News & Events

In Memoriam: William Jefferson Tyler

William Jefferson Tyler died on January 2, 2009 after an illness of about two months. His passing is an enormous loss to the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at The Ohio State University. Professor Tyler received his B.A. from International Christian University in Tokyo and an A.M. and a Ph.D. from the Department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations at Harvard University. He came to OSU in 1991 after a distinguished career of teaching at Amherst and University of Pennsylvania and as the director of the most prestigious intensive Japanese language program, the Inter-University Center of Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama. However, it was only in a department as large and diverse as ours that Professor Tyler could give full play to his extraordinary array of talents.

The body of scholarship left to us by William Tyler is truly impressive. With the publication of his The Bodhisattva (Columbia University Press, 1990) and The Legend of Gold & Other Stories (University of Hawai'i Press, 1998), he established a national and international reputation as the foremost scholar of the important Japanese novelist Ishikawa Jun, an author whose stylistic virtuosity, historical acuity, and philosophical depth have long been recognized. Professor Tyler's latest book, Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938 (University of Hawai'i Press, 2008) is a monumental work of scholarship. It is in itself a modernistic work of art, with translations interwoven with lengthy commentaries on the narratives, perceptive explications of historical contexts, and always a deep appreciation for the linguistic and imagistic experimentation and imagination of the modernistic literary movement in Japan. These books and his many articles and translations have established him not only as one of the finest translators of his generation but also as one of our most original and creative scholars of Japan.

One must also remark on William Tyler's extraordinary fluency in the spoken Japanese language. If one were to choose an interpreter to reliably communicate between native speakers of Japanese and native speakers of English with fluidity, accuracy, and grace, one could not find a person more capable than William Tyler.

Professor Tyler was a dedicated and inspiring teacher. Undergraduates routinely praised his deep knowledge of his subject, how much they learned from him, and his availability to help when needed. His courses for undergraduates were among the most popular offered by our department. Professor Tyler devoted a great deal of time and effort to teaching and guiding his graduate students to successful careers. Junko Williams, formerly Assistant Professor at University of Tennessee, now stationed with her husband at the US Embassy in Cambodia and teaching at Royal University of Phnom Penh, Guohe Zheng, Professor at Ball State University, Jefferey Angles, Associate Professor at Western Michigan State, Kyoko Omori, Assistant Professor at Hamilton College, Michael Tangeman, Associate Professor at Denison College, all have expressed their deep gratitude and a sense of inconsolable loss. But whether the person was his Ph.D student or not, Professor Tyler always did his utmost to help graduate students. In addition to supervising 8 MA theses and 5 MA exams, he served as a committee member on 12 completed Ph,D dissertations, 8 MA theses, and 13 MA exams.

Time and again Professor Tyler turned down such administrative positions as chair of our department, or director of the Institute of Japanese Studies, or director of the East Asian Studies Center. This was because he realized that his true calling was as a scholar and teacher not as an administrator. That said, he was unstinting in his service to the profession, the university, and to our department. He organized a major international conference in Kyoto and frequently refereed manuscripts for Columbia, Stanford, and Hawai'i University Presses. He served as ASC Senator and a Denman Undergraduate Research Forum judge. As many of our former undergraduates can testify, Professor Tyler was extremely conscientious and generous in giving his time as our Undergraduate Studies Director and as Director of our Honors program. Professor Tyler concentrated his service activities on those that would actually advance research and assist students.

As a colleague, William Tyler was invariably generous in sharing his extensive knowledge of Japan, his books and research sources, and the teaching materials he had developed. He was also generous in aiding junior faculty gain promotion and in mentoring. In departmental matters, he was never petty or jealous.

To cite just one instance of his dedication and professionalism, some ten days before his death, Noriko Chino, a graduate student in our department, was scheduled to defend her dissertation. Professor Tyler was a member of the committee. Though in obvious pain and appearing very tired, he came to the defense having read the dissertation thoroughly, and he offered constructive criticism. This was the kind of person he was. He is simply irreplaceable as a teacher, colleague, and friend.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and the Institute of Japanese Studies will hold a Memorial Service for Professor Tyler on April 3, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 at the OSU Faculty Club. For more information, please contact Debbie Knicely at 614-688-3063.

