“No instructions! No rules!” Remembering Keith Aoki

I suppose that if you blog long enough, the time will come (probably repeatedly) when you have to write difficult, even painful, posts.  This, for me, is the first of those times.  As Al has already noted, Keith Aoki passed away yesterday.  He was a mentor and, more than that, a friend.

In a prior life, I was a junior professor at the University of Oregon.  I have many happy memories of the place and the people, and many of those memories involve Keith. 

But the memory that keeps coming back is a time when someone on the faculty had a party at their house during the summer.  I can no longer remember who had the party, but they had just bought a trampoline that morning.  I was jumping on it with the kids (yes, I was much younger and more energetic then) and one of the grown ups came out to tell us that there was actually an instruction book with the trampoline and that we should probably have some rules about not all jumping at once, so that no one got hurt.  And one of the kids said that we didn’t want any stinking instructions or rules and all of a sudden Keith showed up, in his black leather jacket and long hair and started chanting “No instructions! No rules!” And then we all started chanting along with him and jumping around on the trampoline shouting it. 

That’s how I’ll always remember Keith – a fist in the air, shouting “No instructions! No rules!” at the world.  And I wonder whether his new colleagues at UC Davis saw him the same way or whether his institutional persona changed over the years (it’s not as if most of my current colleagues would think of me as the type to jump on a trampoline with a bunch of kids).  When I saw him again, years later, he had short hair and wore a suit, but he still seemed the same person on the inside.  In fact, I think he made a specific reference to the better aim acquired through throwing bombs -- figuratively, of course -- from the inside.

And I remember him as a kind and generous mentor – someone who valued and encouraged me when I was young and full of self-doubt.  Keith’s influence shines through in some of my work from that time period, as I’m sure it does in the work of the many other folks he mentored over the years.  The starred footnote in one article from my Oregon days reads “Although this paper has benefited from the comments of many readers, I am particularly indebted to Professor Keith Aoki for his helpful insights on the unique complexities of information." Ironically, it was Keith who first introduced me to the work of my current colleagues, Jamie Boyle and David Lange.  And Al has already mentioned Keith’s amazing comic book work, with Jamie and Jennifer Jenkins – a lot of memories there too, I know.

I suspect Keith never realized how dear he was to so many people.  Reading the comments to Al's post gives some sense of how much he'll be missed.

A fund is being set up for Keith’s two nine year old daughters, Sarah and Rachel.  Anyone interested in donating should send an e-mail to Jamie Boyle at [email protected] for more details.  

 

 

Comments

[writer jobs]

this is great no rules i like this blog!

[Sheree Rensel]

"I suspect Keith never realized how dear he was to so many people."

I am sure of this. I knew him in the 70's at Wayne State University. Even then, he was a wonderkind. I longed to just have a morsel of his energy, enthusiasm, and intelligence to mysteriously float my way. I am absolutely sure Keith never realized his impact. I have thought about him for decades. Yet, it was just a powerful memory. I doubt he would ever suspect people thousands of miles away were still thinking of him and his power.

To hear of his death is more than sad. It sounds impossible. However, once again he is here to teach. Life has it's timeline whether we like it or not. RIP KEITH. You will be truly missed.

[Kim Krawiec]

Thanks for sharing this Sheree -- a very touching story. We've seen so much evidence today of those people thousands of miles away who are missing and mourning Keith. Glad you could join us today in celebrating him.

[Daniel]

We definitely feel the same way about him at Davis. He tried to make law school welcoming, supportive, and friendly. Transforming law school into a pleasant experience is the mark of an iconoclast if there ever was one. He is universally loved here.

[Kim Krawiec]

I'm glad to hear that Daniel -- I suspected as much, but didn't want to speculate about the perceptions of others. Thanks for adding your more recent memories to the mix.

[Charlie Hellstrom]

"And I wonder whether his new colleagues at UC Davis saw him the same way or whether his institutional persona changed over the years"
I was fortunate enough to be in Professor Aoki's last Property class and "No instructions! No rules! sounds like the professor we all knew and loved. Although we didn't get to see the long hair or leather jacket, I think that part of Keith Aoki never left.

[Kim Krawiec]

This warms my heart, Charlie. Keith always loved his students so. I'm so happy to hear that the feeling was still mutual.

[Ann Bartow]

That is a wonderful post, Kim. Thanks. It is so devastating to lose Keith. As with so many other people, he was really helpful and encouraging to me in many ways over man years.

[Kim Krawiec]

Thanks so much Ann. I know that it must have been an especially hard loss to the IP community. But, of course, part of Keith's magic was an ability to make you feel a part of any community he inhabited.