Richard Brandon "Brandy" Kershner Jr.

Richard "Brandy" Brandon Kershner, Jr.
Gainesville - Richard "Brandy" Brandon Kershner, Jr. died from complications related to Parkinson's disease on September 11, 2020, in Gainesville, FL, surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife Christina Carlton, his brother James Kershner, his children Jesse Kershner, Daniel Kershner, and Rachel Riley, and his grandson Riley Kershner.
Brandy was born in Cumberland, Maryland on November 17, 1944. He earned a B.A. and M.A. at Johns Hopkins University in 1966, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. In 1971, he began his career as a Professor of English at the University of Florida, where he taught for four decades. In his time there he taught and published in the fields of English Literature, Irish Literature, Science Fiction, and Poetry. Mentoring and nurturing his students' academic passions was his life's work. He made an indelible mark on generations of writers, critics, and poets who continued to seek his company and council long after graduation and throughout their careers. His students frequently became his contemporaries and colleagues, which was an immense source of pride for him.
Brandy authored several works on Dylan Thomas and James Joyce. He edited the critical edition of Joyce's Portait of the Artist and published multiple collections of cultural studies of James Joyce. He also served for six terms as Trustee of the International James Joyce Foundation.
Brandy will be remembered for his vast contributions to academia, but also for his love of racquetball, photography, and playing music. Most importantly though, he will be missed and remembered as a kind and clever soul who loved entertaining friends and guests with good food and good conversation.