The William J. Tyler Memorial Fund has been established in memory of Professor Tyler. Please send contributions to Debbie Knicely, 398 Hagerty Hall, 1775 College Road, Columbus OH 43210. Checks should be made payable to OSU with the fund number, 312967, or "William J. Tyler Memorial Fund" designated on the check.

Please send written remembrances of Professor Tyler to Debbie Knicely (knicely.2@osu.edu). They will be posted here. Richard Torrance.

Remembrances

For me, Professor Tyler was the center of my experience as a graduate student at the Ohio State University. In every academic effort, my first thought was of impressing Tyler-sensee. My master's thesis could never have progressed beyond a few pages of raw ideas without his encouragement. Though I never got the chance to tell him this, I saw him as a modern-day Oscar Wilde, because he was not merely the best writer, but the best talker a person could ever hope to meet in a lifetime. Anyone of intelligence can produce a solid piece of writing, given the time to mull over and revise it a million times. It takes a truly special gift to be able to speak as well as one writes, to always have le mot juste ready at just the right moment. Oscar Wilde had that gift, and so did Professor Tyler. Unlike anyone I have ever seen, he could hold a room of people spellbound with his words. His inflection was unerring, his comic timing flawless. Any time he wanted, he could open the tap to a vast reserve of knowledge in his mind, and let it flow out, effortlessly, to the rest of us.

I could not hope to add to the eloquent and moving tributes that have already been written to Professor Tyler's brilliance as a scholar and teacher. His efforts to bring outstanding examples of Japanese literature-- so little of which has been translated into English--will surely be remembered, and every one of his translations is a seamless marriage of precision and poetry.

I would, however, like to share a small memory of Professor Tyler:

I remember waiting to meet with him outside his office; I would hear his step coming from far down the hall--an unmistakable light, quick step accompanied by a jingling sound, which I always imagined came from the tiny bell of an omamori he kept with him, although it might have just been his keys. I remember thinking how youthful and energetic that step was. Professor Tyler never looked anywhere close to his chronological age, and he certainly didn't let it slow him down -- either physically or mentally.

This past 11th of June, my father passed away. In many ways, I feel that I have lost two fathers this year. Professor Tyler was the only other person in the world whose opinion mattered as much to me as my father's.

I will miss my sensee very, very much.

Francesca Leader-Hastorun
Immigration Services Officer
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Hartford, Connecticut

A Memory of the Friendship of William Jefferson Tyler
By Thomas Lee Randleman at The Ohio State University Faculty Club
3 April 2009

My name is Thomas Lee Randleman.

We have heard wonderful tributes to William Jefferson Tyler from his colleagues and associates. I am privileged to be able to speak of his humanity and his role as a friend.

I first met William Jefferson Tyler in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1977. I was in our local wine shop being thoroughly confused with the vast array of wines. Suddenly a voice next to me said, "Can't make up your mind?" I looked up and saw his smiling face. We both chuckled. In no time after some discussion of the merits of California or France, he recommended a bottle he thought I might enjoy. I thanked him and was on my way. He was right. It was a superb recommendation. Some time later we met again on campus at Amherst College and we formally introduced ourselves.

Bill was at that time a professor of Asian Studies and I was an undergraduate of 35! years old. To use the word "atypical" might be a description for me and to use the words charming, friendly and "empathetic," would be in good order for Bill.

Since he and I were close in age, I think he understood the challenges I faced being on campus as what is often called a "nontraditional student" and he offered to be of any help and invited me to come by his office should I wish his advice. We soon discovered we had mutual interests in art, music and travel. And beyond these, we had a similar and sometimes wicked sense of humor!

Later, I was privileged to meet his partner, Masao Shigeru Shimozato, when he first arrived in this country. While Shigeru knew little or no English and I knew absolutely no Japanese, for some reason we were able to easily communicate. There are people you meet in life when some quality of understanding registers right from the beginning. And I must say that this was the case for myself and Shigeru.

As time went on, we three shared many wonderful times together beginning there in Amherst and continuing on during the years of Philadelphia and later here in Columbus.

Beyond his first-rate achievements and the gifts that Bill possessed in the world of Academia, three delightful and admirable qualities come to my mind which give expression to his role as a human being and a friend.:

CATALYST

SENSE OF HUMOR

GENEROSITY

As a CATALYST

William navigated easily within a wide range of personalities from various walks of life quite beyond those of the academic world. He delighted in bringing together those he thought might enjoy each other and have interests in common. Bill was not a snob. He had a multifaceted interest in music and art. He could appreciate an Andy Warhol as well as a Van Dyke, a Scriabin sonata as much as a hymn sung by Magalia Jackson.

