Paul A. St. Clair

I did not know Paul well, but I have such a clear memory of him from my own time in Binghamton. He was wickedly funny, incredibly smart, and kind. I can see him in my mind's eye, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye . . . with a bit of mischief in the best possble way. Condolences to his family.

I met Paul through BU's History Department, in the 1990s. We weren't in classes together as he was a Europeanist and I was an Americanist. I got to know him when we worked together in the Vice Provost's office where we both had assistantships. His wry humor and dry wit quickly made him my favorite co worker! I have a distinct memory of him joking about the "permanent patina" on the inside of his in-perpetual-use coffee cup when I teased him about never washing it between uses. During this period, I was going through a break up of a lengthy relationship and found Paul's male presence comforting. And as a downstate New Yorker, I also found his pronounced accent comforting! I often went with Natascha to see him when he performed, and enjoyed spending time with the whole family when the kids were young. In recent years, I saw Paul intermittently, and observed that his health was declining. I am truly sorry for his passing and send loving support to his friends and family.

I found this old photo of Paul when he was just a few years old, sitting between Peter and Rosemary, with Susan at the end . I still remember a time during the first Kennedy Family Reunion when my sister Joan and myself had a long conversation with Paul about books, history, literature, etc. I was really impressed how knowledgeable Paul was about everything. He will be sorely missed.