Randall only taught me one class of creative nonfiction, but it was one of the great pleasures and memories of my life to have been shocked and enlightened by Randall’s ritual of reading obituaries to his class every day… always with his infectious laughter, unbridled joy, and flashes of his smile. It was a mind-broadening experience that helped me, unknowingly, to “make friends” with death while celebrating life with a little more gusto. Thanks to Randall I am not only a better writer, but a better human being, and a better citizen of this world. I mourn deeply with those who love him still.