By Rebecca Billman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DENT - David-Everett Blythe, Thomas More College professor emeritus and an artist, died Dec. 20 of a brain tumor at his Dent home.

Dr. Blythe, 61, painted in the fashion of John Ruskin, a Victorian artist whose watercolors, portraits and sketches expressed an affinity for nature and realism.

"In harmony with artist and writer John Ruskin, David believed that the foundation of learning depends upon students seeing and reading from their own insight," said Sherry Cook-Stanforth, a colleague. "He inspired students to get to know each other as individual people, and he would often send them out of the classroom in order to study the world around them from a new perspective."

An English scholar, naturalist and horseman, Dr. Blythe also loved Shakespeare.

"Like many of the artists and writers he admired, David took time to know the beauty of simple things - a field of ironweed, sassafras leaves, the call of a screech owl, the play of light on a meadow pond," said Lynda Crane, his wife of 14 years.

The Franklin, Va., native earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Richmond and a doctoral degree in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He came to Greater Cincinnati in 1990 to teach at Thomas More after spending 20 years in Bourbon County, Ky. After undergoing brain surgery in October 2001, he was unable to return to the classroom. The college named him professor emeritus last spring.

In addition to his wife, survivors include three stepdaughters, Sherri Schneider of West Chester, Patricia Marquis of Kettering, Ohio, and Anna Nicole Kadis of Cockeysville, Md.; three brothers, Ralph of Greensboro, N.C., Stuart of Franklin, Va., and Paul of Richmond, Va.; a sister, Nancye Joan Crew of Greensboro; and three grandchildren.

Services have been held. Memorials: Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association of Cincinnati, 8212 Blue Ash Road, Cincinnati, OH45236.

E-mail rbillman@enquirer.com

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