Irby Brown was one of the greatest teachers of his generation. His love of and respect for literature inspired many of us to give our lives to it. There is some of Irby in every response I have to a poem, a novel, and, especially, a play. His Modern Drama course quite literally changed my life. And when I write, Irby is always there, somewhere.

Irby was a long time board member of Richmond Shakespeare (now Quill Theater), guiding Grant Mudge and I in many aspects.. His quiet humor, constant support and extraordinary knowledge of things literary were invaluable. He was the depiction of a Gentleman Scholar and was the Champange Cork Popper Extraordinaire. I will miss him.

One of my favorite professors at U of R.  A great loss for the University and for the community.

He was like a father to me.  I wasn’t ready for him to go.  But, God is good and He knows what’s best.  A very humble man, he always had an answer from God’s word.

I miss him every day.