At a gathering at his home, it might surprise someone who loved gardening to find themself being introduced to someone who also liked gardening but was also a Professor of Greek. An artist would be introduced to a building contractor and find they had mutual interests.. The sparkle in Bill's eyes revealed that he liked juxtaposing these people together who might not have met under conventional circumstances.

I think many would agree with me that we can remember a number of occasions when it was indeed "the mix" of people and personalities which made the event delightful and memorable. And Bill was largely responsible for this. I personally am in his debt for having been introduced to fascinating and wonderful people who have become friends.

A SENSE OF HUMOR

It is often rare to find someone who has a well developed sense of humor in the best of times and to have this sense of humor not based on ridicule or at the expense of others is even rarer.

Bill could find the humor in so many situations and sharing this with us would heighten a particular situation and in some instances, help one to deal with a challenging one. For the first instance, I remember we were quite engrossed in watching a rather jolly and rotund tenor singing the role of "Mestafles" in an opera at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and Bill whispered to me without turning his eyes away from the stage, "Thomas, doesn't the he remind you of the comedian Oliver Hardy?"... And of course he did and I thought of Laurel and Hardy for the rest of the opera. Not an easy way to enjoy the tenor or his singing.

For the second instance, humor coupled with compassion, Bill was immensely attractive to women of a certain age. Perhaps it was his sensitivity and compassion towards others. As sometimes happens with these women, they attach themselves to younger men whom they feel they can share interests which have gone largely unappreciated and they long for someone significant in their lives. She was the wife of a professor at Amherst and their children were grown and had left home. This particular woman was devastatingly besotted with Bill. At first he was somewhat amused but as time went on it became a bit embarrassing. She took every opportunity to be in his company. Let's call her "Madame "D." She and Bill would listen to opera and have lively discussions. She absolutely delighted in his company! And she had a real fondness for martinis! Madame "D" was also very fond of the opera." She loved "La Traviatta" and especially Beverly Sill's portrayal of the tragic heroine, "Violetta," Madame "D" had a penchant for the "tragic" heroine". She also had the habit of being a bit of a Drama Queen.

Once I was invited to Bill and Shigeru's apartment when Madame "D" was also there. And Beverly Sills was also there. Singing "Violetta." Dramatically!

Madame "D" had tossed back quite a few martinis throughout the evening and all at once she burst into tears and ran into the clothes closet. Needless to say, we were perplexed! We shared glances and then Bill got up and anxiously shouted through the closet door to her, "What was the matter?"

Her response was a series of great blubbering sobs. This went on for some time. In short, a rather dramatic situation.

Bill continued trying to convince her to open the door and then... a space of silence and the "dramatic" words, "I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU!!!!!!" gushed forth!

I whispered to Bill and said, "Would you rather I left?" And he turned to me and said, "Don't leave now Thomas, I need help!" Of course I am minimizing the seriousness of Madame "D's" plight and it is entirely unfair of me. Bill didn't really need help.

He knew the right chord to strike for the situation, to calm, cajole and stop the flow of tears.. Madame "D" finally came out and he put his arms around her and told her" he loved her too... "But not in that way." And if it is little comfort to any of us who has ever heard those words uttered, he was able to give that comfort to Madame "D" and to save the evening. Perhaps having expressed her feelings, she experienced a catharsis and some relief from pent up emotions. Such is the stuff of Opera..

Bill decided we all needed another martini and during the course of the evening we were able to laugh about it a little. I am happy to say that he and Madame "D" remained fond friends. But not in that way! She was not the last of these women who developed "crushes" on him but she was certainly one of the more "interesting" and... "dramatic." I think I can safely say that this is not the typical situation one expects for a serious Professor of Asian Studies and it to his credit that his sense of humor held steady!

GENEROSITY

This last quality is for me the underlined character in Bill's make up. I am sure his students could give many examples of his devotion to their studies and progress, and also towards them personally. It was not uncommon at a gathering at the Tyler Shimozato residences to meet both his current and former students and associates. Again, creating the "right mix" was something he simply had the gift for. His warmth and humor was always intact.

