He was a great educator during his close to 40 years of service. To many of his students, he was closer to a grand father figure. I guess what charmed everyone was his true Midwesterner personality. A fatal heart attack took him away from us on that cold night two nights ago.

Oglethorpe J. Smigley was his favorite nom de plume and was signed on every exam he wrote. He gave 5 extra points just to neatly put your name and the page number on each individual page of your exam papers. He didn't mind putting long hours to explain in more detail class materials he might miss during class, about other related problems from your other classes, even to dissuss the simplest happenings on your life. He gave recitation sessions at 4:30 in the morning almost every week. And in the end of every semester, he attended the graduation party and the graduation ceremony.

I took four core Chem-E classes from him. He knew both of my parents and also had taught my brother. He wrote a nice recommendation letter for my grad school applications, and had been following my path during those dark MS days until now. We still had small talks about each other once in a while.

Yet, it seems that I know nothing really personal about him, except that he had been a member of the local barbershop quarter, that he lived in a ranch on the outskirt of the town, and that he still drove the old Chevy SUV.

The day before his departure, I saw him sitting on his office, a life-size stuffed red parrot perching from the ceiling. The room is full of souvenirs from his students all over the world. I was thinking to drop by and say Hi but hesitated and instead walked away upstairs to my office. I still regret that.

Farewell, Dr. Hanson. Requiescat in pace. We will miss you so much.