SAM PAPERT, R.I.P.

This morning’s obit gives a good history of his life (I didn’t know he had an MBA from Harvard), but of course such things can’t capture the essence of a man, especially one as generous and life-loving as Sam Papert. He became my mentor when I was still a student at UT Austin almost 40 years ago, counselled me through the birth of D Magazine, and remained a dear friend ever after. Our lunch discussions ranged from topics large and small, and at our last one, I remember he was genuinely puzzled by the new traditionalism in Judaism and wondered what I (a Catholic) thought about it. That was Sam: open, exploring, wondering, willing, one of God’s rare noblemen.