Bill loved good food and drink. And I mean "good food and drink." If it was champagne, it would probably be Moet Chandon. Or Veuve Clicquot. And plenty of it. Shigeru was and is a genius with wonderfully created menus and Bill was so proud and happy to assist and serve and to boast about this gift!

As a matter of fact, the sharing of meals is a singularly fond memory for me. Whether it was an impromptu luncheon in their garden or a truly grand dinner in Paris, the magic was the same. Bill's wit, knowledge and humor, along with his warmth, thoughtfulness and generosity made the event unforgettable.

I think Shigeru may remember our long looked forward to trip to France. Although Bill loved going to Japan, he also loved France. I am a dedicated Francophile. It was something we had fantasized about for years and it finally came to be. We planned to spend one day at Versailles. But before we went to the train station, Bill decided we should pick up fois gras, cheese, fruit, and... champagne. So this little jaunt to Versailles went beyond the conventional and took the form of a lovely lingering walk through the chateau with much banter about the various Louis and historical events, and then finding a quiet bucolic spot in the gardens and digging into our goodies!

I have been to Versailles many times since then and each time I am in the gardens, I think of that picnic. It is a joyous memory.

Regarding the word, "joyous." I know that many of us have moments of sadness at the loss of a dear friend. I would suggest that we savor those joyful moments, They can be a reliable path to healing.

I would like to leave you with a Poem by an anonymous writer but one whose sentiment is certainly expressive of William Jefferson Tyler.

"A man who isn't generous by nature will always disappoint you because he will always come first, not you."

Thank you.

As a student at OSU starting from AU04, I had the great fortune to take a couple of classes with Dr. Tyler, or "Tyler-sensei" as we always called him, including Modern Japanese Literature while I was studying the Japanese language. He was the kind of teacher we students always felt comfortable chatting with when we saw him walking around campus, striking up conversations in both English and Japanese. Sometimes we would see him riding the bus and would remark that he looked so out of place there. The reason is because we would often say that when he recited old passages in Japanese during class, he sounded like a monk, so he always had a semi-mystical quality when it came to his presence among his students. We even imagined him meditating in temples surrounded by mountains during his trips to Japan.

When Tyler-sensei taught his students, he was passionate, he was engaged, he taught with his whole body, and he was extremely informative in a way that left us advocating every other student we knew to take one of his classes if at all possible. One of my friends in fact was able to take EALL 131 (Introduction to Japanese Culture) with him during his final quarter, AU08. For my part, I know that a letter of recommendation from him helped me get to China on a three-week trip through OSU.

My only regret is that the last time I saw him board a bus as I was walking around campus, I did not greet him nor speak to him at all. Then I did not hear the news of his death until March 16th and I could barely believe it. That night, I wrote the following poem in memory of one of my favorite teachers of all time, and one that inspired many haiku, tanka, and freeverse in my first book of song lyrics and poetry. I know that Tyler-sensei made an impact on many other students just like me who enjoyed every moment spent listening to him speak, so I hope this poem does justice to how his students will remember him.
~ Jen M. Middleton
~ Author of Silent Songs and Other Whispered Words
~ Hilliard, OH

Elsewhen: The Paper Chanter

Always we heard a loud, clear voice

Taking us out of cold classrooms
Away from concrete and plastic
Borne on the wind elsewhere, elsewhen

Always we saw a wise, eloquent master

Not merely a title
Not merely a man
Not merely a teacher

Like a monk chanting to the dawning sun
High atop a mountain tucked away from the world
Welcoming each day with a smile and a clap
Paper stopped being merely words

Rhythmic, ethereal - we learned by listening
Drinking in with humble heads all that you spoke
For we knew each breath was a blessing to our ears

And too soon does your voice fade
And too soon does our learning end

Spirit of the fluent tongue, your legacy will be remembered in your students

Bill Tyler was the director of the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama when I was a student there, the 1987-'88 academic year. Bill gracefully shouldered special burdens in the Center's first year in temporary quarters in Yokohama. The institution was completing its move from Tokyo, working to become part of the Yokohama community, and preparing for the eventual relocation across the street and tracks to its permanent home in Minato Mirai 21.

