Dear Colleagues,

   I am saddened to report that Joseph P. Lovering passed away on July 3rd in Tonawanda, New York.  You may remember Joe from his participation in the International Cather Seminars from 1987-1997.  He had been a professor of English at Canisius College in Buffalo for thirty-six years before retiring in 1991.  He wrote his dissertation on Dorothy Canfield Fisher at Ottawa University in 1956 and published a seminal article on her friendship with Cather.
   Joe was my seminar roommate on multiple occasions.  Noting that Joe and I shared an interest in Fisher, Sue Rosowski “set us up,” so to speak, at Hastings in 1987.  For Sue’s roommate-matching skills, I am deeply grateful.  Joe made delightful company and became a good friend.  He possessed a keen intellect, a quick and gentle wit, and a passion for Cather’s writing.  He thoroughly enjoyed the seminars and often remarked upon the fine qualities of those in the Cather community.  If you would like to send a remembrance to Joe’s wife, please contact me and I will give you her address; if you would like to sign an online “guestbook,” you will find one here: 
 
http://www.legacy.com/buffalonews/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=112745544

Mark Madigan