Passages: Ted Braun, Emeritus Professor of English
On March 6, Professor Emeritus Ted Braun died of lung complications following cancer surgery at age 91 in Vancouver, Washington.

Ted joined the Lewis & Clark College English Department in 1957 after serving as pastor of Meridian Church in Frogpond, OR, now part of Wilsonville.

His passion for the world of ideas took him from Elmhurst College, where he earned his B.A. in 1943 with majors in Philosophy and Sociology; to Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he earned an M.S.T. (B.D.) in Philosophy of Religion in 1949; to Cornell University, where he studied Rural Sociology for a year; to Reed College, where in 1953 he earned a masters degree in Philosophy and Psychology; to the University of Oregon for two years of graduate study; to the University of Washington, where he earned his Ph.D. in English in 1967.

Ted’s intellectual breadth and experimental approach to learning were facets of his inspired teaching. For example, he taught a course on Applied Pastoral Poetry in which he and his students planted a garden on an 8’ by 80’ plot on the south side of the Art Building. As they cultivated their garden, they grew together as a class, exploring a range of topics including the significance of gardens in poetry, myth, and scripture; the biological lives of plants; the Industrial Revolution; Marx’s theory of alienation; and ecological destruction.

Another course—inspired by Ted’s making a Greek lyre and learning to chant Homeric poetry—involved creating instruments for the purpose of interpreting poetry through performance. Materials for the course—funded by a faculty research grant—included a vise, plane, saber saw, hand drill, knives, chisels, scrapers, files, rawhide, white and yellow cedar, shellac, gourds, gut, nylon strings, and “junk,” in Ted’s words. With their hand-crafted instruments, he and his students explored the “the radical inscape” of poetries, both ancient and modern.

Ted retired from Lewis & Clark in 1986 and moved with his family to Orcas Island—in possession of a wheel barrow presented to him by his English Department colleagues as a retirement gift.

Ted is survived by his wife, Alice, and their children—Erica, Enid, Marcus, and Tim—and their families.

Information about Ted’s memorial service will be forthcoming.

(Edited for the Oregonian April 7, 2013)
John T. “Ted” Braun, a merry prankster in youth who grew into a deep thinker who never lost that initial spark, passed away March 6, 2013, at the age of 91. Though fueled by the many people, ideas, books, and places he came across throughout his life, it was the graceful, athletic Alice who was his perfect counterbalance for their sixty-nine years of marriage and companionship. He fought gallantly, his last two months in the hospital, to remain at her side, a sublime act of love and loyalty. In his friend and mentor Paul Tillich's words: “Love is the infinite which is given to the finite.”

Born in Telluride, Colorado, growing up in Chicago and Webster Groves, Missouri, he was raised on a “good works” mantra infused with a profound social conscience. His path up through Elmhurst College, the Army Medical Corps, Union Seminary (with Tillich and Niebuhr), and Cornell (Rural Economics & Sociology) landed him in Frogpond, Oregon, as pastor at the Meridian United Church of Christ from 1949-57. A master’s degree in Philosophy and Education at Reed College ('54), as well as a Ph.D. in English at University of Washington ('67), enabled his next stop as tenured English professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, from 1957-86. At all these turns and beyond, his off-kilter spunk embellished his actions and evolving world view. As with the students who lingered for hours in his office at Lewis & Clark, he remained open and curious with those who crossed his path until the very end. As pastor, teacher, philosopher, avid traveler, mentor, loving father, hospital patient, and friend, he was always ready to confront the mysteries of life. He left us with one book: The Apostrophic Gesture; a memoir: Anguispira Oracularis; plus countless notebooks full of the thoughts he jotted down.

[On Orcas Island] they transformed, mostly with their own hands, a rough patch of land into an oasis of lush gardens to complement a rustic cabin and then a well-furnished, three-story house. After years of long walks, brush gathering, Ted’s blasting away on his brass instruments in an oompah band, orchestra, or just out by himself in the woods, they eventually moved to a pleasant little house in Langley on Whidbey Island, 2009-13. They were closer to family and still within sight of the Sound. It was there that Ted’s violin, a gift from an old miner to his father back in early 1920s Telluride, resurfaced with him in the Whidbey Island Community Orchestra.

Ted encountered an eclectic mix of people and places in his life. Besides Tillich and Niebuhr at Union Seminary, there was a stint with the Elmhurst Glee Club, performing before the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Bertrand Russell, Burl Ives, and Pete Seeger. A love of travel brought Ted and Alice, with students and family in tow, to Czechoslovakia shortly after the Soviet invasion in 1969. A sabbatical that included a five-month stay on Malta in 1972-73 was next, followed by Turkey in 1976-77. He made a point along the way of leading his family to such hallowed ground as the Oracle of Delphi, Yeats' tower, Tolstoi's estate, and Babi Yar. In their retirement, Ted and Alice travelled across Siberia and China, cruised the Danube and Volga Rivers, and trekked all over North and South America. 

Whether in the midst of travel or everyday life, Ted would often muse over (or sometimes be amused by) the role things played in the “grand scheme.” Quoting from Ted’s Anguispira Oracularis, which begins with a passage from the novel Middlemarch:

If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life
it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heartbeat,
and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence…
– George Eliot

We shall die, certainly, but this morning we walked with the 97-year-old Arthur Boyd, he clutching my right arm for steadiness, his black and white cat patiently following until she lagged behind and disappeared. Arthur tapped the hydrant with his cane and, according to ritual, we turned about and headed back along the roadway. Suddenly, in the brush of the high bank on our right, I spied a tawny young deer. We took note and walked slowly by. Then, of all things, somewhat sheepishly, even, Arthur’s cat rejoined us. She had been with the deer!

