Dr. Regis Martin on Gratitude for Those Who Are Gone

“An old and valued friend, who retired after a half-century cheerfully and productively spent in the classroom, used to tell me that it was silly to think anyone would remember him once he was gone. ‘Like a stone falling into a river,’ he’d say, using one of several similes to which he was drawn, ‘I’ll be a ripple or two for awhile. After that … nothing.’ Knowing the legendary status his skills as a teacher had earned him among generations of grateful students, I remonstrated with him, insisting that it was simply not possible that anyone as redoubtable as he had been would ever, ever be forgotten. ‘Why, you’re positively Homeric around here!’ I exclaimed. ‘Nobody’s going to put out your light.’

“Turns out he was right. In all the years since leaving the University, I cannot recall more than a handful of colleagues asking about him. And students?  Forget it. They’d never even heard of him. So much for a full half-century’s immersion in the work of their intellectual formation. He might as well have been the delivery boy from the local Pizzeria for all the impact he’s had.”

In a recent commentary, Dr. Regis Martin (Professor of Theology and Faculty Associate with the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life, Franciscan University of Steubenville) reflected on the passing of those in our lives, on the perceived effects of their lives, and on why the any of this matters.

To access Dr. Martin’s complete post, please visit:

Crisis Magazine: Gratitude For Those Who Are Gone (4 DEC 13)