursued or debated an idea that gave his goodness an edge. 

That edge, though, didn’t keep Larry from finding us a lovable lot, and maybe for that in particular, we have reason to miss his good company.

Jeff

Jeff Steinbrink
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> On May 20, 2018, at 4:36 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