David H. HESLA

1929 - 2016

HESLA, David H. David H. Hesla, Ph.D. died at his home in DeKalb County, July 13. He was 86 years old. Dr. Hesla taught in the Institute of Liberal Arts at Emory University for 35 years, from 1965 until his full retirement in 2000. He is survived by his sister Mary Skretteberg, his daughter Maren Hesla, and his grandchildren Olivia and David Craighead. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife Mary, his son Thor, and his brothers Steven and Timothy. David was born October 14, 1929 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to Reverend Otto Edwin Hesla, a Lutheran Pastor, and Alma Heimarck Hesla, a registered nurse. The oldest of their four children, David graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield Minnesota, and then served as a Sargent in the Marine Corps, including a tour of duty in South Korea during the conflict. Upon his return from Korea, David married his college sweetheart, Mary Stegner and attended the University of Chicago where he earned his Ph.D. in the study of Literature and Theology. A scholar of the work of Samuel Beckett, Hesla's most notable book The Shape of Chaos sought to understand the Nobel laureate's writings in terms of the history of ideas, discussing philosophic sources and analogues from the Pre-Socratics through the twentieth century. Not one to debate paradox, David Hesla embraced contraries. A note from Samuel Beckett commented, "I like your title." His colleague at Emory, Professor Robert Paul said of Hesla's teaching: "David was one of the best practitioners of the Socratic method I have known: rigorous and demanding but also encouraging and compassionate. His sometimes gruff exterior only partly masked a jovial side, and he had a caring concern both for his students and for literature and its deep riches." After his retirement, Dr. Hesla was a valued Emory Emeritus College volunteer, working with the editors of The Letters of Samuel Beckett until weeks before his death; David was meticulous and delighted in the nuances of Beckett's words as he read the correspondence. He was an active member of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Atlanta, with strong and frequently voiced opinions on his parish's music, grounds, and architecture. His lasting legacy will be the many students and colleagues whom he challenged and changed with intellectual rigor; unflaggingly high expectations and occasional unexpected tenderness. David Hesla's service will be on Saturday, July 16 at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 1790 LaVista Road, NE. A reception will follow in the parish hall. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to Nicholas House (nicholashouse.org), the only homeless shelter in Atlanta serving all families, regardless of their composition; or to the campaign of Hillary Clinton (hillaryclinton.org).