This Patriot's Day morning, I awoke to the sad news about a vivacious man who was THE brain of Concord's land.
Corinne Hosfeld Smith's post on the Thoreau Society FB page this morning:
"We hear the sad news that we lost last night a devoted Thoreauvian, J. Walter Brain. He followed Henry's footsteps every day, in every way. Walter knew more about the landscapes of Concord and Lincoln and of Henry's local investigations than anyone else in the last 100 years. Those of us who crossed paths with Walter and accompanied him on his walks have been very fortunate indeed. We learned from the best. Now he can go exploring again with Walter Harding, Ed Schofield, and Brad Dean. Rest easy, Walter. Thanks for everything."
For those of us who love to wander the paths of Lincoln & Concord, just hoping to walk in the steps of HDT, he was the man who had done it all and more. He was an architect by profession and land surveyor by passion. He was well respected by every Thoreauvian scholar. Even if you had just walked a path in Concord yesterday, he could describe in detail the history, the context and several other details that you had completely missed.
If you attended ANY Thoreau lecture/talk/event and the speaker turned to someone for verification, or if an older man with a musical Peruvian accent asked a clarifying question at the end, you can be sure you witnessed his brain at work. Throughout his life in Concord (I believe he told me he arrived here in the 1950's), he walked the paths and trails and knew all of Henry's lands. That bit about him knowing more about the landscaped than anyone else in the past 100 years seems to be true. At least among the living knowledge of the Thoreau Society, he seemed to be the best link to the past and the present. Maybe even since HDT himself.
My clearest (and dearest) memory is of him from the Annual Gathering last summer (2014). He and my mother (a native of the Azores, Portugal), had begun talking before the big dinner at the Thoreau Library. They somehow began singing and exchanging jokes. I had only ever witnessed him as a serious and respected man. But suddenly, his face burst forth into a glorious smile and remained that way for the rest of the evening. I learned later that he was a regular at the jam sessions and a real raconteur. And as much as we all got to know him, there is still the lingering sense that we wanted to spend MORE time in his presence: to sing more songs, to explore more walks, more, more, more.
Among the Thoreau Society, it seems that Henry's life was ideal. Exploring the physical (outer) world as well as the inner. Henry loved music, was kind and had a sense of humor. Walter was probably the closest model we (I) had to that life. He was a connection to Henry's tradition; they would have been friends, they would have been allies.
The wandering spirit of HDT lives in each of us. Go take a walk.
Corinne Hosfeld Smith's post on the Thoreau Society FB page this morning:
"We hear the sad news that we lost last night a devoted Thoreauvian, J. Walter Brain. He followed Henry's footsteps every day, in every way. Walter knew more about the landscapes of Concord and Lincoln and of Henry's local investigations than anyone else in the last 100 years. Those of us who crossed paths with Walter and accompanied him on his walks have been very fortunate indeed. We learned from the best. Now he can go exploring again with Walter Harding, Ed Schofield, and Brad Dean. Rest easy, Walter. Thanks for everything."
For those of us who love to wander the paths of Lincoln & Concord, just hoping to walk in the steps of HDT, he was the man who had done it all and more. He was an architect by profession and land surveyor by passion. He was well respected by every Thoreauvian scholar. Even if you had just walked a path in Concord yesterday, he could describe in detail the history, the context and several other details that you had completely missed.
If you attended ANY Thoreau lecture/talk/event and the speaker turned to someone for verification, or if an older man with a musical Peruvian accent asked a clarifying question at the end, you can be sure you witnessed his brain at work. Throughout his life in Concord (I believe he told me he arrived here in the 1950's), he walked the paths and trails and knew all of Henry's lands. That bit about him knowing more about the landscaped than anyone else in the past 100 years seems to be true. At least among the living knowledge of the Thoreau Society, he seemed to be the best link to the past and the present. Maybe even since HDT himself.
My clearest (and dearest) memory is of him from the Annual Gathering last summer (2014). He and my mother (a native of the Azores, Portugal), had begun talking before the big dinner at the Thoreau Library. They somehow began singing and exchanging jokes. I had only ever witnessed him as a serious and respected man. But suddenly, his face burst forth into a glorious smile and remained that way for the rest of the evening. I learned later that he was a regular at the jam sessions and a real raconteur. And as much as we all got to know him, there is still the lingering sense that we wanted to spend MORE time in his presence: to sing more songs, to explore more walks, more, more, more.
Among the Thoreau Society, it seems that Henry's life was ideal. Exploring the physical (outer) world as well as the inner. Henry loved music, was kind and had a sense of humor. Walter was probably the closest model we (I) had to that life. He was a connection to Henry's tradition; they would have been friends, they would have been allies.
The wandering spirit of HDT lives in each of us. Go take a walk.