Bill was erudite, encouraging, warm, and witty; a good friend, mentor, and drinking companion (for the vital Akachochin Kenkyu component of the curriculum); and he loved his work. Notwithstanding the many obligations of his job, he took time to help individual students, including keeping tabs on areas of special interest to each of us. He cared about how we were dealing with the stresses of our immersion in the Center's intensive curriculum, and worked to keep a tremendously challenging academic program a humane one, as well.

As director, Bill was good in an emergency, too. Midway through our year at the Center, a pretty substantial earthquake rocked the Kanto region. We were in the midst of listening to some presentations, with all the students and faculty gathered several floors up, in large adjoining conference rooms. We felt a slight, odd motion, which continued . . . and amplified . . . and then grew worrisomely severe; after several seconds we realized what was up, thought, "Uh-oh . . . ," and dutifully ducked and covered under the conference tables. I squeezed under ours, and then peered out. I saw Bill striding quickly but calmly across the room to the doors, which he made sure were propped open. I didn't immediately understand what he was doing, but classmates later explained that if an earthquake is severe enough to knock a structure off-kilter, you want to have the doors open, so they don't get jammed shut and trap occupants inside.

Conversation with Bill was always a pleasure. Of course, he loved talking about books, whether works of literature, or scholarly monographs. His experience as a translator lent particular depth to his perspectives on many Japanese writers. Professor Torrance has mentioned Bill's amazing fluency in spoken Japanese. We students were especially eager to elicit his insights on the study of the language, which were invariably discerning and droll. On one occasion, the topic turned to a universal experience of foreigners who speak Japanese: the compliments that individual Japanese lavish on our language abilities -- encomia that, we were pretty certain, owed far more to generosity than to candor. How could we tell when native speakers were just courteously BS'ing us despite our dismal progress in learning the language -- and when, in contrast, they might actually be paying us deserved compliments?

Bill responded warmly: "Oh, yes. There is definitely a hierarchy of compliments on one's Japanese abilities!" He proceeded to rattle off an amazing, dazzling sequence of subtly modulated tributes to foreigners' levels of accomplishment in the language. Finally, he said, "And the ultimate compliment, the sure sign that you've really arrived at perfection, is not any words at all . . . but just sullen silence from your audience!"

About a year ago, when I found that Bill was teaching at Ohio State, I sent an e-mail to say Hi, ask him about the scholarly focus of his then-forthcoming Modanizumu book, and give him an update on our lives and work. Bill responded that he was in Japan on sabbatical, and was writing from a house in the hills above Kyoto. Upon reading this, I felt a great yearning to be in Japan again! But failing that, I was glad that Bill was enjoying a retreat in such a sublime setting.
He wrote of the project that was occupying his sabbatical: "I'm now working on Phase III of my making Ishikawa Jun better known to the non-Japanese speaking world: a translation of a 400 page novel called Aratama, or Wild Spirit (1964), which I have tentatively titled 'The Bad Boy of the Gods.' "

As always, concern for others was much on his mind. He had just taken a break in his sabbatical to return to D.C. for a couple weeks around Christmas and New Year, to attend to an ailing uncle, a widower in his late 80s with no children -- the last survivor of Bill's parents' generation.

Bill's quick, off-the-cuff remarks in that note, almost fourteen months ago, are striking for their discernment -- even their prescience!

"Heaven knows, when one sits on a mountain in the western hills of Kyoto, translating an esoteric author, and living in a country that is, for the large part, well-run, well-fed, and well-mannered, the news emanating from the States gives real pause. Everything seems to be going to hell in a hand-basket. And now everybody has the jitters about the stock market."

Finally, Bill observed that my return address showed I was practicing in the Federal Public Defender's Office. I greatly enjoyed reading, in his response, his playful query, "You didn't tell me much about your work -- which aspect of the federal public are you defending?" I'd never quite thought of it that way; there was always something for us to learn from Bill!

With his lively wit, Bill would have enjoyed hearing about the recent occasion when my wife, Patricia, returned from our local library in Urbana, and posted on Facebook the news that the volumes she had just checked out included a collection of stories by "Kowabata" -- a rendering as evocative of "Surf's Up!", as of "Snow Country"! In fairness, Patricia's doctorate is in Russian literature, so she deserves credit for exploring great works in other traditions . . . and I know Bill would have been delighted that her adventurousness had led her to an encounter with one of his favorite authors, however she spelled the name!

