MemorialMinuteforLucGilleman,ProfessorofEnglish
ReadattheMarch28,2012FacultyMeeting
Ourbelovedfriendandcolleague,LucGilleman,ProfessorofEnglish,died—
athome,inhissleep—intheearlymorninghoursofTuesday,February28th,2012.
Hewas52.Hisdeathcameafterathree‐yearstrugglewithcancer;heleavesbehind
himhiswife,Sarah,andtwochildren:Janna,10,andToby,7.
Luc’sroutetoSmith—andtothestudyofliterature—wasintriguingly
roundabout.HewasbornandgrewupinthesmallcoastalcityofOostende,onthe
NorthSea,inFlemish‐speakingBelgium.Somethingofawild‐child,hewasdrawnto
thenaturalworld,tothework‐lifeofhisuncle’snear‐byfarm,andtothesea;yethis
sensibilitywasalsoshapedbythedevotionallifeofthecity’sCatholicculture—
OostendeisTrappistmonasterycountry—andbyhisloss,laterinboyhood,ofthat
intensefaith.InhisteenageyearsheworkedsummersontheOostende‐Dover
ferry;hestudiedbiology,servedintheBelgianarmy,and,attheageof22,earnedan
engineeringdegreeinnauticalelectronics.Afterseveralyearsofserviceasaradio
navigationofficerinthemerchantmarine,helefttheseaforthestudyandthe
library—earningfirstamaster’sdegreeinphilologyfromtheFreeUniversityof
Brussels,then,in1994,aPh.D.inEnglishfromIndianaUniversityinBloomington.
Thoughitistempting,especiallyforanotherEnglishprofessor,toconstruethisasa
conversionnarrative,manyoftheinterestsandexperiencesthatweglimpseinhis
growingupfoundrichexpressioninhisworkonmoderndramaandinhisbroader
conceptionofhumanlife:alastingsenseofthevividandinevitablecrueltiesoffarm
life;afascinationwithsystems,bothlivingandnon‐living;withmachinesandtheir
operation;withthesecretsofthewaythingswork.
LucGillemanwasoneofthedeepest,mostoriginalthinkersinthehistoryof
theSmithEnglishDepartment—ofcourse,asLucmightthenhaveputit,that’snot
sayingmuch.IimaginethisLuc‐likejokeasawayofsayingthatheworehisdeep
learning,hiscommitmenttotheintellectual’squest,lightly,humbly,comically.And
yetheburned.Art,forLuc,wasnotaproducerofresolutionsorgrandtruths;itwas
composed,rather,ofall‐but‐strangledmomentsofmeaningorbeauty,wrestedfrom
thesystemiccrueltyoremptinessofthecosmosorthesocialworld.Ofthese
moments—especiallyinhisworkonthelifeoflanguageinmoderndrama—Lucwas
theunrivalledchronicler.ScholarsofJohnOsborne,ofHaroldPinter,ofEdward
Bond,ofArthurMiller,ofcontemporaryexperimentaldramawilllongbeinLuc’s
debtfortheunexcelledacuityofhisaccountofthemeaning‐lifeofdramatic
dialogue.LuconcedescribedO’Neill’sLongDay’sJourneyintoNight,inwhich
stormsofstunninglyarticulatedlossandsufferingdieoffintoanexhaustedsilence,
as“adecompositioncomposition”—that’swhatI’llremember:thestrangelylife‐
affirmingexhilarationthatcamefromwitnessingLuccaptureinlanguagethe
spectacularlybleakvisionofthewritersheloved.
Lucwasadevotedandhard‐workingcitizenofthiscommunity,servingwith
particulardistinctionontheGrievanceandLibraryCommittees,butitwasasa
brilliant,transformative,almostexcessivelydiligentteacherthathecontributedthe
mosttothelifeoftheCollege.Hisclassesindramawerefamousforthestudent
performancesthat,throughhisrigorouspreparationandinexhaustible
attentiveness,becamenotmomentaryentertainmentsbutrichinstrumentsof
intellectualexploration.ForLuc,ashiscoursetitlesindicate—“FreudandSherlock
Holmes,”“BodiesandMachines”—coursedesignwasacreativemedium,andhe
was,Ithink,ourmostsuccessfuladviserofhonorstheses.Butattheheartofhis
teachingwasthis:tovisitoneofLuc’sclasseswastowitnesstheexhilarating
emergenceofintellectualcuriosityincommunalform,itsflightpreparedforbut
neverdominatedbyLuc’sguidance,itsstudent‐generatedacuitythedeepesttribute
totheteacher’sskill.
ItamusedLuc,ashefacedthearrivalofthelastphaseofhisillness,thathe
seemedtohavelosthistasteforthebleakworksthathadallalongpopulatedhis
artisticuniverse.Inhislastyears,andmonths,anddays,therewasenoughsuffering
andthwartedhopetoconfirmseveraltimesoverthedarknessofLuc’sintellectual
vision.Yettherewasalsotobewitnessed,intheplaceofhisdying,intheworld
createdbyLuc,hisbelovedwifeSarah,hischildrenJannaandToby,anincandescent
andimmeasurablelove.