I’m stunned.  I just need to say how sorry and sad I am.  This is a terrible loss.

David Hoopes, assistant professor of business management

Dear colleagues,

Rod Butler's death is a terrible loss to his family, our campus, and all of us who counted him as a friend.  He was a constant champion of academic freedom, educational excellence, and human decency.  With his clear vision and pointed humor, Rod contributed to our lives in countless ways. All of us will deeply miss our friend.

Jerry Moore, professor of anthropology

Dear Colleagues,

I echo Jerry Moore’s sentiments.  I am sitting here in front of my computer, trying to deal with Rod’s death and I am having a tough time of it.  He was such a wonderful colleague and always had CSUDH uppermost in his mind.  I miss him terribly.

Charles Hohm, dean, College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

I am completely stunned by this recent news concerning Rod Butler.  I'm a relatively new faculty member at CSUDH, but my engagement with Rod was always warm, cordial and humorous at times.  In fact I just spoke with him yesterday--he stopped by Munashe Furusa's office to inquire about the status of Bill Little's health.  I am saddened by this news.  He will be greatly missed!

Salim Faraji, assistant professor of Africana studies

Dear Dominguez Hills Family,

I am stunned as well. I sat next to Rod at a meeting yesterday and had a brief conversation with him at the end of the meeting.  He was his usual personable, jovial and wonderful self.  I can not believe he is no longer with us. 

Once again, this reinforces my growing realization of the fragility of life, the importance of valuing every moment, and doing our best to make the world a better place for those who carry on the fight for equality and justice.

Bill Blischke, emeritus professor of sociology

Dear Colleagues

I am absolutely stunned and speechless. I will miss Rod as the wonderfully warm, tenacious and spirited colleague that I have known him to be since my arrival at DH. His death is a terrible loss and as Bill points out, an unbearable reminder of the fragility of life.

Dana Belu, assistant professor of philosophy

Dominguez Hills Family,

Rod’s death has robbed us of an outstanding leader of the senate who helped to build a positive and productive relationship between the administration and the faculty. He was a great mentor to most of us on the senate executive committee as well as many young scholars.  He was at our 12:00-1:00pm FPC meeting yesterday and helped us clarify a lot of issues. We will always cherish his desire and ability to build relationships, his dedication and commitment to the well-being of our campus, his vision and pointed humor, as Jerry noted. Our thoughts go to his family and all the people whose lives he touched in one way or another.

Munashe Furusa, associate professor and chair, Africana Studies

CSUDH community,

This news is so sad. Rod had many terrific qualities which he brought to the various roles he played on the CSUDH campus. Over his career he touched many lives and CSUDH was a better place because he chose to come here. And many of us are better for having had the good luck to have known him. To have worked with him. And to have been his friend.

Bob Dowling

Rod was a dear friend and colleague.  He was a positive force among us all.  My sympathies to his family, loved ones, and friends.

I am but a breath of wind,
Invisible to most felt by few.
I swirl the grasses, the waves
Touch the earth, the leaves.
I sing in the treetops
And whistle through the eaves.
For a moment
Only a moment
I ride the landscape.
I am free and lively
Wild and gusting
Warm and gentle.
I toss your hair
And caress your skin
We join in celebration
The joy between us,

But then I am gone
To become only a memory
The memory of a touch
Of a whisper.
I am but a breath of wind

Bernard W. Baker, professor of art

Dear Campus Community,

I am stunned and saddened by the news of Rod Butler's sudden passing. Rod's caring, talent, and larger vision assured me that there was always a sound voice carried by an enlightened heart standing firm nearby. Rod will be very much missed.

With love for Rod's family and by extension to ours,

Gilah Yelin Hirsch, professor of art

The image I have of Rod, which will remain in my mind forever, is his ear to ear smile.  I saw him smile like that at Student Research Day when the Jazz and Guitar Ensembles performed at lunch.  He was so proud of them as performers and as students.  I was touched at that moment by the love he had for of his department and their music.

I also loved his laugh.  There were several times he made me laugh so hard it hurt. I am sure I needed to laugh and I always appreciated his great sense of humor.

I have learned over the years how fragile life is and to appreciate each day as it comes.  I am happy when I wake up each morning and realize that I have another day to live.  I wish my friend Rod had many more days with us.  The poem sent by Hansonia is solace during this very sad time.

Thank you all for being such wonderful people.

