And speaking of being in the audience in the presence of greatness on stage, I have more memories.

At UCR in the ‘60s, when the new young University leapt to the upper echelon and put us on the circuit of the travelling best, and they brought Ruggiero Ricci to play in an intimate room and made the tickets affordable, they also brought Theodore Roethke to read his poetry. We verified his greatness.

Years later, Shirley and I went to hear the poet Richard Wilbur at Cal State L. A. I had long loved his work, in awe of his ability to write the old forms and virtuosic rhymes with depth and elegance that match and often surpass the old masters.

Shirley knew him less well before that night, so she was able to be overwhelmed freshly and immediately place him high in the pantheon.

It remains a joy in the memory of my heart that we were so often able to experience greatness together.