Rest In Peace, Marvin Glass

May 19, 2013 - Literature, Politics + Human Rights - Tagged: Carleton University, Marvin Glass, philosophy, professor, rest in peace, RIP - 4 comments

Today I learnt of the passing of one of my favourite university professors – Marvin Glass. He is the original and most clear image I hold of my first days at university, exactly 20 years ago. Standing at the front of the class, at the bottom of hill-d steps, hair a mess of black fuzz, Marvin scribbled on the chalkboard and I thought: I have a mad scientist for a professor, and what product does he use in his hair?

He took everything many of us believed about the world and turned it on its head. A fierce advocate of human rights, he carried as sharp an intellect as we should expect of academia. Marvin offered me a scholarship into the philosophy program which I declined for several reasons, choosing to instead take as many philosophy classes as possible even when completing my Master of Arts degree in an adjacent field. It was Marvin’s love of philosophy that I adopted at the age of 18, carry well into my adult years and which – inshallah – will run with me for the rest of my days.

I was watching a film when a character mentioned Marx, and I thought of you. Twenty years I have thought of you at such random moments, always with it a smile. News of your leaving this world has brought with it an unexpected sadness, Marvin. Undoubtedly, you will be missed even by those who were scared by you (yes, you were often quite scary because you never, ever, did you ever suffer fools lightly). Maybe especially by them as they are the ones whose minds you sharpened most.

On behalf of all of your students: Thank you for every single bit of it.

4 thoughts on “Rest In Peace, Marvin Glass”

Dan McArthur May 20, 2013 at 1:59 am

Your blog came up on Google as I was searching to find out if the rumer was true, and I was sad to see that it was. I appreciaate your comments. Based on the dates you give about being at Carleton and the classes you took I was very probably your TA. I am a philosophy professor at York now and always will apreciate the early breaks Marv gave me when I was trying to start my career. We were good friends but disagreed with each other on literally everything relating to communism, but he was one of the best in the business. A real blow to my profession and to Canadian leters in general. Thank you for your words!

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one female canuck May 20, 2013 at 3:27 pm

Hi Dan – your name is very familiar so if you were a part of the Mike’s Place crew 20 years ago, then we know one another (T.A. or not).

Aalya Ahmed is one of my best friends still so if you know her, you know me.

As of yesterday, there was no information yet online about Marvin’s passing. I too used to get into vehement arguments with him (I can not get behind communism though now that he has passed on, I will miss receiving his communist season’s greetings cards received always well after New Year’s Eve – each and every single one of which I have kept) and learnt very quickly that he was only scary to the 1st years 🙂

Thank you for leaving a message.

All the best,
Maha

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BB May 28, 2013 at 9:28 pm

this is the best award any university professor hopes to have.. to be remembered with love an d appreciation by a student they do not remember.. not the ones that they helped save their lives or change their future.. you expect these one in a 1000 to remember.. but when the ones that never needed a break or received one remember you and appreciate discussions with you 20 years ago, you know you were really good.

I believe that if he has passed away, he still knows .. for those reading, if you have not told your favourite prof they left an impact on you, make their day and tell them.. actually, make their year and tell them 🙂

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one female canuck July 15, 2013 at 7:45 am

Thank you ya BB – I know that this is something I would have said to him in one way or another while still his student, but I wish I had articulated it so clearly. InshAllah he knows. InshAllah x

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