for M.H.S
Dome of white gold
between indigo
clouds
sabered shafts
on blue ridge
mark new directions
stanchions above
the diamond–
his field illumined
precision lasers
roam over texts
in his study
flares of love
for his wife
and children
light of pure joy
In his smile.
Never a mask.
— by Dean John Smith
On the morning after the University of Virginia basketball team won the national championship, I was on the phone with Mark Saunders, the director of UVA Press about a book that would celebrate the incomprehensible journey the Cavaliers had just completed.
We had previously agreed to table all discussions until the game was over.
“Let’s talk tomorrow so we don’t jinx anything,” Mark said.
After the victory, Mark celebrated by leading the school’s Auld Lang Syne inspired mantra, “The Good Ole Song.” It’s preserved here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXjTmSXL6Ik
He and I shared texts over the last two seasons wherever we happened to be watching. He might be in John Paul Jones arena when I was at a hockey tournament in Buffalo. Weeks of silence went by and then possession by possession critiques of the team would cascade down the screen.
Mark passed away suddenly last weekend, at the age of 52. His death is a devastating loss for the scholarly publishing community.
Dean J. Smith is the Director at Cornell University Press.