Eric Heyne

I met Roy in Chicago, when I first interviewed for a job in the UAF English Department.  When I showed up for my interview at MLA, he was the only one sitting at the table (in the big ballroom full of such tables).  Mary Baron, the department chair, had just been spit up on by her baby son, and gone to her hotel room to change.  Roy gave me an immediate feeling of being welcome, encouraged me to be at my ease, and took a lead in the interview once Mary returned.  At some point David Stark walked up, sat down, was introduced, listened in on a few questions, and then walked off again.  My degree was in critical theory, and my secondary field was American literature, which was the position they were hiring for, so for that (and who knows whatever other reasons), I was not one of the two finalists brought to campus.  However, this was in 1986, when the price of oil dropped through the floor, and the university was about to institute a hiring freeze.  I was packing my bags to move to Seattle and look for a technical writing job when I got a call from UAF.  Could I take the job without a campus visit, and within the next 24 hours?  I later learned that Roy was responsible for moving me up the list, and I'm sure that I never would have been able to make that good an impression on Mary and him if he hadn't been so good at putting me at ease.
     

Roy was very supportive of me in my early years, but once I'd become established and able to fend for myself, he didn't hesitate to disagree with me.  He was always a champion of the underdog--students against faculty, junior faculty against senior faculty, all faculty against administration.  Lora said at his cremation ceremony that he was always supportive, always there to say yes to ideas, and I know he saw the potential in many students and academic innovations that I wasn't brave enough to take a chance on.  He was proud of the many times his was the lone minority vote in department meetings.  I was always glad that he was there to speak his piece, even--or maybe especially--when I didn't agree with him.  As a fellow Americanist, long-time colleague in the English Department and Honors Program, recipient of his generosity in alcohol, and student of his skills as a gadfly, I will miss him.

Esther Stauffer

Dr. Bird

A keen mind, an intelligent mind, sharing his knowledge

to complete them with their wit and wills, never predicting less,

guiding into full fulfillment until they are strong, and believing

in anticipation where they become like him; a keen mind,

an intelligent mind.

 

You will be missed by all you inspired which you embraced with your

endless heart, forever embedded inside our memories and our souls.

 

Quyana Cakneq Dr. Bird for believing in me. Ac'aq Esther Stauffer 

Jean Anderson

Dear Corina and family:

My condolences to you all.  What a loss -- and what a gift to us all to have known Roy and benefitted from his energy and wit and wisdom.  I taught at UAF on and off during the 1980's, until about 1992, and was a BA and MFA student before those dates.  My most vivid memories of Roy during the '80s are related to you, Corina; how much he loved you.  It was a pleasure to see the quiet, devoted romance you shared.  I also recall, David, how proud your father was to hear what talent you have as a writer; when you were an undergrad creative writing student, your dad glowed when I mentioned what fine fiction you were writing.  (Hope you're still at it!  You have your father's literary gifts, I suspect; I know he was very proud of you and I still recall mushroom jello....)  

Roy was supportive of the creativity of others, but dismissed praise to himself. Once when I mentioned seeing his Ph.D. thesis (in Gulliver's, I think) he said: "Oh, is that old thing still kicking around?"  He was generous when it counted; he understood the use of power, and friendship.  He had a fine sense of balance, creating a spot in recent years for John Haines, encouraging gifted students in the honors program, upholding high academic standards and clear thought while drawing generously on, and sharing, his own warmth and joy in life.  And he was the same Roy on and off campus, always himself, always putting others at ease. 

I'll miss his biting, subtle, humorous, perfectly apt, witty and clear letters to the editor, his ability to say so much in so few words.  And his political, social and academic acumen!  He was a fine man who made the world, and Fairbanks, a better place.

