David Lowe was brilliant, articulate, and passionate about music, language and all things Russian. He was the first person I ever knew who liked opera. (He and his father took me to two operas, the only ones I ever attended.) I know he was an outstanding professor even though I never attended one of his classes. I know all these things because he was my best friend for several years growing up in Carlinville, Illinois. He was one of the first friends I ever had, as his folks lived down the street from my parents during the early years that his father taught music at Blackburn College. About 10 years ago I gave David a photo I found while cleaning out my parents’ house. It showed the two of us in strollers as our mothers were talking. During the next 16 years, we had spy clubs, foreign language clubs, put on plays, sang in church choir (and All State Chorus) together, camped out, double dated with our girlfriends, and stayed up talking until dawn. When he graduated high school a year early, we lost contact for several years. But in the past 15 years David made contact again with many of his childhood friends. He had come back home for reunions, both formal and informal. And while decades had passed, it was as though we had never been apart. A couple of years later I took my son on a tour of colleges in the Southeastern U.S., and we were welcomed into David’s home in Nashville for a night. During that visit, David discussed his upcoming retirement, and he vowed to come to Chicago where he and I would attend a performance at the Lyric Opera. Unfortunately, that trip never took place. We lost David far too early. He was a unique individual, and we will miss him very much. But, oh, what memories he left us with!

So sad to hear the news of Professor Lowe’s passing! u00a0I have such fond memories of his classes. u00a0No other professor ever brought so much enthusiasm and such a bright spirit to his classes as he did. u00a0Every morning, to get all the groggy college students to wake up he would come in singing, and would make us stand up and sing too. u00a0Before we could even speak in Russian, he had us singing in Russian. Twenty years later, I still have those song sheets. u00a0He was always so humble, insisting that he not be addressed as “Dr. Lowe,” and so full of encouragement for his students. u00a0His classes were so much fun that many of us went on to major in Russian despite not having any such inclination in the beginning. u00a0 He will always be remembered by the many students who took his courses.