When Tom Spencer died on June 30, 2015, IWC lost a dedicated member.
More importantly, Northwest Indiana lost a great poet, mentor, and patron and a
strong advocate for the written arts. But why do we bring it up now? It has
come to our attention that there is a current campaign to extend his legacy,
and readers of this blog might want to know about it.
Tom’s family have donated the proceeds from his last book to build a
gazebo at Freedom Park in Lowell, Indiana, where he was a leading citizen. They
are looking for donations to complete the funding and have established a GoGetFunding
account at https://gogetfunding.com/spencer-poetry-pavilion/.
That avenue for donations will be open through February 15 or 18, depending on
where you look for the information. That doesn’t mean you can’t donate after
that date, but the donation path will change.
To be clear: This is not a solicitation. We are merely notifying you of
the opportunity, and whether you donate has no effect on IWC. But this is a
good time to remind all of our readers about Tom’s contribution to the writing
community, and we do so by reprinting a blog post written by Helena Qi and
originally posted on October 17, 2015. Here it is.
__________
Echoes of a Poet’s Voice—My Memory of
Tom Spencer
By
Helena Qi
he last time Tom and I met, we were surrounded by coffee grinder
uproars, conversations, and laughter inside the Grindhouse Café. It was May 2,
2015 and members of Highland Writers’ Group gathered for our biweekly meeting. Tom
Spencer sat to my immediate right. His oxygen tube indicated that all was not
well with him, but his sharp mind and high spirits told me otherwise.
After my turn to read, Tom made encouraging comments about my
manuscript. Then he leaned toward me.
“Why haven’t you signed up for the poetry class?” Tom asked quietly
against a cacophony of background noises.
“I’d like to, but my schedule is too full right now,” I heard myself muttering
feebly. I’d learned a few weeks earlier that Tom was offering free poetry
lectures. Upon consideration, I had decided against adding more to my plate.
“But writing poems will help you build your vocabulary,” Tom said
persuasively.
~ ~ ~
For the next few days, Tom’s words kept ringing on my head. On May 11, the
morning of the first class, I sent Tom an email saying that I had found my son
a ride to and from his orchestra concert that evening and asking if it was too
late to register. When no response came by midafternoon, I mustered my courage
and dialed Tom’s phone number. Doris, Tom’s companion, answered and told me that
Tom was ill. But yes, I was welcome to go to the class that evening.
I attended the class. Toward the end, each of us got to speak with Tom
on a cell phone. To me, Tom’s mind was as astute as I’d ever known, his voice
strong and enthusiastic. There wasn’t even a thread of doubt in my mind that
he’d soon recover.
~ ~ ~
The next day I received Tom’s email (below).
---------------------------------
Forgive my lack of response Helena, This is the first I could get to my
e-mail since Sunday. I am pleased that you attended and hope that you were pleased
also. Let me know if you have any questions on last evening's presentation. You
have good writing skills and I would be happy to help you expand them. What
instrument does your son play? Your family will always come first in my book of
rules so there is never a need to apologize for your devotion to them.
Sincerely, Tom
----------------------------------
Tom’s message filled my heart with warmth and energy. I wanted to thank
him and tell him what I thought about the class. Yet I was too busy spinning around
my hectic activities to write my reply until June 2, when I was 31,000 feet
above the Pacific Ocean on my way to Shanghai.
On my return flight from China on July 1, I let my thoughts roam in pleasant
anticipation. One of the events I longed for was to attend the July poetry
class. I was sure I’d see Tom and have a chance to express my gratitude.
Nothing prepared me for the shocking news that Tom Spencer had left the
world just two days before I came back home.
~ ~ ~
The last time I saw Tom was at Sheets Funeral Home in Lowell on Sunday,
July 5, 2015. Gazing at the tranquil face of the 71-year old poet, I felt a few
poetry lines bubbling out of my blurred memory.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Arrow and the Song” resonated with my
emotions.
I
shot an arrow into the air,
It
fell to earth, I knew not where;
For,
so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could
not follow it in its flight.
I breathed
a song into the air,
It
fell to earth, I know not where,
For
who has sight so keen and strong,
That
it can follow the flight of song?
Long,
long afterward, in an oak
I
found the arrow, still unbroke;
And
the song, from beginning to end,
I
found again in the heart of a friend.
I could not remember exactly when and where our first meeting took
place. But each time I saw Tom was at a writing-related event. And on nearly
every occasion we had a private conversation. Tom would prompt me to do more,
such as attending a workshop or a poetry reading, so that I could learn to
write proficiently in English, which is not my mother tongue.
Emily Dickinson’s lines then came rushing to me as my thoughts roved
along memory lane.
If
I can stop one heart from breaking,
I
shall not live in vain;
If
I can ease one life the aching,
Or
cool one pain,
Or
help one fainting robin
Unto
his nest again,
I
shall not live in vain.
I was a mere acquaintance of Tom, or else I’d have known about his
serious ailments, as all of his friends did. To me, Tom the man and poet made a
difference for the better. In my eyes, therefore, his life was definitely not
in vain but of great value.
When I looked at Tom for the last time, Henry David Thoreau’s words rang
in my ears.
My
life has been the poem I would have writ,
But
I could not both live and utter it.
I thought that Tom Spencer, now lying peacefully in a coffin surrounded
by visitors and flower baskets, ought to be proud of his life as a poetic
masterpiece, for its echoes have reached far and deep.
__________
Helena Qi lives in Munster, Indiana. She is a member of IWC, has
attended Highland Writers’ Group meetings since 2011, and aspires to become a
skilled writer.
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