John Locke is the name of my comparative literature professor. I swear I am not making this up. His classes are not about comp lit, but about enlightenment practices. His aim is to help you make your life better. You name an interesting religion or spiritual practice, and he's tried it. He's been all over Japan, travelling with Shinto priests, has taught kung-fu, and takes his classes on shamanic journeys. And he fought in World War II. Yes, he has a bit of a guru complex, but he's mad cool and I hope I'm half that wild when I'm that old.
John Locke died
August 28, 2000, in a
murder-suicide on the first day of school, in
Kimpel Hall at the
University of Arkansas; I wrote about it under
Eulogy for Dr. John Locke.