It is 2 a.m. Tuesday morning and it is just beginning to sink in that I will never see my friend and mentor Dr. Murnane again.
I attended his memorial service yesterday afternoon and was simply stricken with grief. Not only have I lost my mentor ... The University has lost a great man, an irreplaceable treasure. This meek, mild mannered man made a great impression upon my life that I will never forget.
I remember how on some of those gray Autumn days when he would take the extra time to help me understand the importance of the Amarna period or the significance of the Battle of Kadesh. I could tell that he was busy with other things. However, he would take the time out to talk to me.
This great genius Egyptologist known the world over would take a minute out of his day to talk to me one on one. I would not have entered graduate school if it were not for Doc.
He saw within me hope of something greater. He made me feel comfortable with those extensive reading lists of his. I am a long ways from being a scholar but Doc made me feel as if I belonged and however off-the-wall my hypotheses were he would always think about what I said. He would consider the possibilities.
Doc was a man who listened, not one who was simply waiting for his turn to talk. He made me, a man from the wrong side of the tracks, feel as if I made a difference.
I won't ever forget you Doc. You left us too soon ... and I never got the chance to say goodbye.
I have never been a man strong of faith but I hope that you are able to look down on us and be proud of what you left behind. For a lil' man, you left behind some big shoes to fill. In college I have always felt like a number ... but you made me feel like a soul.
I hope that you are not somewhere alone with only your heart as your companion.
I have never been able to say this to any man before ... but I love you ... and I'm gonna miss you.
Goodbye, Dr. William J. Murnane.
I hope that somewhere, perhaps in another time and place that we meet again.
