A Man of His Word

His eyes had a sparkle, his smile spoke of a love affair with literature and poetry, and his voice could have been a hit on Broadway.  Muscled forearms sprang from the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt and dominated the wooden podium. Short and sparse blond hair lightly touched his head and softened his countenance.  His affability contrasted with the stern stoicism of a seasoned college professor.   

 His name was Professor Richard Blessing.  Modern American Literature was his best friend, but poetry was his greatest love. He delighted his students with stories when he wasn’t reading from the novels of Faulkner, Saul Bellow, or Ken Kesey. Blessing’s recitation of Theodore Roethke’s poetry demonstrated how Roethke’s alliteration, puns, and internal rhymes transformed language into energy. Blessing’s performances highlighted many of his lectures, but a humble admiration for Roethke’s work permeated his teaching.

Blessing studied the work of many authors and poets, and wrote books on Roethke and Wallace Stevens. He studied their technique, especially the use of kinetic verbs, rhythm, and structure and transmitted that knowledge to his students through Socratic dialogue and performance. Blessing set the example. He was a writer, a researcher, and a brilliant teacher. He subtly invited his students to embrace a theme present in several of the books we studied. Blessing translated it thusly, “Imagine, believe, act.”

This message resonated with me, as did his quiet demand that his students create work of the highest quality and relevance. The red pen was his instrument of choice, documenting his thorough and precise feedback on my essays.  Blessing’s feedback was honest and hard-hitting.

Perhaps his love of sports also connected with me. Blessing had been an All-American college football player, and something in that combination of athlete, scholar, writer, and teacher motivated me to work through the academic struggles I encountered as an English major. I learned that the greater failure was allowing fear to keep me from acting.

Through Professor Blessing’s positive energy and his love of literature, he inspired me to explore new authors, to explore new literature.  His love of teaching also planted an idea in me.  I, too, could become a teacher. Perhaps, I could maintain the attention of a group of young students, and inspire in them a love of reading and writing.

Professor Blessing brought a larger world to life for me. Parker Palmer writes in The Courage to Teach that teachers honor students by teaching them to ‘think like literary critics’ rather than merely repeat the conclusions of others. Long before I encountered Palmer’s words, Professor Blessing had shown me what that kind of teaching looked like.

Professor Blessing’s enthusiasm and his love of literature and teaching encouraged his students to become literary critics.  As a man of action, his methods influenced my teaching; his published work inspired me to write. 

I learned the beauty of poetry through Richard Blessing. I learned the beauty of teaching – the passion and the opportunity to influence the lives of students. Richard Blessing lived courageously. I was transformed by his passion, enthusiasm and creativity.  Nearly fifty years later, his words continue to inspire me: Imagine. Believe. Act.

Epilogue

Professor Richard Blessing was a man who loved life and believed in creativity, action, and art.  In his early forties, he was struck by a brain tumor that would take his life. The words he had given his students were not merely words. Faced with the knowledge that his life would be short, Richard Blessing continued to imagine, believe, and act. He continued to create.

Selected Works by Richard Blessing

Poetry

Winter Constellations (Ahsahta, 1977)

A Closed Book (University of Washington, 1981)

Poems and Stories (Dragon Gate, Inc. 1983)

Note: In his book, Poems and Stories, published shortly before his passing, Blessing chronicles his experiences living and dying with cancer. Poems and Stories is a brief, but poignant memoir.

Criticism

Wallace Stevens’ “Whole Harmonium” (Syracuse, 1970)

Theodore Roethke’s Dynamic Vision (Indiana, 1974)

Novel

A Passing Season (Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1982)