It is with deep sorrow and a profound sense of loss that we announce the death of Craig B. Brush.  Born and raised in Manhattan, this true New Yorker was a man of rare intellect, extraordinary education, broad knowledge, generosity of spirit, and true wisdom, although he would contest the latter.  The majority of his professional life was spent at Fordham University, and he came to it via his role as instructor of French and English at Choate School, then Columbia University, and finally City College of New York.  In so doing, he applied, expanded upon and passed on the knowledge he received at Phillips Academy in Andover, Princeton University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and Columbia University, where he was awarded a two year Fulbright Award to study in Paris, and from where he received his Ph.D. in French in 1963.  Columbia’s Chamberlain Award allowed him to write his dissertation on Montaigne and Bayle, which he published in book form in 1966.  This work laid the groundwork for a lifelong interest in the essayist, which culminated in his last book From the Perspective of the Self: A Reading of Montaigne’s Essays, published by Fordham University Press in 1994.  The ensuing years saw an enormous scholarly output, and professorial as well as administrative service to Fordham; the latter included two terms as Chairman of the Modern Languages Department, an additional term as Associate Chair, and one year as Acting Chairman of the Computer and Information Sciences Department.  In addition, he served two years as Chairman of the Fordham College Honors Committee, and as President of Phi Beta Kappa, Tau of New York, to mention but a few of his contributions to the intellectual life of Fordham University.  One of his proudest accomplishments, however, was the fact that he served more than a decade as faculty mentor of FLAG (Fordham Lesbians and Gays), one of the country’s oldest gay and lesbian college organizations.

After his retirement, from academia when Craig was asked what his plans were, he answered “I plan to be neither decorative nor useful”, he continued to use this over the years, but it could not be farther from the truth. Craig was a true Renaissance man:  in addition to his extensive academic accomplishments, he loved Fire Island, his adopted home; his extensive world travels; good food and lively conversation; theater and music, and his broad circle of close and cherished friends.

He first came to Fire Island in 1962 and purchased his first home in Cherry Grove.  He experienced all of the joy and sorrow that filled the last 50 years of gay life on Fire Island and in New York; Craig was a witness, and he shared these experiences with many of us, with a booming voice, and the sharpest wit.  Craig moved to the Pines in the early 1980’s, and purchased his new home in 1989.  He became an active supporter of a number of charitable causes, and a major contributor to the Fire Island Dance Festival and the Gay and Lesbian Community Services’ production of Dancing on the Bay.  His life in the Pines was a full one, characterized by constant activity.  He could be seen at parties, benefits, the beach, the bar, and about town.  Those who attended his legendary dinners in the Pines were treated to a memorable night of culinary sophistication and spirited debate.

Not only in physical appearance was Craig Brush a “man taller than a tall man”, to quote J.D. Salinger.  His friends knew and loved him for his humor, warmth, sense of justice and fairness, personal integrity and loyalty.  He died in New York at the age of 81 after a prolonged battle with cancer.  His many undergraduate and graduate students would recognize Craig in Chaucer’s description of the scholar in the Canterbury Tales, which sums up the truly extraordinary and rare qualities of this beloved friend:  “Gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.”