Pete Dulgar

I didn't know Roy as well as some, but he had a great influence on my academic life--and beyond--and I have found myself, in the eleven years since I left Alaska, telling my fond stories of him to people around the world. He was one of the best teachers I've ever had, and he had a magical way of making it seem like he wasn't leading a class or discussion, and we'd done it all on our own. He believed in the intelligence of his students and our ability to take responsibility for our own learning. It's because of Roy that I have faith in my own ideas and academic endeavors. 

And he had a rare combination of humor and grace. When I threatened to train for the Equinox, he told me that he had been a marathon runner until he had run off of a cliff in the dark and made a deal with higher powers that if he survived he'd give up running (I don't know if that story is true or not, but it did make me wait a few years to run my first marathon). When my wife burst into one of our classes to announce that she had been accepted to a graduate program, Roy simply said "well, you can't stand in the way of enthusiasm like that" and, when I'd returned from the hallway, made me give a full report of the news to the class.

Roy is one of my favorite people. I don't think he knew, but some of us fondly called him Judge Roy Bird, not because of any similarity to Paul Newman's 1970s film character (or the notorious historical character) but because it seemed like he had a kind of wisdom and experience, and he would be there for you when things got a bit rough, and he had a Westerner's way of cutting through the elitism of academic life and putting things in their proper perspective.

I'm heartbroken at this news, but when I remember that people all over the world knew and loved Roy (and tell fond stories of him to others) it helps me believe that he is only partially gone.

Pete Dulgar

MFA student 1995-1998