Pete Dulgar

I didn't know Roy as well as some, but he had a great influence on my academic life--and beyond--and I have found myself, in the eleven years since I left Alaska, telling my fond stories of him to people around the world. He was one of the best teachers I've ever had, and he had a magical way of making it seem like he wasn't leading a class or discussion, and we'd done it all on our own. He believed in the intelligence of his students and our ability to take responsibility for our own learning. It's because of Roy that I have faith in my own ideas and academic endeavors. 

And he had a rare combination of humor and grace. When I threatened to train for the Equinox, he told me that he had been a marathon runner until he had run off of a cliff in the dark and made a deal with higher powers that if he survived he'd give up running (I don't know if that story is true or not, but it did make me wait a few years to run my first marathon). When my wife burst into one of our classes to announce that she had been accepted to a graduate program, Roy simply said "well, you can't stand in the way of enthusiasm like that" and, when I'd returned from the hallway, made me give a full report of the news to the class.

Roy is one of my favorite people. I don't think he knew, but some of us fondly called him Judge Roy Bird, not because of any similarity to Paul Newman's 1970s film character (or the notorious historical character) but because it seemed like he had a kind of wisdom and experience, and he would be there for you when things got a bit rough, and he had a Westerner's way of cutting through the elitism of academic life and putting things in their proper perspective.

I'm heartbroken at this news, but when I remember that people all over the world knew and loved Roy (and tell fond stories of him to others) it helps me believe that he is only partially gone.

Pete Dulgar

MFA student 1995-1998

Geoffery Stauffer

Roy opened the doors in my mind.  He held open doors of opportunity giving not only me also my wife Esther a chance at a better life.  I’ve been so distressed…knowing those opportunities came with a heavy price. I’d give just about anything to see him and talk with him just one more time.  ..  .. .. I will never forget how he helped me get through the bad days and how he stood by me when I didn’t deserve it.  In every single moment I spent with him, he not only opened up my mind, but he helped me be a better person.

When I came to Fairbanks, not knowing anyone, not knowing what I was even doing there--outside of some vague notion of getting as far away from home as possible—I was a little apprehensive about class with Dr. Bird.  All I had to go on was his bio in the UAF catalog (no internet in those days!).  Shit! BYfuckingU??? Here I thought I was getting the hell away from the long arm of Brother Brigham.  But Roy approached me first at an introductory gathering at the honors house.  Approached...despite my recently shaved head, combat boots, torn up clothes, and jacket bearing conspicuously scrawled “FUCK RACISM.”  It didn’t phase Roy in the least.  (Or at least he didn’t let it show).  Instead, he immediately started talking to me about star valley and the how being surrounded by such religious intolerance must have been painful for me. It was clear he had taken a hand in getting me into the honors program.  I had never met anyone (other than my best friend who also left with me), that had broken away from the church and not ended up in a mental ward.  I took to him instantly.  I could tell that the 1-hr-per-day of class time I had with him wasn’t nearly enough.   Luckily for me, Roy made time for me…whenever I needed it, at the office and even at his home.  He was there for me when I hit bottom.  He was still there when I pulled myself back together.  When I would bring my daughter Tussii to his house it was like visiting her grandparents…he always showed her genuine affection and care.

I still value so much that Roy didn’t prejudge me.  I really appreciate that when I made strange or even bizarre requests, he not only didn’t put me down, he encouraged me to explore.  But he didn’t accept laziness or sloppiness…he made me work to support my positions.  I wanted to break all the rules.  Roy said fine, but you better know exactly what the rules are you want to break, and understand why they are what they are.  Expanding my awareness of structure in order to turn the master’s tools against the machine.  And importantly, Roy introduced me to books and authors that changed my life….Pynchon, Barth, Marquez.  Even more importantly he introduced me to his son…my comrade in mayhem. 

I will always cherish every minute I got to spend with you Roy.  And I will always wish that I had just one more.

