Wipe Your Feet

Isaiah Sheffer, the great host and Founding Artistic Director of Symphony Space, has died. He was by all accounts a tremendously nice and special person, and his voice served as a companion to a lot of people during long car rides, gloomy days and solo dinners. The comments on the Symphony Space page are worth a read (click the first link to browse through all of them):

“My disability prohibits me from reading recreationally. Isaiah’s voice was a magical discovery. Selected shorts my best medicine. Isaiah, I will miss you my “virtual” friend. Blessings to his loved ones.”

“You haven’t lived until you’ve been driven through Texas by Isaiah, playing word games to pass the time, stopping at one of his favorite restaurants just for the macaroni and cheese, then arriving at another town where we’d read once again. Isaiah would always sing the opening theme song of “Selected Shorts”, just so the audience could have the full experience. He will be so greatly missed….”

“I am so saddened to hear of Mr.Sheffer’s death. While I only knew Mr.Sheffer through the radio, he was a huge part of my life. He inspired me to read (re-read) and discover authors and stories I would never had access to otherwise. My literary education was undoubtedly influenced by his work. His warm, melodic voice accompanied me on many many years of experiments in lab, runs, and road trips. A signficant part of the soundtrack of my life has been silenced.”

You can listen to some Selected Shorts here. RIP Mr. Sheffer. You will be missed.