David Hesla “had somewhat of a gruff exterior,” but once you got to know the man, he had “a heart of gold.”
For 35 years, Hesla taught at Emory University’s Institute of Liberal Arts, from 1965 until his full retirement in 2000. “He practiced the Socratic method of teaching in a very effective way,” Robert Paul, a friend and colleague, said.
Hesla was an accomplished scholar. His most notable book “The Shape of Chaos,” was about the writings of Samuel Beckett in terms of the history of ideas, discussing philosophical sources and analogues from the Pre-Socratics through the twentieth century.
Hesla was born on Oct. 14, 1929 and died at his home in DeKalb County on July 13. He was 86 years old.
Paul remembers when he first met Hesla. “When I was offered the job at Emory, I was very dubious about it,” he said. “I, frankly, had never heard of Emory or heard of the Institute of Liberal Arts.” He met Hesla when he traveled from another state for the interview. He said he remembers how kind and friendly he was, and said that it was a letter Hesla later wrote to him that made him decided to come teach at Emory.
“He wrote me a letter that was extremely encouraging,” Paul said. “I felt he understood me. He appreciated me and I appreciated him.” Hesla later welcomed Paul and his wife into his home for a few months to help Paul with the cross-country relocation.
“He was one of the best friends that anyone could ever have,” Margaret Jones, a friend said. For about 50 years, she and her family have been very close with Hesla. She told the AJC that she and Hesla shared some of life’s toughest struggles, such as losing a loved one. No matter what, Jones said, “I always knew he was there for me.”
Jane Parker said he was one of those “unique” individuals, who she would describe as a “kind curmudgeon.” Parker and Jones would get together about once a week and sit at his kitchen table and talk “about anything and everything,” she said.
“He would start quoting Nietzsche, and then he’d come back down to earth and just be the guy across the table again,” Parker said. When he retired, she recalls him developing a “wonderful routine” of visiting a different restaurant in the Toco Hills/Emory area everyday. She recalls that the restaurant staff “loved him dearly” and would shower him with warm greetings when he arrived each week.
“It would be a different restaurant each day of the week,” she said. “And they knew him, and knew him well.”
At his memorial, Hesla’s daughter, Maren Hesla, delivered his eulogy. In the beginning, she said, “What the Hesla household lacked in money, they made up for in order. You probably thought I was going to say they made up for in love. That certainly is the cliché: What they lacked in money, they made up with love. But these were Norwegian Lutherans, and while they felt a lot of love, they had difficulty expressing it.”
Despite the perceived difficulty in expressing love, many felt loved by David Hesla.
Michelle Blevens, a family friend, said he helped her with a difficult time in her life. After her dad died, she felt he was there for her, and tried to fill some of the missing father role “as best he could,” she said. Blevens said Hesla inspired her to “be more a curious kind of person” and seek out understanding of the world around her.
In addition to all that he was, Hesla was also a veteran of the Korean War. In the closing of her eulogy, Maren shared “a Christmas letter from a Marine in Korea to his family at home,” written in 1952:
“Yes, I am here,” the letter began. “I am ‘here’ more than any other time in my life. I didn’t eat much, and my presents aren’t under the tree, but I am here. I can see and hear you, each one. I can see the brightness in Mother’s eyes; I know how Dad’s voice sounds as he reads the Christmas gospel. I know how the kids look. Truly, I am here.”
Hesla signed off, “I love each one of you very much. That is my Christmas present to you.”
David Hesla is survived by his sister Mary Skretteberg, his daughter Maren Hesla, and his grandchildren Olivia and David Craighead. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Mary, his son Thor, and his brothers Steven and Timothy.
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