-g

Symbol of Wisdom

My dad collected owls. {They are included on the academic seal of Rice University.} Just something small to bring him to your mind in random moments…

Paul Reichardt

I was truly saddened to hear of Roy's death.  I knew him through all the years he was at UAF, but it was really during the last decade that I got to know him quite well.  Roy brought quite a few issues to me during my time as Provost—academic issues, faculty issues, student issues.  What always struck me about Roy's approach was his commitment and loyalty to the people he represented and worked for. Sometimes it was about an academic policy that seemed unfair or inappropriate to him because of its negative effects on students or faculty or both.  Sometimes it was about a student who was not getting a fair shake.  Sometimes it was about enhancing the Honors Program.  Sometimes it was in his role as a faculty union representative for a faculty member who was facing a difficult situation.  Whenever I was preparing to meet with Roy I knew that, no matter how difficult the issue and how strongly we might disagree, the meeting would be civil--even cordial—and productive.  He always wanted to focus on how we could do things better rather than obsess about how badly we had screwed things up.  We will all miss Roy's can-do attitude and the care he exhibited for his family, friends, and colleagues.

John W. Flynn Jr.

It is with a heavy heart that I type this salute to Roy. I just found out from the newspaper that Roy passed last Friday and I'm deeply saddened. I had Roy as a teacher at UAF as an undergraduate back in the late 80s and early 90s and to this day I remember lectures and discussions we had in his classes. Roy was genuine and cared deeply about his students finding meaning out of the literature (and criticism) we read. My friends and I who took classes with Roy still fondly recall some of those memories when we get together. In the last few years as a pseudo-graduate student, Roy was my strongest advocate and always encouraged me to follow my dream (and not give up on rooting for my perpetually disappointing N.Y. Mets). This week I begin my 17th year as a public school teacher here in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I am deeply indebted to Roy for inspiring me to pursue a vocation I absolutely love. God bless your soul Roy, and my sincere condolences to Mrs. Bird and his children.

Steve Goerger

In my time at UAF, Dr. Bird was the department head, and the head of honors. I saw him mostly in non-academic settings, but at the same time I felt as if he were deeply involved in my academic life at UAF. He knew I wrote fiction, he inquired after my teaching assignments, and he always seemed deeply involved in the life of all the English students on campus, both graduate and undergraduate. His life was all about mentoring others, and for that everyone who knew him was lucky. For that I know we all miss him a lot. 

Beth Horikawa

Roy was the head of my thesis committee when I was working on my MA at UAF from 1984-1986.  He encouraged my creativity, respected my point of view, gave me real feedback, and challenged me when my thinking was sloppy (which was a lot :-)).  There was no BS with him, no academic elitism.  He was funny, deeply intelligent, compassionate, passionate--and his classes were incredible.  They were about dialogue.  No lectures--"just" people sharing deep ideas. He dared us to keep it real.  Those seminars totally rocked my world.  They were about life, about keeping and nurturing our own hearts and the hearts of others while sharpening our intellects.  I owe Roy much.

Elizabeth Shaw Smith

I’ve known Roy since we were graduate students in English at BYU in the early 1970s.  I taught Freshman English out of a textbook he co-authored.  He was a mentor for me when I was an editor at BYU Press.  Before he left for Romania on his Fulbright, he spent a month or two at UCLA.  I was working in Los Angeles and we attended 2 or 3 days of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Nicholas Nickleby” there together.  We corresponded after he went to Romania and a bit after he moved to Fairbanks.  He was kind, smart, sensitive, helpful, fun, and a valued friend.  I am sorry he is gone.

