Jacques Barzun

Please accept my sincere condolences and sincere prayers that go out to the surviving family and friends. May the God of comfort continue to bless you and yours especially after such an untimely loss of a very precious life please accept my deepest sympathies. (2 Cor. 1:2, 3).

A gracious and respectable person whose work has done so much to bring so much joy to many of us in these troubled times hard to deal with (2 Tim 3:1). Perhaps more will continue to have positive experiences from a wonderful work that has an impactful contribution to life and its anxieties.

Having him here in San Antonio was like having a bright light in a dark room.
He will be missed. He was a true intellectual, quite a rare thing in San Antonio.

The loss of his thoughts and his voice leaves the world a sadder, poorer and less literate place.

Marguerite,
I am so sorry about the loss of this great man. He will not be forgotten because his words and ideas will live on. I send you my deepest sympathy and love,
Margaret

Columbia has lost a giant.

We were very privileged to have Dr. Barzun at our "Classic Books" meeting one day, and to have an autographed copy of his "From Dawn to Decadence" in our Northwood Presbyterian Church Library.

I was a student attending Prof. Barzun's graduate history department class on Social and Cultural History of Europe in 1950/51. At first his lectures were far more learned and erudite than I could comprehend. By the end of the course, happily, I belive that I could understand most, but not necessarily all of his resoning, knowledge, content and linkages. Yet I remain to this day a full admirer of his teaching and writing. Murray Feshbach, Ph.D., Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC

TO THE BARZUN FAMILY,I'M SORRY TO HEAR OF YOUR GRIEF.KNOW THAT GOD HAS SET A DAY IN WHICH HE PURPOSES BY A MAN WHOM HE HAS APPOINTED,AND HE HAS FURNISHED A GUARANTEE TO ALL MEN IN THAT HE HAS RESURRECTED HIM FROMTHE DEAD,"--acts 17:31.....{d.m}

He was an inspiration, I could only hope to live such a long, useful life and leave a legacy as great as his....

I had the delight and pleasure to work for Mr. Barzun for several years. He always showed me the highest standard of ethics and business propriety. He was an inspiration. My sincere condolences to Mrs. Barzun and family.

As an Black man who grow up in the sixties, when it was fashionable to think of myself as an African rather than an American, the writings of Prof. Barzun forced me to celebrate the complexity of my Afro-American identity, birthright and heritage. Thank you professor. May you forever dwell on the Mount Olympus of humanity's greatest minds.

I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one.Please find peace and comfort in Psalms 65:2.

I am sorry for your loss. God never allows the righteous to totter, for He is a refuge and strength.

Heartfelt condolences to family and loved ones on your loss. May the God of all comfort be with you.

My Condolences to the Barzun Family. In your time of grief, May the God of loving-kindness and comfort, comfort your family. Psalm 119:50,76

To the the family of Jacques Barzun - May God give you peace and comfort through his word and the Lord Jesus Christ during this time of sorrow, I know that he will be missed by many.

My deepest condolences are with you at this time of need. Know that god
feels your pain as well. Go to him in prayer and he will comfort you very
much.

Sincerely,

Ms J

I continue to read his works and the works he wrote about. He clarified complicated ideas, which helped me improve my relationship with the world around me.
I hope GOD'S COUNTRY AND MINE gets republished.
I shall rise now and take another stroll with Barzun and James.

Professor Barzun Thank you, For making it possible for me to "Stroll" with you. Through your books I found "a quite self confidence ", purpose and meaning in life. I am proud to be both a generalist and Amateur . Roger lemons

I have read almost everything he has written (many times)and wish for more.

What a wonderful human being--was touched by him through his writings.

Stunned when I read THE HOUSE OF INTELLECT in NYC 1971, I learned how to think seeing the whole picture develop from its details. Mr. Barzun will always be one of my heroes.

Here's one of my favorite passages of my grandfather's, from a lecture he gave in 1969 entitled "Present Day Thoughts on the Quality of Life." He closed the lecture with these words:

"What the future will be is not the business of an historian to say. But whether the future lies with or without industry, with or without democracy, with or without science and technology, it is at least conceivable that the future will be without them, either through catastrophe or willful rejection. No matter. What is certain is that the desire not for life alone, not for brutish life, but for a special quality in life will not cease, even for the last shivering inhabitant of a devastated planet. That desire is planted deep, and it seeks its fulfillment, which is what makes humanity other than animal."

God bless ~

I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one. Please find peace and comfort in Psalms 65:2.

Please accept my deep sorrow for the loss of your loved one. May you all draw close to the God of comfort at this time. James 4:8

He left a legacy .

My condolences to the Barzun family. May you find comfort in prayer at this sad time. Psalms 65:2

Modern culture is in mourning because her eldest son is no more. Toutes mes condoleances a votre famille. RIP Dr. Barzun.

Dear Marguerite, I was so sad to hear of your loss. You and your family are in my prayers. Your friend from OLLU, Martha

Jacques Barzun changed my life when I was in college... I've given out 7 copies of From Dawn to Decadence as presents to people (and recommended it many times more). I just wish I could have told him how much I appreciated his work personally.

