Longtime readers who frequent the comboxes of this blog will be familiar with Scott Ryan, who for many years was a regular commenter here. He was also a moderator and regular commenter at the Classical Theism, Philosophy, and Religion Forum. I was very sorry to learn that Scott died last week, apparently of a burst stomach ulcer. I did not know Scott personally, but I always greatly valued his contributions to combox discussions, which consistently manifested Scott’s high intelligence, breadth of knowledge, sense of humor, clarity of expression, and charity toward others. The exchanges on this blog have been of a consistently high quality in large part because of Scott’s presence. (My recent book Neo-Scholastic Essays was dedicated to my readers. Scott had become such a presence in the comboxes that when I wrote that dedication, and when I have thought about it in the months since, Scott’s would be the first name and face that would come to my mind.)
Recently Scott began the process of converting to Catholicism. While reading through some of his recent posts at the Forum the other day, I came across this exchange. It is especially poignant in light of Scott’s death, and that, together with the beauty, simplicity, and tranquility of the sentiments Scott expressed, brought tears to my eyes.
Many readers have been making their feelings about Scott known in the combox of an earlier post. It is clear that they will miss him as much as I will. Our prayers are with you Scott, and with your family. RIP.