Lillian Corti

I was hired onto the faculty of the UAF English department in the winter of 1991-92, when Roy Bird was in Roumania, so I never met him until he came back to work the following year. Nor was our first professional encounter a promising one, since it occurred in the context of a shouting match in the English Department Office and left me thoroughly rattled. I went home that night in despair. Whereas another colleague had told me that if I ever wanted to get tenure in this department, I would probably do well to say as little as possible at department meetings for the next five years, here I was, new kid on the block, distinguishing myself right off the bat by disagreeing in no uncertain terms with a senior colleague.I figured I might as well start packing my bags right away. Nevertheless, while trying to figure out what to do and where to go, I kept on teaching my classes and doing my research, which, at that time, involved writing an essay on the African American poet, Countee Cullen, a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance.. When one of my colleagues called it to my attention that Dr. Bird was teaching a graduate seminar on the Harlem Renaissance, I shrugged my shoulders, little imagining that this convergence of our scholarly concerns was ever likely to do me any good. But friends persisted in urging me to at least offer Dr. Bird a copy of my article and ask him to read it, and finally, I did so. To my great surprise, Dr. Bird not only read the essay and liked it, he also invited me to visit his graduate seminar, present my paper to his students and lead them in a discussion of Countee Cullen's life and work. This experience proved to be an important turning point in my career. On the basis of that article and class visit, Dr. Bird became a staunch supporter of my work and when I came up for tenure a few years later, I enjoyed the unanimous support of my colleagues.

In the course of the years that I worked with Dr. Bird, I was regularly impressed by his intelligence, passion and generosity. I am very sorry that he is no longer among us.

Matt Wharton

Matt Wharton has written in some of his fonder memories of Dad without adding anything about him personally because, "Roy wanted to hear the voice of people, not the bullshit. So I have no right to pontificate about what a wonderful bloke he was."

Nonetheless, here are Matt's memories:
In response to my ending an email with the lines, "I'd better get out into the world," Roy responded, "You better do it while you can."

When I was trying to write one time at a computer terminal outside of the writing center, Roy said, "If you frown at that screen any harder, you are going to break it."

In an email about the trout in Chena Lakes, Roy had told Derick the spot to fish from: "I enjoy catching those little guys even though they don't set any records."

About a pike that took his pixie: "It looked like a pig coming out of the water."

Upon hearing a pointless remark from a student in class: "Well, that's that."

And my personal favorite, showing Dad's personality and his hate for ceremony and formal proceedings:
Roy wrote in an email in 2002: "I agree that we should call a meeting, but I will not attend the meeting."

Susan Farnham

Thinking of Roy

I have been trying to wrap my mind around Roy for the last few days in order to write something for this blog. He is slippery like the form of writing is slippery. It is so easy to get it wrong, to say something trite. I don’t want to do that. He would give me shit. In fact he is sitting on my shoulder right now, peering down at what I am saying.

I am remembering Roy as a great big bear of a man who had whatever that quality is that draws one to him. As his student and as his friend, I wanted his input, and his guidance. There was something very reassuring about him, a mixture of kindness, that Utah drawl, and a sense of humor that was irreverent.

He could be grumpy and taciturn. He did not hide his disappointment. When he read my papers or heard my thoughts, I could always depend on his honest opinion. But despite all his pessimism, he was a romantic. He once told me that one of the big love affairs of his life was literature. It changed everything.

As his student I was swept along by the emotion that he brought to the classroom and later I went off to Romania on the wave of his enthusiasm for that country. The stories he told were filled with drama, mysterious contradictions and extraordinary landscape. Stories, not the least of which was about Corina, the beautiful Romanian woman he had fallen in love with, expressed best his love for life.

After graduating from the program and returning from Romania, I didn’t get to see that much of Roy. I am sad about this; a lot of years have gone by though it seems like a flash. Now his son Liviu, a baby then, is a grown man. It is shocking to me that he’s no longer with us. But as I stood on the deck outside Corina and Roy’s home talking with another of his sons, who I had not met before, I felt almost as if I were talking to Roy, that same Utah drawl and easy manner, a resemblance in the eyes, and an emotional enthusiasm for what lay ahead, qualities that I found in Roy that a made him such a wonderful teacher and a valued friend.

I will miss him.

