I received an e-mail informing me that the eminent Welsh scholar R. Geraint Gryffudd passed away yesterday at the age of 86.
Gryffudd was emeritus professor of Welsh at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and he also served as the university's vice principal, as librarian of the National Library of Wales, and as the first director of the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. His scholarship traversed the entire range of Welsh literature, from medieval poetry to the 20th century.
I was not personally well acquainted with him, but I did get to see him in action as an organizer and host during the 12th International Congress of Celtic Studies, which was held in Aberystwyth in 2003, and in my brief interactions with him, I was impressed not only by the generosity of his immense learning, but also by his friendly and encouraging demeanor.