Paul Farkas, who taught at Metro State for 36 years, passed away on Dec. 4 of complications from leukemia.

His funeral mass will be held at The Shrine of St. Anne's Catholic Church at 10 a.m. this Friday, Dec. 12, with a reception to follow.St Anne's is at 7555 Grants Place in Arvada.

“Paul was a wonderful teacher and a very idealistic man,” said department chair Cindy Carlson. “He never lost his youthful enthusiasm for literature. He wanted his students not just to learn it, but to love it like he did.”

Farkas joined the English department in 1972. Among his contributions over the years was service as the department’s composition coordinator, on the program review and other committees, and with the Honors Program.

He was once selected a faculty “Natural Helper” by student survey, Carlson said. “And he really was. He loved talking to students and giving them access to big ideas.”

Carlson said Farkas was more in touch with former students than any other faculty member she knew. “I think students like the rest of us,” she said, “but they loved Paul.” Upon learning of his death, students spontaneously organized a memorial gathering for him on Sunday evening. “I have never seen anything like that happen before,” Carlson said.

In addition to his love for literature, Farkas was passionate about music and hiking. Carlson recalled his saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing.”

Farkas taught at Metro State through most of the fall 2008 semester. “He only stopped when a routine exam showed such a high white blood-cell count that he was at risk of developing infection if he stayed,” Carlson said.

From the hospital, Farkas sent a letter to his colleagues that was read at their last department meeting of the semester. It read, in part, as follows:

“I prefer to measure a future not in years, but in what Rilke calls an opening space in which we grow and ripen. Passing our lives in transformation, we come to know and understand our destiny. Keats’ beautiful line, ‘There is a budding morrow in midnight,’ hums over and over in my mind, reminding me of realms beyond our ordinary experience. That budding morrow is my hope.”

Farkas held a B.A. from St. Edwards University, an M.A. from the University of New Orleans and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.

Per Farkas’ family’s wishes, contributions in his memory may be made to the Metro State Foundation, P.O. Box 17971, Denver, CO, 80217-9812.

The English Department will hold a memorial gathering on campus at the beginning of Spring semester. Watch This Week @Metro for details.