The Late Great Father Ong

I just learned from the techrhet mailing list that Father Walter J. Ong died yesterday at the age of 90. Here is a link to the obituary/press release released by the school where Ong worked, St. Louis’ Washington University. Ong’s Orality and Literacy was pretty important to me as a grad student, as it was for just about everyone else I know in the computers and writing community, and his writing still confuses, enlightens, and enrages students of mine every semester. Rest in peace.

One Reply to “The Late Great Father Ong”

  1. Message to “The Late Great Father Ong”

    My uncle, L.J. Rather translated a book written by Pedro Lain Entralgo entitled “The Therapy of the Word in Classical Antiquity” for which Father Ong wrote the preface. I then read Father Ong’s book “Orality and Literacy”. These books have had a tremendous influence on me, my research, my writings, and my life. I have come to see how gradually over the centuries literature and the written word has dominated the spoken word probably because of commercial reasons. The subject is of great importance and absolutely fascinating. Contact me so we can talk. Best wishes, Jane Rather Thiebaud, Ph.D.

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