Lawrence Guinn, 1930-2007
After a long illness, Professor Emeritus Lawrence Guinn died on February 7, 2007. During his forty-year tenure at the U of A, Guinn taught Old and Middle English language and literature courses, History of the English Language, and Structure of Present Day English, as well as classes like Old Norse, Gaelic, and Welsh. Many students marveled at his ability to trace the origin of a word to its ancient beginnings and to pique their interest in words and language. A Germanic philologist (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1959), scholar (Bridges: An Introduction to The Structures and Styles of English, 2006), pianist (B.A., Music, U of A, 1951), he loved the nuances, rhythm, and playfulness of languages, in his classrooms combining in the words of Thomas Lynn, Ph.D., 2003), “endless engaging wit with expertise of profound depth.”
Another of his students, Dwayne Coleman (M.A., 1998, Ph.D. 2003), penned the following tribute, entitled “The Immortal Dr. Guinn”:
Hwæt! We speak of the glory of the great Doc Guinn,
how, in semesters gone by, he shaped many students
gave them word-hoards and wisdom, working
passages of wit and puns appalling, painful to hear.
For a long time, he taught under tall Kimpel’s roof
until he went on his way, proudly walking
the high road of heroes. That was one good professor!
Memorials may be made to the rhetoric/composition/literacy program through the Department of English, 333 Kimpel Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701.