Helen F. Mulvey

Just got word that Helen Mulvey, from whom I took two semesters of English History in college, has died. She was not my favorite teacher at Connecticut College (those honors are split by Lester Reiss, in the Philosophy Department, and Gerda Taranow, in the English Department) but she was a terrific teacher and I loved her classes. She had a dry sense of humor and a breadth of knowledge that was awe-inspiring.

When I was in my second semester of the class I had to have some oral surgery preparatory to my second set of braces. Despite the fact that I was on some heavy-hitting painkillers, I went to class. She called on me, and even through my drugged-out haze I knew I was not making much sense, certainly not as much as I usually did. So afterward I went up to apologize and explain why I was speaking in tongues. She heard me out with a quizzical little smile. "Oh, my dear," she said finally. "You were so much more sober than some of the people I've taught this week."

One wonders. I hope she's engaged with long, fascinating discussions with all the characters in history who she brought alive for us.