James Donald O'Hara

It is now several years since J.D.O´Hara died and I am only now finding out about his passing. Like others here, I found "Mr. O´Hara" a bit intimidating in class, but like others I admired and valued his every word about the literature he loved. He was an attractive, dynamic teacher who demanded a tremendous amount of work from us. I remember the afternoon he piled all 9 volumes (is it 9?) of what was then called Remembrance of Things Past on his desk, added two volumes by Virginia Woolf,...

A totally one-off person. Don was a generous friend, a brilliant thinker and an eccentric but outstanding scholar, who wrote brilliantly. I only just learned of his death in December 2017 and am very saddened by the news. He was an unforgettable individual and a very fine friend indeed. So many tales to tell of our meetings at conferences and at our and his home. My wife and I send his family our deep condolences. Jim K.

"Heart of gold, tongue of steel." He was a tough critic, a great teacher, and a very good man. He was my teacher, my foil, my advocate and, finally, my friend. He will be missed.

J.D. O'Hara was an intimidating but a fantastic teacher who loved writing and he loved books. He didn't make you feel established writers were special and seemed to believe others could do it-- students, for example, if they worked. I've never known another professor like that. But if you tried and failed in his view, of course he'd tell you. To me he was also memorable because I was always daydreaming about how tall and handsome he was. I wasn't the only one. He was the best and most...

I couldn't agree more with what John Baldwin wrote below. O'Hara expected a lot of his students, and that encouraged me to work harder and learn to think better. I felt I 'grew up' as a student and as a person. His style wasn't for everyone, but it was exactly what I wanted and needed.

I took several classes from him at UVM in the 1960s. Use all the superlatives you can to describe his teaching abilities,and it won't be enough.Yes, he was as good as they say.What set him apart from all the others professors, for me, was his ability to motivate me to think; to continually try to improve.I did and he was a major factor.

Uncle Skip, RIP

One of my English professors at UCONN in the mid 1970's. He was tough, but he appreciated intellectual curiosity and participation in the classroom. I got an A off of him, probably because I never hesitated to speak up and contribute to the discussions in class. The 70's were a very apathetic time at UCONN, more's the pity. It's a testament to Mr. O'Hara's remarkable intellect and brilliance that I still remember him 40 years later. May he rest in peace.

Simply the best teacher I've ever had. Ever. He expected more of me than I ever thought possible, which was scary but also very empowering. He taught me to think. Totally inspiring. I'm devastated to learn of his death.