Emily Johnston

I was never a student of Roy's, but that didn't stop him from teaching me. Roy was such a generous person and made the time to talk with me about my plans beyond grad school.

His life was a gift, especially for the students who were always so important to him. He will be missed.

Emily Johnston
MFA program, UAF: 2004-7

Vacant Garden

10 days ago I was eagerly awaiting the ripening of my first ever garden tomato. As this is the first year I have actually planted a vegetable garden, I’ve been a little consumed by it. Every time I harvest anything I post a picture on my blog and talk aimlessly about it. Of course I didn’t really expect anyone else in the world to care about it. As it turns out, though, somebody did care. I quickly came to look forward to short comments like “Nice shots of your garden, Lora” from my Dad. I thought I’d be thrilled to consume the first of my favorite harvest. Yet, today has been my most empty day since I received the dreadful call last Thursday. 

Gloria & David Bird

I am Gloria Bird and my husband David Bird is Roy’s first cousin and one of six children of Allan Bird, brother of Roy’s father,  Roy Bird.  I know that sounds confusing, but we are sometimes referred to as the “Georgia Birds.”  During WWII,  Allan married a lovely lady from German Village in Columbus, Ohio  whom  he had met at the USO (Marguerite Reisch) .  When Allan returned from the war, he and Marguerite moved to Salt Lake with their young daughter Karen and our David Bird was born on September 18, 1946, one year to the day before Roy was born on September 18, 1947.  Allan and Marguerite relocated to Ohio in 1947 and subsequently moved to the Atlanta area in 1964.  The family has been in Georgia for the last 45 years. 

For many of those years, the Georgia Birds saw very little of the Utah Birds.  David has a few memories of playing football with Roy and Glenn on a family visit to Utah, but for the most part the cousins knew little about each other’s lives.  In November, 1994, six of the Georgia Birds decided to make a trip to Utah to get to know Allan’s family better.  Roy’s parents, Roy and Glenna,welcomed us into their home and became our tour guides for about a week.  Dutch and Beth came all the way from California and we visited with Virginia and Jess at their home as well.  We met some of the cousins, including a brief meeting with Glenn and Andy at our motel (they probably don’t remember).  Of course, Roy was in Alaska at the time, but  we began to gather family stories of all the people we didn’t yet know.

After that, Roy, Glenna and Jane made a trip to Georgia and the Georgia Birds made another trip to Utah.  During this time, Jane and I started e-mailing and in a way, I started to get to know Roy in a second-hand way.  Jane often forwarded information from Roy or kept me updated on what was happening  with him.  In 1999, our oldest son Matthew was making plans to apply to doctoral programs and asked Jane if Roy would be willing to talk to him through e-mail.  Matthew later had several very helpful e-mail exchanges with Roy in which he was very supportive about the application process. Matthew never got to meet Roy but always asked about what Roy was doing.

Several years ago, Roy had occasion to be in Atlanta for a convention and we were finally able to meet him.  David and I picked him up at one of the Atlanta hotels and brought him out to Cobb County where we live.  He spent the whole afternoon with us and we later took him to another family member’s house to meet more of Birds.  He was perfectly at ease and we felt like we had known him forever.  David and Roy found that had many things in common, including The Brothers Karamazov.   Of course, we all bonded politically, which couldn’t have hurt.  We told him that we were definitely coming to Alaska before he retired so that we could get one of our last states “in.”  (In order to visit every state in the union.)  It is a huge regret that we did not get to make that trip and to visit with Roy in Fairbanks.  Last fall during the presidential election, I couldn’t wait to hear Roy’s take on “Palin.”  I was not disappointed. In April, Jane, Glenna and Roy came to Georgia to visit us.  Jane said that Roy had said he would like to come and we extended an invitation which he said he had to decline.  How much we wish that we had been able to see him then.

Although David and I did not have the close relationship with Roy that you, his family and friends have had, we loved him and felt that he was both family and friend.  For the last week, he has been on our minds and our hearts.  We wish we had been able to get to know him better.  He was a remarkable man.

