I was thinking of Dr. Abraham today (I don't know why).  I thought I would see what he was up to.  It was only today, after looking him up, that I learned of his passing several years ago.

I studied French at UC, Davis, in the 1980s and took at least two courses with him (one on symbolist poetry and one on Corneille, if I am not mistaken).

In height, he was a small man.  In reputation, he stood tall.  

I recommended him for a teaching award (I forget which one).  But he won it (well deserved).

I was advised to avoid his courses but am grateful that I took them.  He inspired me to pursue graduate studies in French and to consider the University of Virginia for my MA (where I went, before pursuing my PhD at NYU).  

I believe it was in 1985 or 1986 (during my senior year at UCD).  Dr. Abraham was very excited that he had acquired a word processor (or some early version thereof).  He could close his office door and not be disturbed.  Nobody would know that he was typing!

Rest in peace.  And thank you for being such an inspiration.

Dear friends,

alas, this is what I have feared since Claude's last email from May 11, so frighteningly gloomy and crestfallen. When I wrote him the last time in September and got no answer, this couldn't be Claude at all, any longer. So we were prepared, in a way, but what's the meaning of being "prepared", after four decades of close friendship; it's simply sad; it's a loss. We were friends from the very beginning – why? Perhaps "parce que ce fut lui, parce que ce fut moi", as Montaigne put it. Friendship, like love too, needs no explanation. But sure, there were so many traits in him, apart from his towering achievements as a scholar, that I cherished: his high moral standards; his wisdom, never without this typical sting of sophisticated misbehaviour (or irreverence, to put it more mildly), which was perhaps the most specific trait of his humor. You, as his and Marcia's children, will add an infinity of other essential traits to my forcibly imperfect portrait. He was, to translate literally a German expression, "near to our heart". I hope – I hope very badly – that his last days have not been too painful and comfortless for him – and for you, of course. We bear with you. Be sure that he won't be forgotten by all who knew him. For me, for the both of us, it was very sincerely a rare luck and an honour to know him – and Marcia as well whose role in his life was so crucial and  grateful. The days we spent with him and Marcia in 1997 will always count among our dearest and most impressive memories.

Good bye. God bless you all.

Rose and Bernd Rathmann

*******
Luxemburger Ring 2a
D-66740 Saarlouis
rathmann.b(at)web.de
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I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Claude, a true friend.  I still have a copy of the book he wrote concerning his travels and escape from Germany.  For many years he was a member of the Roseville Stamp Club, and one of our past presidents.  He and I spent many hours together working on our stamp collections.  He truly was an expert on stamps; and I will miss him and the advice he gave me over the years.  May God comfort you and your family as you mourn his loss.

Al Capparelli, President Roseville Stamp Club

I offer my sympathy to you on the death of   Claude Abraham. I met him through the Association des Amis de Tristan L’Hermite. I was one of the original mebers of the Society and a good friend of Amédée Carriat. I  knew Claude as a kind and intelligent person and as a highly respected scholar.

Claude's impressive contributions to scholarship will remain important to the international community of 17th-century specialists well into the future.  His work lives on, as so do our memories of him as an erudite and witty colleague. Many of us wish we could be there for the memorial service in his honor; please know that we are present in spirit.

My condolences to the family on the death of Claude Abraham. I was so sorry to hear the news of his death. His work on a Molière was crucial to my own writing on the subject. It was always a pleasure to meet him at conferences. He was a model for me of an academic and scholar. I admired both  his erudition and his modesty.  Zikhrona livrakha. May his memory be a blessing always.  המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים  And may you be comforted among the mourners of Zion.  

Sorry to here about Claude.
I enjoy talking him every month at the stamp club and the Fullerton stamp show.
I enjoying talking to about him growing up during the holocaust.


OBITUARY

Claude Kurt Abraham

December 13, 1931 – June 4, 2020

Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park and Mortuary

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