Oh, that is sad news. For my Literature of the Humanities final project, I produced a 25-page Companion to Sea Shanties, in which I looked up all those mystifying words and historical and cultural references that appear in the songs. When I presented it, Dr. Smith (which is I think what I called him) said, "Well, that wasn't quite what I was looking for..." but gave me an A anyway. It remains one of my favorite final projects ever, and one of the very few I've ever used again.

Dr. Smith, I think about your class every time I have to hunt up a reference book for one of my kids, or teach them how to choose the right source for an assignment. Rest in peace, sir.