Lockhart, Kimball John

Lockhart, Kimball John

August 3, 1954 – July 23, 2018
Age 63 of Minneapolis. Kim was a talented and perceptive academic. Kim graduated from Marshall University H.S. in 1972, and the U of M, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in English in 1979, with additional graduate coursework in comparative literature. He studied in Paris at the École Normale Supérieure from 1979 to 1980, and completed his master’s degree in Romance Studies at Cornell University in 1983. He taught at the University of Minnesota, Miami University (Ohio), and Gustavus Adolphus College, and was associated with such publications as Enclitic, Diacritics, and Dendritic Studios. As a literary scholar Kim’s published work appeared in a number of academic journals, and he also collaborated widely as an editor and translator. Tom Conley, friend and colleague, remembers Kim’s work for Enclitic this way: “With wit and a discerning eye that isolated pared words and images into fields of tension, he was (if I may cite Paul Valéry, a great poet and critic) a créateur par la forme.” John Beckmann, friend and writer, describes Kim’s artistic output in the past decades as follows: “For many years, Kim worked tirelessly to perfect written discourse that was lyrical, intellectually challenging and densely meaningful. As a prose stylist and thinker, he was the boldest of adventurers as well as a gifted designer and artist.” Kim co-founded the original Loring Café in 1985. He was a superb photographer, a classical guitarist, and excelled in sports in his youth. Kim is survived by his family: Kay, Lynne, Jessica, George, Tony, Audrey, Adam, Kris, Hannah, Rosie, Sam, and Alek, as well as by many other friends and relatives. We will all miss his kind and gentle company. (Published in the Star Tribune on July 29, 2018).