"Big A"
September 8, 2023
by Larry Brown
Arnie left a huge influence wherever he set his footprint. I consider it an honor to have known him
September 25, 2019
The following is a bit of Eulogistic Musings from Alfred L. Anduze, MD, to my friend and brother,
Arnold Ray Highfield, born March 10, 1940 in New Boston, Ohio, educated at Ohio State University where he met and married Shirley nee de Chabert, a very close family friend of ours. On behalf of the Anduze family, our children who were raised together and are still in close contact and the extended tribes of the entire US Virgin Islands that he loved so dearly, I offer our condolences and sincerest appreciation for letting us share in Arnold’s extraordinary life.
With degrees in Medieval history and Romance Linguistics, an admiration for culture, and after traveling Europe to places they would return on recurring cycles, Arnold and Shirley settled in St Croix and became immersed in the educational system from High School to University. It was at this time that I had the privilege of first meeting “Arnie” at a small dinner given by my sister, Alicia, a close friend of Shirley’s. She promised that I would relish the social and educational experience, and she was right. His command of Caribbean and European cultures and the ability to convey their inner mechanisms was inspiring and motivational beyond expectation.
Additionally, myself and many others would continue to enjoy the intellectual stimulation that became the legend of Professor Dr Arnold Highfield. From discussions of syzygy (alignment of celestial orbs, peoples’ ideas or ordinary events) to descriptions of island food; from all the accomplishments, honors and accolades bestowed upon him for his ability to acquire and impart knowledge over the years; and now, after his passing, the one thing that stands out in my mind above all else… was his mastery of the art of conversation.
To excel in this artistry, one had to first, be a good listener. This he could do effortlessly, include you in the conversation and give you a value that you could improve upon. Then with a twinkle in his eyes and the curling smile from one end of his mouth to the other, and in at least six languages of English, French, Spanish, Crucian and Creole, and perhaps more, Arnie could and would share ideas and convey concepts is such a way that the speaker-turned-learner always felt the comfort and accomplishment of ingesting and digesting something new, something worthwhile, …knowledge. In any conversation at no matter what level, he never left you out. That is genius.
Then, when you thought all was finished and without any great announcement or fanfare, he would insert the “grace note”…that extra embellishment in the middle or at the end of a sequence of musical notes that all good jazz musicians give or extra word or flow of words of significance that all very good professors and orators have and display at exactly the right moment and for exactly the right situation…that adds that little extra you didn’t expect but greatly appreciate…the hidden spice that raises the dish to another level… the tidbit that made the interaction all worthwhile… the little “cate” that would make you remember the encounter for years to come.
Very few intellectual conversations of late, involving those who, like my wife, Sari, to whom he was a mentor, were privileged to have interacted with and known Arnie could proceed far without some mention of “Arnold Highfield said this and said that”.
We all just nod and smile and relish the good memory of an inveterate scholar and dear friend.
Arnold Ray Highfield, born March 10, 1940 in New Boston, Ohio, educated at Ohio State University where he met and married Shirley nee de Chabert, a very close family friend of ours. On behalf of the Anduze family, our children who were raised together and are still in close contact and the extended tribes of the entire US Virgin Islands that he loved so dearly, I offer our condolences and sincerest appreciation for letting us share in Arnold’s extraordinary life.
With degrees in Medieval history and Romance Linguistics, an admiration for culture, and after traveling Europe to places they would return on recurring cycles, Arnold and Shirley settled in St Croix and became immersed in the educational system from High School to University. It was at this time that I had the privilege of first meeting “Arnie” at a small dinner given by my sister, Alicia, a close friend of Shirley’s. She promised that I would relish the social and educational experience, and she was right. His command of Caribbean and European cultures and the ability to convey their inner mechanisms was inspiring and motivational beyond expectation.
Additionally, myself and many others would continue to enjoy the intellectual stimulation that became the legend of Professor Dr Arnold Highfield. From discussions of syzygy (alignment of celestial orbs, peoples’ ideas or ordinary events) to descriptions of island food; from all the accomplishments, honors and accolades bestowed upon him for his ability to acquire and impart knowledge over the years; and now, after his passing, the one thing that stands out in my mind above all else… was his mastery of the art of conversation.
To excel in this artistry, one had to first, be a good listener. This he could do effortlessly, include you in the conversation and give you a value that you could improve upon. Then with a twinkle in his eyes and the curling smile from one end of his mouth to the other, and in at least six languages of English, French, Spanish, Crucian and Creole, and perhaps more, Arnie could and would share ideas and convey concepts is such a way that the speaker-turned-learner always felt the comfort and accomplishment of ingesting and digesting something new, something worthwhile, …knowledge. In any conversation at no matter what level, he never left you out. That is genius.
Then, when you thought all was finished and without any great announcement or fanfare, he would insert the “grace note”…that extra embellishment in the middle or at the end of a sequence of musical notes that all good jazz musicians give or extra word or flow of words of significance that all very good professors and orators have and display at exactly the right moment and for exactly the right situation…that adds that little extra you didn’t expect but greatly appreciate…the hidden spice that raises the dish to another level… the tidbit that made the interaction all worthwhile… the little “cate” that would make you remember the encounter for years to come.
Very few intellectual conversations of late, involving those who, like my wife, Sari, to whom he was a mentor, were privileged to have interacted with and known Arnie could proceed far without some mention of “Arnold Highfield said this and said that”.
We all just nod and smile and relish the good memory of an inveterate scholar and dear friend.