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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would like to share a few thoughts on the passing
of David Wyatt.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have known David since we first entered graduate
school together at the same time and we (along with Constance Wilson) suffered
together through Thai language classes at Cornell under RB Jones and Marv Brown
during our first years as students. Jane and I went together with David and
Alene to New York to be interviewed at the Ford Foundation for Foreign Area
Fellowship Program fellowships for our dissertation research. In those days,
Ford interviewed wives (and, in my case, wife-soon-to-be) as well as candidates
-- something about being suitable for being representatives of the Ford program
abroad. David and I both received fellowships.<BR><BR>As Jane and I were going
to Bangkok about three months ahead of them, David and Alene asked Jane and me
to rent a place which they could take on after they arrived. We rented a house
on Soi Suan Phlu which, at the time, was on the edge of rice fields. We hired a
woman, Sanga Ramansri, to help us in the house. Sanga would not only continue
working for David and Alene and their first son, Douglas, while they were in
Thailand but would continue working for us everytime we have been in Thailand
for an extended period through the 1970s. She is now 96 and will, I know, go to
make merit at the Mon wat she is affiliated at in memory of David.<BR><BR>When
Jane and I came down to Bangkok from Mahasarakham province in northeastern
Thailand where we were carrying out our research, we always stayed with David
and Alene. They also came to visit us in Mahasarakham and I will never forget
the trip I took David on on my little 50cc moped from Mahasarakham to Muang Fa
Daed, a famous 6th-8th century site in Kalasin province. We were totally covered
by Isan red dust when we got back to Mahasarakham. Nonetheless, David told me a
number of times how much he had appreciated seeing the famous Dvaravati
site.<BR><BR>David and Alene returned to Cornell before we did and had lived in
an apartement in an old house in the very small town of Genoa. Since David got a
job almost immediately at SOAS, they asked if we want to take on the apartment.
We did so and lived in this truly funky place for most of the remainder of our
time in Ithaca.<BR><BR>After we received our PhDs, our paths diverged with David
and Alene moving to Michigan after living in London for a couple of years and
then moving back to take the position he held for the rest of his life at
Cornell. We still met at meetings of the Association for Asian Studies,
International Thai Studies conferences, and even in Ithaca and Seattle. We
exchanged many letters about our respective work.<BR><BR>Ever since David was
diagnosed with MS Alene has been truly saintly in her support. She saw him
through a previous very serious illness from which she and most of us did not
expect him to survive. Even though he was wheel chair bound, she helped him
fulfil his desire to return to Thailand several times over the past few years.
It was a combination of David's strong will to live life to the fullest
and Alene's uneblievable devotion and energy made those trips to Thailand
possible.<BR><BR>I last saw David in Chiang Mai in January this year when it
happened he and Alene were staying in the same apartment building. We together
made our way from the apartment house to the nearby new office of Silkworm
Books. As I wrote Alene, "I will cherish the memory I have of David last January
at the opening of Silkworm's new office. David was clearly the center of
attention until Princess Sirindhorn arrived and even she first stopped to talk
with him."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>David has left an impressive legacy of scholarship
on Thai history, but to give an adequate assessment of it would require far more
space. I want here to remember David as much as a friend as a
colleague.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Biff (Charles Keyes)<BR></FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: <</FONT><A
href="mailto:justinm@ucr.edu"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>justinm@ucr.edu</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: <</FONT><A
href="mailto:tlc@lists.ucr.edu"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>tlc@lists.ucr.edu</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:19
AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: [Tlc] Maranabhava Acariya David
