FGC

[Dennis Baron]

This is very sad. I will be in Madison for a few days in July and hoped to
be able to see Fred then. Fred Cassidy was the press reader for my first
book, Grammar and Good Taste: Reforming the American Language (1982). I had
known him, before that, from ADS meetings, but our professional contact
really stemmed from that review--which he allowed the press to tell me he
had written. Fred was generous with his praise (the book got published,
after all), and he told me with tact and force exactly where I had gone off
track. The revisions he called for definitely improved the text.  I often
consulted him for later projects, and he always encouraged my work, even
when he disagreed with my conclusions. I imposed on him for letters of
reference from time to time, and after he wrote each of them he'd send me a
little note saying something like, "I've written the letter to so-and-so. It
will do you no harm." I loved that phrase.

I hadn't seen Fred in recent years (I haven't even been to ADS since it
moved to meet with LSA, my departmental duties requiring my attendance at
MLA each year and family obligations precluding two professional trips
during winter vacation)--but did exchange notes from time to time. I will
miss him greatly.

Dennis
__________________
Dennis Baron, Head                       debaron at uiuc.edu
Department of English                            217-333-2390
University of Illinois                          fax: 217-333-4321
608 S. Wright St.      http://www.english.uiuc.edu/baron
Urbana, IL 61801