{pictured: Allan "David" Bird} 

Below are David’s memories of Roy in his words:

Roy K. and I were born under the same ill-starred stars (9/18/46 - David and 9/18/47 – Roy) and the night before he died I was awake much of the night thinking about him.  I have two memories :

     (1) Playing football with Roy and Glenn under Camel Back Mountain in 1953 in Springville—I was three touchdowns ahead and playing aggressively but Virg Bird and the family came out to watch and I had to let them win.  When Roy came to visit us in Georgia while attending a convention, he had perfect recall and  remembered the football game and all the plays.  He said that they won by two touchdowns (but it was still two against one). 

      (2) My second memory was when he came to the convention in Atlanta.  He was gracious, affable and kind and had complete remembrance of things past.  During his lifetime, he advanced the “Spirit” and now he has  abandoned into the homecoming. 

Marcia Weston

I met Roy in Salt Lake City in 1981 where I moved as a last fling before settling into adulthood. Roy was then a runner who showed incredible passion and commitment in all that he did. When I moved back to the East Coast, Roy pitched in to load belongings into a UHaul that was loaded to the brim. It took a mathematician to make sure everything fit.
 
I reconnected with Roy just last year to ask that he provide me with comments on a resume that was put together for job searching. I knew he would be the best person to critique a professional document. 
 
Of course I kept up with news about Roy and his family from my very good friend and Roy's sister, Jane. We have been friends since the 80's and even though miles apart, I consider her my sister.
 
I am very saddened by Roy's passing and feel that I knew him as well as I know Jane. He truly was someone who made the world a better place and his wit, charm, and incredible intelligence will be greatly missed.

Harmonie Thomas

Dr. Bird was my FAVORITE  professor at UAF. He was always so encouraging to me. He wanted me to try new things, even though I was afraid to do them. I had his support when I went on international exchange to the University of Sussex, and that was one of the best semesters of my life. He WANTED to see me do well in everything I did and was very flexible and understanding. We worked on my honors thesis together. I told him all about nasty situations I had been in with other people. Whenever I had a problem, I would immediately go into his office at the Honors House. I could sit and talk to him for an hour or so -- even without making an appointment.

I feel like students were very special to him. I am very happy to have known him, even for only a short while. I am so glad he got to see me graduate in 2007. I wish that he could see me now.

Jane Bird

{Those who know me know I’m “photophobic.”  So, I had to include a picture of myself from much younger (and thinner!) days.} 

Since Roy was always at least six inches taller than I and almost 10 years older, he has always been my “big brother.”  I’m certain Roy and our brother Glenn were not thrilled to have a little sister when they were 9 and 8 years old, respectively.  We lived in a small, two-bedroom house in Springville, and my arrival meant Roy and Glenn were “banished” from the second bedroom upstairs to the basement.  To keep me from going in their basement bedroom, they told me the “boogeyman” also lived down there.  That created a fear of basements for me that lingers to an extent even today.

Our parents (very foolishly) often left me with Roy and Glenn as my babysitters.  My brothers liked to tease me unmercifully.  One time, Roy put me down for a nap after a “torture session” and, after I fell asleep, he woke me to tell me I’d had a bad dream so I wouldn’t tell Mom and Dad what he and Glenn had done to me.  When I was six years old, Mom and Dad got us a cat that I named Ginger.  I joined Roy and Glenn in tormenting the cat.  I used to apologize to her all the time, saying, “I’m sorry—it’s either you or me.”

My relationship with Roy began to change when my parents and I moved to St. George in 1971.  Roy had recently married Penny, and they moved to St. George also so Roy could make some “big money” working on road construction with our dad.  I took both geometry and trigonometry as a sophomore at Dixie High.  Math has never been my “thing,” and Roy spent many evening hours trying to help me “get it.”  Fortunately for both of us, I gave up math after my sophomore year.

