William V. Spanos

This evening, I suddenly remembered Professor Spanos and decided to google him to know if he was still at Binghamton. That´s how I found out that he had passed away years ago. Needless to say that I was heartbroken. His class on Heidegger and Foucault was one of the two courses I took in my very first semester as an international graduate student arriving from Nigeria in 1993. I knew nothing about him prior to that course, but in a matter of weeks, I would come to realize that I was learning...

Professor Spanos was a caring and kind man whose guidance helped me. What struck me most about him was that he really wanted his students to forge their own way of thinking and he cared for his students' well being. May he rest in peace.

I had the good fortune to have stumbled on to some of Professor Spanos's scholarly works and they have made a lasting impact upon me. I'm grateful that he shared his knowledge and expertise with a wide audience. Condolences to his loved ones.

Bill Spanos was a consistent supporter during my days as a professor of English and Africana Studies at Binghamton University. He was the first to share with me an essay by Sylvia Wynter that he had published in the journal Boundary II that he edited. He was always a kindly presence in the various political and intellectual journeys that I had during my days there. His son Adam and my daugher Dalia went to the SUNY Pre-School so we would often meet there as parents. An amazing mind and a...

I am filled with sadness at Bill's passing, but also with gratitude for all the things he gave to so many, and for his relentless commitment to justice, human decency, and critical intelligence. I shall miss him a lot, and I hope that all of us who knew him will continue his legacy as best we can.

A great spirit has left us. May that the same great spirit continue in those he taught and worked with. I'm sure we will do our best.

MC

Bill Spanos was unquestionably the greatest influence on my intellectual life, for the ethical power of his thinking, and for the care he showed in empowering my own thinking. I'm forever grateful.

As I give my deepest sympathy to Adam and Susan, I want to foreground the importance of Bill's life for me.

Bill fought fircely and vigorously against injustice all his life and courageously and indefatigably against illness in his latest years, during which he never lost his sharp critical view of things as they are in the world.

His militantly critical intelligence coupled with his care and consideration have been a lighthouse for many generations of graduate students...

Sincere condolences and much love to all the members of Bill's family.... I am so, so sorry. His voice has been in my head since that first graduate seminar in 1982 and will continue to resonate in my life, teaching, and work forever. I am so grateful for all he gave me, and join all those who mourn his passing while celebrating the fullness of his life and being. with love and sorrow, Jan