medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I also will miss Otto. He admitted me into the Medieval Institute as a grad student back in 1990 when I went through a sudden career change, and was able to give me an assistantship as late as May or June of that year. He was always very helpful to me, advising me, providing funds to get microfilms of manuscripts to work on my master's thesis, and which later became the basis for my first two publications. I took his Thomas Aquinas class, and he served on my Master's and Doctoral committees. I'll always remember the grilling he gave me at my dissertation defense in May 2001. Two days later, at Congress, he presided over a session at which I gave a paper. He introduced me as "Dr. Cartwright," and in turn I clarified points he had grilled me about at my defense. He also presented me with my stoles two months later at graduation; my official graduation picture is of me shaking hands with him. That was one of the last times I saw him; I knew he was not well then, and I saw him less and less around campus and at Congress.

In a way, he is responsible for this list; without his work promoting and building Congress, we would not know each other well enough to have such a group. And much of the discussion in this list centers around things raised at Congress.

Perhaps we could have some sort of virtual Officium defunctorum for him? I think he would appreciate that.

Sincerely,
Steve Cartwright
Western Michigan University

John Wickstrom wrote:
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The local Kalamazoo paper tonight published the obituary of Prof. Otto Grundler, Professor of Religion emeritus at Western Michigan University. It was, in my view, Otto’s vision and patience, and his often self-effacing work, that transformed the Kalamazoo meeting of medievalists from a small regional gathering into the largest academic assemblage of medievalists in the world.  Otto was also a gentle man of great kindness, open always to new ideas and new directions for medieval studies. I will miss him.

John B. Wickstrom

Kalamazoo College

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