best kind of immortality

"How do you determine a student's grade?"

"Well, I add up the grades for the essays, quizzes, the midterm and final. I average them out. Then I consult my stomach."

That's what the late Fred Stocking, Williams College Shakespearian scholar, told his student (now NPR reporter) Barbara Bradley Hagerty. And it's my new stock answer to the perennial question.

Haggerty's radio tribute to her teacher is sweet. Old Shakespearians really are a breed apart. Aren't they, Dean?

And what a farewell:

"It's been a privilege knowing you," he said, and I burst into tears. Fred patted my hand. "I'll live on in your memory," he said. "It's the best kind of immortality."