Obituary: Dr. Desmond Hamlet

It is difficult to believe that a man with such energy and vibrance is now gone. His eyes truly shone when he taught. But a person like Dr. Hamlet does not simply disappear. His booming voice will echo forever in the minds of his students, whether it is to simply remember a terror for comma splices or the enthusiastic encouragement to truly express ourselves. I have posted two very similar messages in both guest books to the obituaries linked at the bottom of this post. But I shall reiterate my sentiments here:

I wish I had taken more time to express to Dr. Hamlet just how highly I thought of him. I still remember my class with him: Words and Ideas, a freshman course that I thought would be boring. However, upon entering, I was greeted by his energetic enthusiasm for the subject and booming voice, which is probably as close to the voice of God that I will ever hear. I still remember he took the time to talk to a harried-looking freshman with a suitcase full of books, and he told me that he had once been the same. He scared grammar into me, challenged my ideas, and encouraged me to write what I really thought, even if it was completely the opposite of what he thought. Often times it was. But Dr. Hamlet was one of those rare people that can look at something they do not agree with and still analyze it fairly and seemingly objectively. Many other professors had told me that I should write what I really thought, but Hamlet truly meant it with every fiber of his being. I remember he practically wrote another essay in the margins of my paper about why I thought James Joyce wrote poorly. But when I flipped to the end of my essay all in red, I was shocked to see an A and an excited note about how he didn’t agree with a word of it, but I had argued well. I already loved to write before his class, but I will always remember Hamlet and the difference he made in my writing and how I thought about writing. He made me really believe that my ideas were worthy. He was strict, but it was because he really believed in writing and expression. I will always be grateful for everything he taught me and that I had the privilege and honor of knowing such a great and brilliant man.

McPeek Obituary
Columbus Dispatch Obituary