My love of English pre-dates Roy’s:  I began taking advanced English classes in 6^th grade.  When I started my undergraduate days at Brigham Young University, Roy again acted as a mentor and counselor for me.  I started out as a business major but switched in my second semester to English.  Roy was teaching at BYU at that time, and he was great about telling me the best teachers and classes to take—and the ones to avoid.  Roy never wrote a paper for me, but he spent lots of time “holding my hand” when I had a writing assignment.  He’d ask me what I was supposed to do and what I intended to write.  After I told him, he’d say, “That sounds great.  Do it!”  I graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English, and I felt Roy had been by my side as counselor and cheerleader the whole time.

I studied for my Juris Doctor degree at the University of Utah at the same time Roy was getting his Ph.D. at Rice University.  We’d write letters to each other, but I missed the frequent “hand holding” Roy had given me when I was a student at BYU.  I was happy Roy was able to at least attend my (boring) graduation ceremonies with me.

I have worked for almost 28 years as General Counsel for the Upper Colorado River Commission.  Over all those years, Roy was a great sounding board for me, listening to me whine about co-workers, work assignments and the daily grind.  I was dragged kicking and screaming into the computer age, but once I finally got an e-mail address, Roy and I started corresponding on an almost-daily basis.  Our mother sometimes complained that we wrote “too much,” but I never felt that way.  Even though I haven’t actually seen Roy since 2006, I felt we “talked” every day.  I heard from Roy for the last time last Wednesday, August 12.  I miss those daily missives so much already.

My biggest regret is that Roy’s grandchildren, grandnieces and grandnephews won’t get to know Roy.  Roy had a brilliant mind, but that was one of his lesser gifts.  He sometimes hid a tender heart behind a gruff manner and a love of heated discussions, but I never doubted his love for me.  Helping his students was Roy’s pride and joy, and he was an immeasurable help and support to me as well.  Roy’s death leaves a hole in my life it will be impossible to fill.

See you later, big brother!

Young Adult

High School

Little Boy

Who knew he was so blonde as a boy?

Dad & Glenn

Here are some early pictures of Dad with his only brother, Glenn. Don’t let the innocence of these cute little smiles fool you. Apparently these boys were quite the rascals in their early days. Maybe {sister} Jane will grace us with some stories? {Roy is on the left side in all of these pictures, by the way.}

Bouncing Baby Boy

My grandparents {Roy's parents} let me scan a bunch of old picts of dad...

John Reinhard

I just received word of Roy's passing, and that makes this a sad day.  What I remember most about him is the intelligence and the passion and the way he loved to laugh.  Once, when he walked into the English deparment, he came with about five feet of toilet paper stretching behind him like a tail.  Most folks were laughing too hard to say anything, and I was fearful this was the department's new fax machine.  When he finally discovered the source of the laughter, he laughed, too, as only Roy could, and then he went on with his life, which should've lasted so much longer.  He was my friend, and more devoted to his students than anyone I've ever known.  What a good, good man. My best to all, John Reinhard

Picture from Dave

Dad's oldest son, Dave, took this picture of Dad in his office at the Honors House.

Dave wrote: "I knew him too long and in too many incarnations to come up with anything to say just yet. I thought this picture shows him kind and comfortable in one of his favorite environments."

Grant Hedman

Dr. Roy Bird was my advisor and one of my favorite teachers while completing my undergrad at UAF. He made special time for me to help me finish, more than a year, that he worked very closely with me. I was planning on moving on so there was nothing he was going to get out of seeing me graduate aside from the satisfaction, I guess, of him knowing that he had done his job well. His greatest advice to me which has come in handy quite often and reflected on when I did not use it was; "Never give information that wasn't asked for." I will never forget that advice and share it frequently with those who need it, always citing my source, my advisor, Dr. Roy Bird.

Grant Hedman
UAF class of 2000