Laura Robles, dean, Graduate Studies and Research

Dear Rod,

We are shocked at your loss, but proud of your contribution to us.
You deserve this song from Shakespeare:

Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

  - from Cymbeline, Act IV, Scene 2.

And you were truly a Golden Lad!

Bill DeLuca, professor of theatre arts

As I read the heartfelt reflections and condolences offered to our campus in this moment of shared grief, I am reminded, again, how strong is the weave of community, how important each individual is, and how very irreplaceable. 

We influence one another's lives so greatly.  What a difference a smile or friendly greeting makes!  How much we depend upon one another!

It's impossible not to feel shock when--as so many of us have noted--we have just seen or been with Rod, warmed by a smile, a shared joke, or a greeting, only to receive news that he is gone from us now, and what was shared in life must now be shared in memory.

I, too, am a recent newcomer to campus, and Rod distinguished himself to me for his kindness, congeniality, and consistent sense of welcome. I appreciate, particularly, his lifelong affinity for music and his advocacy for the arts.  His love of music touched countless lives, and this resonance will continue in the world.

Others are far more eloquent than I, since many of you enjoyed Rod's friendship, leadership, and collegiality for years. But I would like to offer the following prayers, sent to me by one of our recent literary readers, following the death of a friend. These quotations are from a multi-denominational memorial service:

Opening Words

Let us be at peace within ourselves.
Let us accept that we are profoundly loved and need never be afraid

Let us be aware of the source of being that is common to us all and to all living creatures.

Let us be filled with the great compassion towards ourselves and towards all living things.

The Lord's Prayer, Translated from the Aramaic

Eternal Spirit, Life-giver, Pain-bearer, Love-maker
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your Name echo through the universe.
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and sweeten our lives upon earth.

With the bread that we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts that we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of despair, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever.     Amen.

Blessings for All

God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to all the world, peace and concord;
and to us and to all, unbounded life.

May the blessing of the Creator be upon us this day,
and remain with us always.

Buddhist Prayer for Release

May all beings be happy.
May all beings be well.

May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
And to Rod,
I wish you the peace and pure enjoyment of the Music of the Spheres.

With love and thanks,
Gayle Elliott, lecturer, interdisciplinary studies

I join my colleagues, the CSUDH family, in expressing my deep sympathies for Rod’s passage to the other side of life.  I have nothing but fond memories of Rod’s earthly journey with us here on campus.  His love for the campus and its academic programs was genuine.  His love for our students was transparent.  His love for his discipline radiated outward as we shared conversations about our respective professional lives.

Dr. Butler was a true champion for academic quality as well as for student access to our University.  In recent years he demonstrated his commitment to faculty governance by taking on the often unappreciated role of Academic Senate Chair.  As a former Chair of that body I know from personal experience the time commitments the task entails as well as the numerous sacrifices to be made.  Rod is to be highly commended for his strong advocacy of matters of academic freedom, shared governance and, above all, professionalism and ethical outlook.  His leadership style in the Senate was remarkably collegial.  He never seemed to rush to judgment to get resolutions passed.  He held his Executive Committee team members accountable—in respectable fashion—for their roles as Chairs of standing committees and related Committee responsibilities.  

I will miss my colleague and friend, but his professional academic vision will go on in his absence.  

Rudy Vanterpool, professor of philosophy

To the CSUDH Community,

Rod Butler was a dear friend and a mentor.  I have never had a colleague support me the way he did.  His enthusiasm and leadership will be sorely missed by the entire university and in particular the music department for which he was chair.  

Personally, his death is something I still cannot quite grasp.  We had been working together on a new piece for the classical guitar called “L.A. Nocturne”.  It represents certain memories that he had growing up in Southern California.  He was excited about flying to Shanghai, China to the Wuxi Art Festival to hear me play the premiere next June.  He told me that his need to compose music had been rekindled by the recent Guitar Foundation of America convention and planned to compose a number of pieces for the guitar for me to play.

His love of music was nearly matched by his love for golf.  He had been teaching me to play and even built my clubs which we put together in his garage.  We had been golfing at least once a week for the last five or six months.  Two weeks ago I made my first birdie and he was even more excited than I was.  The last time we played was on Thanksgiving Day and we had a great time.

I think it is up to all of us to make sure that his vision for CSUDH carries on.  

