[KB] In Memoriam: Jon Ericson

[David Blakesley]

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

I'm sorry to share the sad news that Jon Ericson died last week at the age
of 92. Jon was a good friend and colleague of Kenneth Burke's in the 1960s
and 1970s. I only met Jon online this past fall when we began a
correspondence about his own work in rhetoric and his memories of KB. Jon
was an incredibly generous man, and I feel fortunate that I had the chance
to get to know him during his final days. Two weeks ago, he wrote this:
"Good grief I've been blessed with 92 years. There is a time to live, and
Amy and I have certainly done that . . . four wonderful, productive
children, travel, a great career, wonderful friends." We exchanged emails
the night before he died.

Jon earned his PhD in rhetoric at Stanford. His book, *The Debater's
Guide *(1964),
is a classic in the field. His most recent book is *The Rhetoric of the
Pulpit: A Preacher's Guide to Effective Sermons* (2nd, 2020). There's one
in progress that we've talked about, so that may appear before too long.

Many of our discussions revolved around Jon's days with KB at Central
Washington State College in Ellensburg. Jon chaired the speech department
there. His daughter Beth told me that KB stayed with them often, and Jon
would organize small concerts, some of which featured original KB
compositions. Reflecting on those days, Jon wrote this about KB in his last
letter to me:

KB, someone has written, has a mind that cannot stop exploding. It was a
real privilege to be around that mind, but even more, to be around the man
long 'enuff to sense his heart and soul and to find what a simple, gentle,
deeply human being he is.


Jon, it was a privilege and a pleasure. Rest in peace.

Dave

Jon Ericson Obituary
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/seaside-ca/jon-ericson-10013948
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