Dr Brivic was a big influence in my life. He helped bring my thinking out of the first half of the 20th century and helped me developed my ability to think critically. Words of wisdom of his still help guide me in life. thanks Dr Brivic. Rest in peace.

Dad

The first book of Dad’s I found from many boxes was Toni Morrison’s Beloved. On the first page of the novel which is meticulously annotated by my father is the quote he inscribed from an African belief, “the dead are reborn in children who retain their memories and visions.”

When Great Trees Fall
By Maya Angelou

When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnawed on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.

Professor Brivic was my undergrad professor and gave me the gift of reading Joyce for the first time, awakening a lifelong passion. He was kind, funny and an absolute gem of a person. I think of him regularly and the beautiful gift of literature he gave me. I hope his family take solace in the fact that he lives on in all of the student's who'se lives he changed for the better!

Kindly Fiery Light

I remain indebted to Dr. Brivic's positive review of Joyce & Jung in the James Joyce Quarterly, and regret that he never had the chance to see the forthcoming second edition of the book. This day of heavy April rain and sporadic sun, I cherish my memories of all my interactions with him. He was the kindly fiery light behind Joyce & Jung. --Hiromi Yoshida

I'm sad to learn that Shelly has passed. He was a highly intelligent man with an incredible work ethic and personal integrity. As one of my dissertation advisors at Temple University, he diligently read every page--every sentence--of my work, commenting with the care and passion of an educator, and applying a level of attention that made me feel as if I had contributed work that was valued. I always appreciated this about him--that he took his research and teaching seriously. I send my deepest condolences to his family.

A serious scholar. A smiler. A laugher. A lover.

I mourn the loss of my old friend every day.
I saw him as often as I could. He offered insights
from a long dedicated, considered life. He is
missed I'm sure by many but most certainly by me.