> > > Richard Marius is dead, and I didn't even know he was sick. I got to know Richard in 1988 when I attended a writer's workshop at the University of Tennessee. He was a professor at Harvard, but directed the workshop at UT which is near his boyhood home. When he saw that one of the workshop participants was from Loudon County, he looked me up. It turned out that my home is about 3 miles from his old home place and that he and I
> > > were born in the same month back in 1933. That was enough of a bond for Richard, and I talked with him daily during the workshop.
> > >
> > > He was a very caring person. He had a brother who was Downs Syndrome and he often wrote about him and talked about him with great affection. The brother passed away a few years ago at the age of 60.
> > >
> > > Richard loved to ride a bike and often toured great distances on two wheels.
> > >
> > > He was a great author, he loved people, he grew up near Dixie Lee Junction, he rode a bicycle, he taught creative writing and he was born in August 1933. You gotta like a guy like that.
> > > Howard
> > >
> > Howard,
> >
> > I was surfing the net today, looking to see if there was any information on my father. I found your note and must say that I was touched.
> >
> > My fathers birthday was July 29th. Strange to me that he won't be here this July.
> >
> > Richard
> >
>
> Richard,
> I hope you will come back to RinkWorks to see this reply. I understand that the new Lenoir City Museum is doing a display about your father. It opened today and I haven't seen it yet. I plan to do so in the next few days. I'm sure that in his travels he became aquainted briefly with many people like me. There must be a great many who are sad about his passing. We are better off for having known him.
>
> Sorry about the error on his birthday. Close is not good enough with birthdays. That makes him 25 days older than me.
>
> One thing I remember about Richard. He was always on time. Once he started the opening session of the writer's workshop 45 seconds late, and he apologised!
> Howard Murrill
> Lenoir City, TN

Gentlemen, I met Richard at a Governor's Academy as well, in 1996--the last one I regret to say. I kept up an email correspondence with him for a couple of years up until about six months before he passed away. He religiously answered all his emails. Sometimes when he did not feel like it I am sure. He was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration to me. I read excerpts from his novels for my students, and I teach from 'A Writer's Companion' as often as I can. Richard Marius was one of a kind, and I would have loved to have known about the exhibit in Lenoir City. (I live in Blaine--not that far down the road.) I keep looking for his next novel. I understand that he finished it. THe working title, as I remember, was 'An Affair of Honor'. He read from it in '96, and I can't wait to read the entire thing! I could go on and on, but I won't. If either of you wish to correspond with me from time to time, my email is at the top of the page, or you can write me at greghayworth@hotmail.com Sincerely, Greg