The poet Arnold Adoff died in May. He was 85. Arnold was a long-time resident of Yellow Springs and a prolific poet and anthologist. He was probably best known for being married to the literary legend Virginia Hamilton. He was her great advocate. After she died he fiercely defended her literary legacy.
In 1997 I interviewed Arnold for his poetry collection "Love Letters." The previous year I had a truly memorable radio conversation with Virginia and Arnold together. I also did a solo interview with Virginia. I cannot think of Arnold without thinking of Virginia, too. And vice versa. In life they were inseparable.
Arnold had an incredible sense of style. I used to see him now and then at the post office and we always had a good chat on those occasions. If the weather was warm Arnold would usually be decked out in very stylish and colorful attire, shorts and a summer shirt. Arnold always had on the most striking pairs of eyeglasses. They often had enormous round frames. I was always reminded of a wise owl with a Bronx accent. One time I saw Arnold at the post office wearing the most striking outfit I ever saw him in. His shirt was dazzling, it looked like he had just flown in from the islands. He had on a matching pair of shorts and his eyeglass frames matched his outfit! He was really styling that afternoon.
I'll miss you, Arnold.
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