Wyatt</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2>> Dear TLC Members,<BR>> <BR>> I was told last night by two of
Dr. David Wyatt's students,<BR>> Pattaratorn Chirapravati and Michael
Montesano, that sadly<BR>> Than Ajahn Dr. David Wyatt passed away. Although,
I had only<BR>> had a few meals and meetings with David over the years,
his<BR>> writings and approaches were a major influence on my work
and<BR>> still are. In fact, it is strange, I was on a flight from<BR>>
Bangkok to Taipei yesterday and was editing some footnotes on<BR>> a paper
which included David's translation and edition of the<BR>> Nan Chronicle and
his later article on the relationship<BR>> between Lanna and Lanxang. These
opened up the entire field of<BR>> documents on this region and are just two
of the dozens of<BR>> foundational works by the great doyen of Thai
historical<BR>> studies. Besides writing, he has been the direct mentor
of<BR>> many, if not most, of the best sholars in Southeast Asian<BR>>
Historical studies in North America and Thailand. He has<BR>> passed away,
but his footprints and endnotes persist and<BR>> pervade. His humor, his
advice, and his guidance will be missed.<BR>> <BR>> See below a note from
Thak Chaloemtiarana and Allen Riedy on<BR>> H-Asia. David's colleagues and
students from Cornell and<BR>> Thailand will be sending news of the memorial
and other events<BR>> soon. <BR>> <BR>> If you would like to send your
condolences to Alene, you can<BR>> reach her<BR>> at<BR>> <</FONT><A
href="mailto:alene@lightlink.com>alene@lightlink.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>mailto:alene@lightlink.com>alene@lightlink.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Arial size=2>> <BR>> A very sad day,<BR>> justin<BR>> <BR>>
News of the passing of Professor David K. Wyatt, 14 November 2006<BR>>
************************************************************************<BR>>
Ed. note: I hope that it will be possible in the near future<BR>> to post
a<BR>> complete obituary of David Wyatt--his contributions to Asian<BR>>
Studies<BR>> were <BR>> enormous, and we shall all miss him very
much.
FFC<BR>>
------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>
-<BR>> From: Allen Riedy <</FONT><A href="mailto:ariedy@hawaii.edu"><FONT
face=Arial size=2>ariedy@hawaii.edu</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial
size=2>><BR>> <BR>> I forward herewith notice of the death of Professor
David K.<BR>> Wyatt, the <BR>> eminent historian of Southeast Asia and
promoter of<BR>> development of the <BR>> professional field of Southeast
Asian Studies. He also was an <BR>> important contributor to the
revitalization of the<BR>> Bibliography of <BR>> Asian Studies and made
major contributions to getting the BAS<BR>> online.<BR>> <BR>> From:
SEAP <</FONT><A href="mailto:seap@cornell.edu"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>seap@cornell.edu</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>><BR>> <BR>>
Dear Friends,<BR>> <BR>> It is with deep sadness that I inform you that
Professor David<BR>> Wyatt<BR>> passed away early this morning.
Alene was by his side and she<BR>> says that<BR>> he was at peace.
Even during his retirement and failing<BR>> health, David<BR>> continued
to write, to give lectures, and to mentor students.<BR>> He is a<BR>>
role model and an inspiration to all of us.<BR>> <BR>> If you would like
to send your condolences to Alene, you can<BR>> reach her<BR>> at<BR>>
<</FONT><A href="mailto:alene@lightlink.com>alene@lightlink.com"><FONT
face=Arial
size=2>mailto:alene@lightlink.com>alene@lightlink.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Arial size=2>> <BR>> Thak<BR>> <BR>> Thak Chaloemtiarana
(</FONT><A href="mailto:tc17@cornell.edu"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>tc17@cornell.edu</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>)<BR>> Director,
Southeast Asia Program<BR>> Cornell University<BR>> ---------<BR>>
<BR>> Allen
Riedy
Telephone: (808) 956-2309<BR>> Head of Asia
Collection
Fax: (808) 956-2318<BR>> 406 Hamilton Library<BR>> University of
Hawaii<BR>> Honolulu, HI 96822<BR>> <BR>> ______________<BR>> Dr.
Justin McDaniel<BR>> Dept. of Religious Studies<BR>> 2617 Humanities
Building<BR>> University of California, Riverside<BR>> Riverside, CA
92521<BR>> 951-827-4530<BR>> </FONT><A href="mailto:justinm@ucr.edu"><FONT
face=Arial size=2>justinm@ucr.edu</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>>
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