Of all the people I have ever known, Reynolds Price is most closely associated with the beauty and power of language. His love of words, expressed both orally with the musical power of his unforgettable voice and on paper with the distinctive unmatchable cadence of his poetry and prose. This is what I will remember most deeply.
Next I would name the gift of his friendship – his sweet sly smile and genuine caring about other people. He always reached out of his wheelchair to give a hug, a handshake, a warm greeting. He made you feel that your conversation was the most important thing around at any particular moment you were with him, even in a large crowd of people.
After that would come his personal courage, his grace and humor in the face of the terrible pain and privation he endured. He never complained, never bemoaned his fate. Seeing photos of him as a younger man—strikingly handsome, vigorous, striding across the campus—you realize how much it must have cost him to be confined to a wheelchair and have to learn to deal with so much pain. But he turned that challenge into a model of faith and serenity for all of us.
Then comes his love of teaching, of his students, of his region of the country and of Duke. All these things somehow came together for him, and enriched his life and the lives of those around him. If we could have chosen someone to be taken, in the past and in the future, as the embodiment of Duke University, we would surely have chosen Reynolds Price. Fortunately, he made the decision for us, by choosing Duke.
Reynolds accomplished an enormous amount in his seven-plus decades, more than most people could in seven lives. He was a great teacher, splendid writer and unexcelled conversationalist. It is good to have a chance to say how much he meant to all of us who were fortunate enough to know him. It is hard to think how much he will be missed.
Nannerl O. Keohane
Laurance S. Rockefeller Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values
Former Duke University President
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