KC Visit.

12-8-19 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: We are here for a few days for my brother Hank’s memorial service, a Celebration of Life, organized by his wife Paula and daughters Johanna and Nora. He died recently and unexpectedly after surgery. He taught Philosophy at U Missouri Kansas City, UMKC, and had recently retired. His book, The Continental Drift Controversy, was widely respected and honored.

The service was great, more than a hundred people showed up, colleagues, friends from college, local friends, ex-students of his, friends of his daughters. Several people spoke and told funny stories, stories of his helping them, stories of his accomplishments and stories that showed how much they loved him. Stories of his competitiveness and need for intellectual accuracy and honesty. Stories of his joyfulness. There were a lot of damp eyes.

Hank and I were several years apart in age, my being older by seven years. We lived far apart, worked in different fields and didn’t see each other often. We spoke on the phone from time to time and saw one another when he would visit our parents in NJ. I never, ever thought I would out-live him and am still coping with the loss.

Four of us made the trip from the east, me, Judy, Alison and John Reese, and we were blown away by the affection that everyone had for Hank. For me, it was like meeting someone that I hadn’t really known.


Hank.