Some messages of sympathy and condolence

I have received many emails of condolence from all over the world and I am gradually putting these up on this page with suitable editing.

Dear LASU members and friends,

You must have learned by now the sad news of the demise of Prof Kay Williamson. A great figure of African Linguistics is no more, but she lives on through her works to inspire and guide us.

Kay gave her blessing to LASU by accepting to be our guest speaker and Honorary Member, last year in Dar-es-Salam. She made a donation to our Association, but did not want it to be publicized, so I wrote to her later to thank her on behalf of LASU. Quote from my email to her:

"It will be a pleasure for us to keep you informed of LASU activities. We hope to be able to benefit from your long experience and scholarship and look forward to your collaboration. Once again, thank you for having been with us in Dar-es-Salaam. We now expect to welcome you more often in this part of the continent!"

On behalf of the Association, I would like to express our deep condolences to her family and friends.

Vinesh Y Hookoomsing

Chairperson, LASU

Vinesh Y Hookoomsing (Prof.)
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Consultancy)
University of Mauritius
vyh@uom.ac.mu

Dear Roger Blench, I am sorry to hear about the death of Kay Williamson and I appreciate your letting us here in the U.S. know about it. I only met Kay once and that was under somewhat humorous conditions.

It was late in 1970 or in the spring of 1971 and in Nigeria. My husband was dean of mass communications at the University of Lagos and I was there just as a research fellow (I am a specialist in Bantu languages and sociolinguistics, not Nigerian languages). We (my husband, son, and I were out driving somewhere in Yorubaland and we stopped (drove off the main road a bit) to have a picnic lunch on the back of our car. After a few minutes, along came another car with several persons in it, including a person who turned out to be Kay. She walked up to me and said, "You must be Carol Scotton." How she knew this white woman on the side of the road in Nigeria was me (Carol Scotton) was a miracle.

Otherwise, I never had the opportunity to talk with Kay. I did know her work (on Ijo, etc.) and was very much impressed by it. It is a real loss that she is now gone and under such sad circumstances. My sympathies to you and to her family and others who were close to her.

Sincerely, Carol Myers-Scotton

Carol Myers-Scotton

Emerita Carolina Distinguished Professor

Linguistics Program and

English Department 1620 College St.

University of South Carolina

Columbia SC 29208 USA

Dear Roger,

I am very shocked by this. How sad. We have lost a very special person. I am in Tanzania now and that is why I see it only now.

Maarten Mous

University of Leiden

Dear Roger,

It is indeed very saddening to hear about the passing away our dear colleague, Prof. K. Williamson. At the time it appeared there was much improvement on her health to enable her travel out this hope ended in her death. May her soul rest in perfect peace. Accept my deep sympathies and pass on my condolences to all her relations.

I shall pass on the message of her death to all our colleagues here in Jos.

John Nengel

University of Jos

Dear Roger

Sorry to hear that Kay Williamson has died.  It happens that she became one of my heroes well over 30 years ago after I read her grammar of Ijọ and pioneering work on SVCs.  Sounds like she kept her adventurous spirit to the end, taking a risk to attend that wedding in Brazil.

Andy Pawley

RSPAS, Canberra

Roger,

Many thanks for letting us know this very sad news. Pam and I talked to her on the phone quite recently and rejoiced that she seemed to be much better. So we are stunned by this news. We will inform others within SIL. Warm regards

John Bendor-Samuel

SIL

From: Martha G. Anderson
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 6:02 PM

Subject: Kay Williamson

I learned of Kay's death yesterday in an email from Prof. E. J. Alagoa. When I came to Nigeria to study the art of the Central Ijo in 1978, Kay offered me a room in her house at Uniport to use as a base while I ventured out into the center of the Niger Delta. She also helped to arrange my first journeys into the region through her many contacts there. Everywhere I went, people would praise her for her Rivers readers. She was--and still is I'm sure--much loved by the people of the region.

When I returned for another year of research in 1991, she was on sabbatical and out of the country much of the time. Richard Freeman worked with me as my research assistant and I very much enjoyed your comments on him and his make-believe retirement home, to which I also made a hefty contribution. The stories I could tell!

At any rate, I am saddened by Kay's death and wish she had more time to continue her good works. She did so much for so many people, including myself. My heart goes out to her family and I wish I could attend her memorial services.

Sincerely,

Martha G. Anderson

From: Anneke Breedveld

Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 11:28 PM

To: rblench

Subject: Re: Kay Williamson

Dear Roger,

What terrible news about Kay. Please accept our condolences. It must have been especially awful for you, as her special friend, housemate and in a sense her scholarly 'next of kin' as well. We are really very sorry for you.

As you might remember, Kay stayed two times with us during the Leiden CALL and even the children (who sometimes do not seem to have a memory at all!) immediately knew whom we were talking about when we told them Kay could not make it this summer because she was in hospital. We even have some more drawings made by the kids that we were planning to send her. Life can be so unfair.

We will miss her. All the best to you.

Anneke Breedveld and Caroline Angenent