Poetic Obituaries: During an English class in the school's

first year, Mr. [Robert Mercer] Powell provided first-year student Larry Moats with a new perspective on literature.

"It was a class I thought I was going to hate, and he just turned around my whole attitude about literature and English. I learned that literature was about people and human nature and communication skills, and that had not been my perspective before that," said Moats, who remained a friend of Mr. Powell's. "He made it crystal-clear that he was on my side, and he made me more confident in myself."

Mr. Powell retired from Harper in 1983 and kept busy reading, writing poetry and playing golf.

from Chicago Tribune: Robert Mercer Powell, 1919-2011

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