I mourn the passing of Bill, our friend and teacher, while my heart is full of the knowledge of how much richer we are for having enjoyed his presence and work in our lives.

-- Warm regards,
Brian Threlkeld
107 E Michigan Ave
Urbana IL 61801-5027
U.S.A.

Guohe Zheng
Professor of Japanese
Ball State University

則天去私講漱石,
藤野周君惜別情。
唯美大家潤一郎,
饒舌文人石川淳。

諄諄教誨仍在耳,
音容笑貌猶記心。
驚聞恩師猝仙逝,
旬日不得弁仮真。

解惑学生論古今,
添削弟子文章新。
如今先生駕鶴去,
良師益友何処尋。

ウィリアム・タイラー先生のご逝去をご哀悼いたします。

Guohe Zheng

From International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)

It is still hard for us to believe that Professor Tyler passed away, because in our minds he is still vividly lively after he returned to Ohio last September.

We got to know Professor Tyler through our work when he visited our center as a Visiting Research Scholar in October 2007, for his second-time research stay at our Center. During his one year stay, he also organized an international research symposium, for which he worked so energetically and passionately to make a success, and we were fortunate enough to have been able to work with him as administrative staff for the symposium.

Professor Tyler was always kind to everybody, not only to faculty staff members but also to administrative staff members like us. He often visited our office to have a chat and always gave us his kind words which we had always appreciated.

We will never forget his kindness, gentle smile, and funny jokes he made. We are so thankful to have had this tremendously great opportunity to have worked with Professor Tyler in our lives.

We send our sincere condolences to his family members.

Yukiko OKUNO
Yoshifumi KITA
Ayako SASAKI
International Research Center for Japanese Studies

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. William "Bill" Tyler earlier this year.

When I was an undergraduate at Penn in the mid 1980's, Dr. Tyler taught "OS 81 (Oriental Studies 81)", which was First Year Japanese.

Bill Tyler struck me as one of these extraordinary academics who really lived what he taught. He had such a deep passion for teaching Japanese. So deep. More so, he genuinely loved learning, and anyone who got to know him even a bit, I think, would be able to feel that.

I remember in the very beginning of the Fall '85 semester, it was a class so much larger than what Bill expected. These were the days of the Japan Bubble, and the language was attracting interest from many areas. I think an expected class of 20 turned out to be 56 or so.

Bill Tyler gave that class his all that semester--treating everyone as a potential future speaker of the Japanese language. I still remember his delight at teaching the very basics of katakana and hiragana. He made a joke about the sounds "ha" "hi" "hu" "he" and "ho" were the five different ways that people laughed. (Ha ha ha, etc.) The whole class thought that was so funny.

He built quite a comeraderie among the students there.

Although many people, myself included, could not keep up with the rigors of a course designed for majors at Penn, I don't regret having studied a bit under Doctor Tyler.

I am sure that many of his later students would concur.

And it's a shame I didn't continue studying with him, since for several years now I've lived in Japan.

Please let everyone know about the many good works Bill Tyler did in his life.

Regards,
Rick Gundlach

Frederick W. (Rick) Gundlach, Esq., CPA
Tomigaya 1-32-23 - Apt 3B
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
151-0063 Japan

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff of EALL:

I am heart broken at the news of Prof. Tyler's (Bill's) passing. I cannot think of anyone who so embodied the spirit of what it means to be a faculty member at this great institution. Bill Tyler made the difficult seem easy and undergraduate dreams come true.

He did this by inspiring undergraduate students to spend a year abroad learning another language and culture while challenging themselves to take courses they would never had otherwise had the opportunity to.

He made the difficult seem easy by painstakingly translating returning students' transcripts from Japanese to English, and magically turning them into courses which ensured they graduated on tin1e. With his help, International Studies and Japanese majors accomplished more than they would have ever dreamed. They lived abroad for a year and graduated on time. I never had to worry about students under his guidance. If a student was concerned about how their credit would transfer to OSU, I would say, "Did you talk to Prof Tyler?", and if the answer was yes, then I said, "You don't need to worry!"

Bill did not only assist students. He made my job easy as well. I will miss his phone calls, and hand written notes (half in Japanese, and half in English) telling me how to evaluate courses! But mostly I will miss his wonderful sense of humor and kindness.

With deepest sympathies
Karlene Foster
Associate Director
International Studies

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