FUSION has collected contributions from the Berklee community as part of our celebration of Henry’s life.
Henry was a formidable yet infinitely gentle spirit, an erudite cosmopolitan with strong roots in rural Donegal, Ireland. We all know Henry’s passion for teaching. Even more impressive was how he made us all, colleagues as well as students, passionate about learning. How many of his students would hang on his words when Henry would begin with “I offer for your consideration . . . ”?
Although Henry passed in summer, W.H. Auden’s lines in memory of Henry’s beloved W.B. Yeats ring too true:
The day of his death was a dark cold day.
This collection of tributes to Henry allows us to re-Joyce (his favorite author) in the life and work of a professor of art, literature, and culture whose impact on students over thirty years remains incalculable. Thankfully, our collective expression here allows us to begin to calculate the lasting impact one teacher can make on generations of students.
It’s a truism that “we are all replaceable.” But when we reflect on the sparkle and the joy that was Henry, we realize there are rare exceptions. And Henry, we all agree, was exceptional.
Suaimhneas síoraí dó, Anrai
Editor-in-Chief
