In case this hasn't been posted yet:
Obituary for Leslie Norris
Leslie Norris, Brigham Young University emeritus Humanities Professor of Creative Writing, died Thursday, April 6, 2006, in Provo, Utah. He was born May 21, 1920, near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, to George and Mary Jane Norris. Growing up in Wales, his great passions were soccer, singing, boxing, and raising dogs. He married Catherine (Kitty) Mary Morgan on July 30, 1948. After earning degrees at the City of Coventry College and the University of Southampton, he taught in the pubic schools before beginning his university teaching career. In addition to being an excellent teacher, Leslie was a distinguished writer of poetry and short stories, writing over twenty books and chapbooks. He won many prizes for his writing, which was widely reviewed. A splendid reader, he recorded for BBC’s school programs and gave countless public readings. Before coming to BYU, Leslie held the Theodore Roethke Memorial Chair of Poetry at the University of Washington. Poet in Residence, he taught at BYU for twenty years. Two films have been made of his life and work. Leslie is survived by his wife, Kitty, by a brother, Gordon, of Witney, England, and by three nephews and two nieces. He was preceded in death by a brother, Eric. The funeral will be held Wednesday, April 12, at 1:00 pm in the Sharon Stake Center, 545 South 800 East, Orem Utah. In lieu of flowers, friends are invited to support a fund benefitting creative writing students at BYU. Checks should be made payable to the BYU English Department and mailed to the Leslie Norris Fund, English Department, BYU, Provo, Ut., 84602.
I heard Leslie read a couple of times, though I never got to take one of his classes. However, he was undoubtedly BYU's finest writer, and will be sorely missed.