Sincerely,
Scott Morris, coordinator of guitar studies

I'm having difficulty writing this.  Yesterday I wanted to send a message of remembrance, identifying Rod's accomplishments and recognizing his many contributions to the university, but the right words just wouldn't come to me.  Now that so many of his friends and colleagues have done that so effectively, I feel released to express what I really wanted to say.

Rod was a friend.  It was one of those campus friendships, born of many committee meetings and chance encounters in the hallways or in the Union.  It didn't involve socializing away from the university environment, but there was a bond cemented in part by our mutual interest in music (jazz specifically) and golf (he as a participant, me as a former player). This fall, when I accepted the interim appointment as Provost, I began meeting with Rod on a regular basis to keep informed on Academic Senate issues and share information with him. While the original purpose was formal, based on our roles as Provost and Senate Chair, our discussions often veered off on tangents related to our shared interests. This strengthened the bond, on my part at least, and I found myself looking forward more and more to these meetings and conversations. One diverged into golf club design, one of Rod's sidelines, and I got a lesson on why the shaft lengths of almost all commercial drivers are too long for most players. Earlier this month, we spent over two hours reminiscing about great jazz trombonists. Rod had studied with some of the best, and he explained to me how horn players can get a wide range of tones from a single slide position. That was our most recent meeting. It's hard to accept that it was our last meeting.

As I read the paragraph I've just written, I recognize that it lacks a concluding sentence.  At this point I'm unable to provide one. I hope no one will see this as an inappropriately personal expression by a university administrator on the death of a senate chair. Please understand.  The faculty has lost a leader, but many of us have also lost a friend.

Sam Wiley, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs

More than a decade ago, sometime during the President Detweiler era, I recall having coffee with Rod when he observed that he had been a faculty member at other places, but at none of them was there the kind of distance between the faculty and top administration that he experienced at Dominguez Hills.  He was puzzled as to why it had to be this way since there was much room for common ground--shared belief in the mission of Dominguez Hills, and shared commitment to the students' well being and accomplishment.  As Senate Chair, he must have remembered his earlier puzzlement, because he was clearly working to reduce the gap.  Sam's remembrance of their person-to-person as well as senate chair-to-provost interactions reminded me of the high value Rod placed on collegiality. 

Sad happenings often result in a coming together of busy people whose individual responsibilities separate them most of the rest of the time.  But as the shock and sorrow recede, often so does the closeness that was infused by tragedy.  It occurs to me that the highest tribute that we can pay to our colleague is continuing to pursue his hope of restoring the feelings of community that once made CSUDH truly different from others.

Gary Levine, emeritus faculty, interdisciplinary studies/PACE

As a long time friend to Rod I was heartened to see the tributes and words spoken by Rod’s friends and peers. Over 20 years ago, Rod started as my professor of music theory but quickly turned into a long term mentor for life. Rod was an exceptional educator and achieved perhaps the highest honor in the field -- enlightening the minds of his students.

A quick story may be in order to share the humorous side of him. When I first met him I couldn’t read a note of music and it was clear within the first 6 weeks of class he was doing everything in his power to weed out the students that were not prepared to hang. By the end of those first 6 weeks, I hated his class and hearing his name made my blood boil. Once I realized what he was doing I decided that I’d show him a thing or two by sticking it out and return the grief he regularly gave us. The result of my efforts yielded me a “B” which further annoyed and challenged me.

After that first semester I never looked back. It was Rod who turned me on to learning, developed my critical thinking skills, and helped shape me into the person I have become. Just a short year ago I talked to Rod about my migration back to the music industry and throughout that hour-and-a-half call he once again shared insights that have since become the cornerstone of the business we are readying to launch. I had been trying to reach out to Rod over the past few months to share with him my most recent accomplishments and was looking forward with great anticipation to once again sharing ideas and enjoying the wisdom he would bring with every conversation we had. It was through this forum that I learned of Rod’s passing. I’m at a bit of a loss in articulating at how much of an impact the man had on me.

After spending a few days reflecting upon the words of others within this tribute page, it struck me how motivated he remained to make our collective world a better place. I sincerely hope that I, and others that knew him, can measure up to the high standards he set. Even in death, Rod has effectively motivated me twice in life now by reminding me to not leave things unsaid -- a lesson I’m now passing on to my children. Thanks for making this forum available and thanks to those who have shared fond memories of him.

I miss you, pal.

Joe Bonnell
CEO, Alchemy Soup LLC