I'm very sorry for your family's loss.

Barun family trust in the hearer of prayer...before him pour out your heart God is a refuge for us. Psalm 68:2. I extend my condolences to the family.

Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat ei.
Requiescat in pace. Amen.

To the family. I am sorry for your loss. May the God of comfort grant you peace in this time of your grief.

My condolences to Mrs Barzun and his descendants.
My French mother, born in 1924, immigrated to the USA to join my American father. When I asked her what France has contributed to modern America, her assured reply was "Jacques Barzun." He was the greatest American humanist of the 20th century.

I read Barzun's American University during my first term in 1972 of stepping into a faculty position. He was my guiding light and steadfast pillar, as I observed the steady decay of intellectual life in a university.

ON BEHALF OF THE XANTHOS FAGGI FAMILY
MY DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO THE BARZUN FAMILY.
IN MEMORY OF VIRGINIA AND JOHN FAGGI.

I met Jacques Barzun in 1951, then knew him, as I had met him, in his writing. His good nature and clear thinking helped me through my youth and now through each day, while I am about a year away from 80. He was and is sane, clear and loving. An exemplary man.

It may seem trite to put 'he changed my life', but so many can agree he did. Whatever skills I have as a historian, as an active participant in what matters I owe to him. Dr Barzun set very high standards, as should be the case, and my life will be an ongoing effort to reach them.

I was acquainted with Barzun's House of Intellect, in graduate school, Chapel Hill. I also know his grandson Henri, Concord, Mass. He would be proud!

Jacques was quite simply the greatest man of letters I've ever known. He and my late father were colleagues at Scribners on a plane way above mere mortals. Sharing in that experience and knowing him, and benefiting from his editorial eagle eye and perfect pitch are treasures that last a lifetime. God bless Jacques and all his family.

To me Jacques was synonymous with civilization. It is therefore hard to believe that the latter can continue without the former. It will, of course, but it will be diminished.

To the family of Jacques Barzun, Death is never pleasant,may God, who give us peace be with your famil at this time.Revalations chapter 21:4 gives us all hope for the future.

San Antonio and the world have lost their greatest thinker, writer, historian, theorist, and critic. We are immeasurably richer because of him, and can only do justice by multiplying his ideas.

Jacques Barzun was my mentor and friend, largely by correspondence, for well over forty years. The tributes rightly praise his encyclopedic mind, his intellectual generosity, his wide-ranging curiosity, his embodiment of excellence. Let us not forget that joined to his remarkably well-stocked mind, his sense of fairness, his delight in debate, was what I would call his sense of mirth. "From Dawn to Decadence" may portray decline, but as he observed it, Jacques always seemed cheerful, and amused.

Peter Bloom
Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities
Smith College

Farewell to a hero. Condolences to his family and friends.

What a nice tribute to a man who gave his all in whatever he tried. My deepest condolences to the Barzun Family and all who stayed close by him in all his trials. Take comfort in the promise God gives us, that one day, no resident will say "I am sick" but all can look forward to the opportunity to live forever.(John 17:3)

Rest in Peace, dear friend. Ruth and I shall miss you, terribly.

Bernard A. Weisberger My condolences to the immediate family, and to the huge family of all those of us who found, in a phrase he sometimes used himself, "pleasure and profit" in his explorations and expositions of our multifaceted culture

I am immensely saddened that he is not with us any more. I still cannot believe it.
Monir Tayeb (Scotland)

I've studied with him since the 40s, CBS Invitation to Learning, his Lowell lectures at the Boston Public Library, and the Barzun-Trilling seminar. Fare Forward.
[email protected]

May his great soul rest with all the souls of the faithful departed. +
Joe Lowrey

Professor Barzun was a legend when I attended Columbia College. However, I never met him in person until many years later, when he graced us with his presence at a Columbia alumni gathering in Washington DC. Au revoir to a great man whose light will continue to illuminate all who read his many works.

Roy Russo, 1956C

Reading Jacques Barzun changed my life. His wise words gave me the intellectual light and nourishment to grow as a thinker and citizen.

That Dr. Barzun's mind remained so keen for years following his hundredth birthday is something we all must celebrate. I am sorry he won't be here to enjoy his 105th birthday this November 30th. He has left so much for us to treasure, and to emulate, that we can only be thankful that he had so much time to educate us and to teach us valuable lessons in civility.

My condolences to Dr. Barzun's family and his many close and dear friends.

May he rest in eternal peace.

A wonderful man and mind, he will be missed, and his influence will grow. As he "strolled" with William James, so generations yet unborn will learn the benefits of strolling with Jacques Barzun.

He was indeed unique: both a great and good man.

"Sitting sided by side with Jacques at the head of a long table week after week made the intellectual ground on which I walked and the intellectual air I breathed." So Lionel Trilling. And so, I know, many of us reading Jacques' many books over many years. Many thanks and much love, Jacques, and condolences "to all whom it may concern."

Mr. Barzun was an inspiration and guide to me. We never met but we touched.