Friends, family and colleagues of eminent poet and longtime UB professor Robert Creeley filled the Poetry and Rare Books Library in Capen Hall on Thursday. They came to tell stories. They came to read poetry. And they came to honor and remember the man who meant so much to all of them, for many different reasons.
Creeley died last week at the age of 78, but his memory was alive and well at the event, during which everyone from the crowd was invited to share a poem and a memory.
Over 100 people, including many current and former UB English professors, attended the celebration.
Toward the start of the memorial, Creeley's wife Penelope choked back tears as she thanked everyone in attendance.
"We had great times here. This was a wonderful place to be, for our children and us," she said. "He loved UB, Buffalo, and its students."
Many who spoke at the memorial touched upon the Creeley's generosity, reminiscing about a man who loved teaching, talking, and breathing poetry to anyone who shared his life's passion.
Laurie Torrel, the executive director of the Just Buffalo Literary Center, said that due to a cancellation at the last minute, Creeley once filled in for a fundraising event she had organized for the center, which made the event a smashing success and unforgettable for those witnessed it.
Others spoke of a man who walked the halls of Erie Community College's downtown Buffalo campus in his spare time to help out poetry students in need, or of a gracious professor who sat in on his colleagues' classes, offering praise regarding the way in which they taught their class. Many spoke of a wonderful friend.
Morgan Claxton, who befriended the famous professor while attending school with Creeley's son, Will, remembered Creeley's firehouse-turned-apartment in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood near the river.
Claxton said that while studying at the University of Chicago, the Creeley clan was in town and invited him to dinner, an offer he declined, at first.
But when Creeley said, "Well, if you're not going to dinner then I'm not either," Claxton decided to go, and he said he has been forever glad he did.
"That was the greatest moment of my life," Claxton said. "He cared about me, along with many other people. My friend's father was my hero."
Michael Basinski, curator of UB's poetry collection, led the service. Steven McCaffery, the current David Gray Chair of Poetry and Letters at UB, a position Creeley held before him, came up with the idea last week after Creeley's passing.
"I'm honored to host this remembrance and am moved by emotion," Basinski said.
In the fall, a formal homage to Creeley and his work will be organized by the English Department along with the Hallwalls Contemporary Art Group, family and friends, Basinski said.
In addition, the Capen Hall Poetry and Rare Book Collection reading room is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Basinski said he urges students to stop in and discover some of Creeley's poetry for themselves.
