Description
The description below was written by Dr. Douglas Blum, of the Providence College Political Science Department: Brian was a student of mine, and I still think of him quite often. In over 25 years of college teaching, he stands out in my mind as a special young man: so unusually thoughtful, open-minded, curious, decent, and good-hearted. It was a course on Political Ideologies, which covered a wide range of competing perspectives (including Communism, Fascism, Islamism, and Radical Feminism). Brian was striking to me, in the sense that although he clearly had strong beliefs and values of his own, he was never dogmatic, but simply tried to understand how and why other people might have outlooks that differed from his. What a rare quality that is, and how important in a democratic society! Once, in the middle of class, I stopped what I was doing and told him how much I admired him. Not only was it a true pleasure to have taught him, but it was also a joy to have known him, however briefly.
