In Memory of Dave Wallace

Assistant Professor Joseph T. Thomas, Jr., who wrote recently on this blog about his friend and associate David Wallace and David's untimely death (10/4/08), would like to spread the word about Illinois State University's newly instituted David Foster Wallace Memorial Fund.

Illinois State University has created this fund in order to bring to campus writers who will energize and challenge the community, this fund will also periodically have a cash award to honor a graduate or undergraduate student whose writing engages its subject from an original, committed, and humane perspective. Whether poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, or a hybrid combination, the award winning work should be an articulate and thought-provoking text that pushes a paradigm, extending rather than following traditional genre expectations. The award winning entry shall be selected by a committee appointed by the English Department Chair and consisting of that Chair, at least two English Department faculty members, and at least one member of the community at large. Although submissions for the award will be solicited annually, the award will be given only when the committee determines that an entry satisfies the criteria listed above and thereby exemplifies the spirit of David Foster Wallace's work.

Tax deductible donations may be mailed to Illinois State University Foundation, Box 8000, Normal, IL 61790-8000. Checks should be made to ISU Foundation, David Foster Wallace Memorial Fund. Donations may also be made on-line at <http://www.development.ilstu.edu/credit/credit.phtml?id=8000>. Gifts should be designated as restricted to the David Foster Wallace Memorial Fund. David was a member of the English Department faculty at Illinois State University from 1993-2002. During his productive years at ISU, he completed Infinite Jest, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.

SDSU Continues a Rememberance for Dave Wallace

With all due apologies for posting this in an untimely manner, I would like to once again take a moment to remember Dave Wallace. If you did not have the opportunity to read Joseph Thomas' moving email honoring Wallace's memory, below is another chance to reflect on Wallace's lasting contribution to the literary community.

While I was a graduate student at ISU, I was lucky enough to get to know David Foster Wallace, a wonderful man and an extraordinarily talented writer. A few hours ago, I received the tragic news that he died Friday, a victim of suicide. This is crushing news.

I would consider it a personal favor if you could alert our colleagues about Dave's death. Perhaps next week they could mention his passing to their students and encourage them to investigate his life and work.

I know we value rigorous, cutting edge work here at SDSU. Dave had an incredible intellect and has left us with a rich body of work of fiction and non-fiction that will outlast us all. At only 46 years old, he was much too young to die. We will never have a chance to grapple with a new work by Dave. That loss is almost as terrible as the loss of his witty, vibrant, and gracious self.

Below you will find a link to a short story with some details about his death and his life:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080914/ap_en_ot/obit_wallace

Sincerely,

Joseph Thomas