Una alma brillante se ha librado por otro rumbo

[Amapohuani at AOL.COM]

Mark and everyone else on the nahuat-l list serve:

I am truly and sincerely in heartfelt pain after reading the very unexpected
email message just posted by Mark Morris - a copy of which is at the end of
this email.

As some folks know, Louise Burkhart and I are hard at work on the four-volume
NAHUATL THEATER set for the U of Oklahoma Press. The series dedication is to
Fernando Horcasitas (no surprise there, I am sure) but there are also
volume-by-volume dedications. The first-volume dedications go to Arthur J. O. Anderson
and Charles E. Dibble. Sadly, although Arthur had already passed away when
volume one of NAHUATL THEATER was nearing completion, Charles was still alive. I
simply waited a little too long to let him know of the dedication to him and
his valued colleague - Charles passed away just as I was thinking of writing
him and letting him know that I feel we all owe much to him and Arthur for
their decades-long work on the FLORENTINE CODEX. It bothered me tremendously that
my timing was so bad.

Now comes another diminution in the ranks of the truly distinguished
contributors to the study of early Nahuatl and Nahuas. A little while ago I had
determined that Luis Reyes Garcia would get a place in the fourth-volume
dedications. I didn't see a reason to rush setting this stone - but I wish I had.

I am not saying that getting a dedication in a book amounts to a hill of
beans. However it certainly would have publicly stated what I, at least, have felt
ever since I started to study early Nahuatl and Nahuas - that Luis Reyes
Garcia was an important inspiration and point of reference.

Scholarship doesn't exist in the abstract. Living breathing human beings have
to take time out of their day, make an effort, strive to excel against the
mainstrain of mediocrity, sometimes sacrifice, to move things along. For me,
Luis Reyes Garcia was one of those people.

I am grateful that Mark passed along the news, however sad and unfortunate,
and for those that are close to Maestro Reyes Garcia, please pass along my regre
ts and how much I esteemed his work.

Ye ixquich.
Barry D. Sell


In a message dated 1/23/04 11:17:02 AM, mdmorris at INDIANA.EDU writes:

<< Escribo con dolor para pasar la noticia que me ha llegado de Tlaxcala hoy
sobre la muerte de Mto. Luis Reyes Garcia.  Mi amigo me informa la
sepultura sera en Veracruz.  Mark Morris >>