This reminded Alice of the time when the little orphaned rabbits who lived in our flower garden were seen hobnobbing quite curiously with another deer. They would be, quite plainly, together.

The great, unbelieving cosmologists speak, not only of the Big Bang, but of its sound waves, still detected by their instruments. We live within the aura of Creation.

South Whidbey Record, April 3, 2013:
“The great, unbelieving cosmologists speak, not only of the Big Bang, but of its sound waves, still detected by their instruments. We live within the aura of Creation.” John T. Braun 

John T. “Ted” Braun died March 6, 2013, at the age of 91, “with all his people in blessed peace around him” after a long hospitalization. He was a philosopher and teacher to the end and never stopped trying to fathom the mystery of life. He had a great gift for connection with others, and whether as beloved mentor or loving father, he made us feel alive with wonder and meaning. His love, humor and presence in his last months and days taught us the full meaning of the words of his friend and mentor, Paul Tillich: “Love is the infinite which is given to the finite.” 

Ted was born in Telluride Colorado, growing up in Chicago and Webster Groves Missouri where he met and fell in love with Alice, his wife of 69 years. They shared an interest in Kierkegaard and questions of implicit knowledge, and he loved her “sublime intuition.” He attended Elmhurst College (BA Philosophy), singing in the Glee Club before Eleanor Roosevelt and Bertrand Russell, and meeting Burl Ives and Pete Seeger. His path then led into the Army Medical Corp, (WWII), through Union Theological Seminary (Theology, Philosophy), and landed him in Frogpond, OR, as pastor of a small country church (‘49-’57). In ‘54, he received a MA in Education from Reed College. A Ph.D. from U of Wash. in ‘67 enabled his tenure as English professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland (‘57-’86). His writings include two books: The Apostrophic Gesture and Anguispira Oracularis. His life reflected a commitment to social justice, and in his own words, he would urge us “to trust the inner urgency in nature toward participatory meaning, toward spontaneous organization, toward creativity. Another word for participatory meaning is love. The purpose of creative spontaneity is radical action for justice.” 

Ted and Alice retired to a life on Orcas Island, crafting lush gardens to complement a rustic cabin and three-story house, built mostly with their own hands. In ‘09, they made their final home in Langley, WA, where Ted brought out his childhood violin and became the oldest member of the Whidbey Community Orchestra at ages 88-91, continuing a lifelong love of music. He was a profound soul we all were the better for knowing. It is hard to imagine the world without him. 

Ted Braun is survived by his wife Alice, children Erica, Enid, Marcus, and Tim, siblings Dorothy, Harold, Eugene and Marion, grandchildren Matthew, Ted, Peter, Ramona, Emma and Kai, plus great-grandchildren Bennett, Lydia and Isabel. The family is truly grateful for all the care he received from Dr. Brouns (Compass Oncology), Drs. Lange and Nicacio and all the staff at PHSW Medical Center, especially 4W and the ICU. Contributions can be made in his name to the Whidbey Island Community Orchestra c/o Enid Braun 7441 Barred Owl Way, Clinton, WA 98236. Please sign in at http://tedbraun.forevermissed.com and leave your memories and contact information for a memorial gathering tentatively scheduled for June.

Added for the Island Sounder (Orcas) April 3, 2013:
On Orcas, Ted played trombone and sousaphone in community bands, helped build the library’s book collection, and joined land conservation efforts, such as the preservation of Madrona Point.

The Oregonian, April, 7, 2013:
John T. “Ted” Braun, a merry prankster in youth who grew into a deep thinker who never lost that initial spark, passed away March 6, 2013, at the age of 91. Though fueled by the many people, ideas, books and places he came across throughout his life, it was the graceful, athletic Alice with her sublime intuition who was his perfect counterbalance during their 69 years of marriage. He fought gallantly, his last two months in the hospital, to remain at her side, a supreme act of love and loyalty. In his friend and mentor Paul Tillich's words: “Love is the infinite which is given to the finite.”

Born in Telluride, CO, raised in Missouri on a “good works” mantra infused with a profound social conscience, his path led from Elmhurst College, (BA Philosophy), into the Army Medical Corp, (WWII), through Union Theological Seminary (Theology, Philosophy) and landed him in Frogpond, OR, as pastor of a small country church ('49-'57). In '54, he received a Master's in Education from Reed College. A Ph.D. from U of Wash. in '67 enabled his tenure as English professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland ('57-'86). Ted and Alice retired to a life on Orcas Island, crafting lush gardens to complement a rustic cabin and three-story house, built mostly with their own hands. In '09, they made their final home in Langley, WA. As pastor, teacher, philosopher, avid traveler, mentor, loving father, and friend, he remained open and curious with those who crossed his path until the very end. Being encircled in his final days by all his people "in blessed peace" was as fitting a farewell as it was for Odysseus at the end of his Odyssey. He was a profound soul we all were the better for knowing. It is hard to imagine the world without him.

Ted Braun is survived by his wife Alice, children Erica, Enid, Marcus, and Tim, siblings Dorothy, Harold, Eugene and Marion, grandchildren Matthew, Ted, Peter, Ramona, Emma and Kai, plus great-grandchildren Bennett, Lydia and Isabel. The family is truly grateful for all the care he received from Dr. Brouns (Compass Oncology), Drs. Lange and Nicacio and all the staff at PHSW Medical Center, especially 4W and the ICU. Contributions can be made in his name to the Whidbey Island Community Orchestra c/o Enid Braun 7441 Barred Owl Way, Clinton, WA 98236. Please sign in at tedbraun.forevermissed.com and leave your memories and contact information for a memorial gathering tentatively scheduled for June.