Ron Halstead at Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario October 4, 2014
by Linda Theil
At Ron Halstead's (1940-2014) memorial service on November 22, 2014, Oberon member Robin Browne spoke of our beloved friend at William Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Royal Oak, Michigan where mourners gathered to honor Ron, and comfort his wife of 47 years, Oberon co-founder Barbara Ann Burris.
Oberons also attending included George and Sharon Hunter, Rosie Hunter, Richard Joyrich, Rey Perez, Linda Theil, Pam Verlone, and Mara Radzvickas.
Robin Browne said:
An article in The Eccentric pinpoints the date I first met Barbara Burris and Ron Halstead: Wednesday 18 October 2000. We met at the Baldwin Library in Birmingham, Michigan, following a wonderful lecture given by a researcher from Northern England, Derran Charlton.I quote from the newspaper which I have kept these past fourteen years: ‘The retired coalminer, Mr. Charlton, was sipping tea at the Royal Oak home of Barbara Burris, a member of the local chapter of The Shakespeare Oxford Society’, subsequently to be called the Oberon Chapter. The following day I joined Barbara, Ron and Derran at a nearby coffee house where we enthusiastically discussed our common interest with the Shakespeare authorship debate, something I had pursued since the mid-1960s. I immediately warmed to Ron’s gentle nature, his knowledge on the subject, and his deep passion for research.
The Oberon group has met nearly every month since my introduction to Ron and Barbara. Over the years we have shared many enjoyable hours together, at meetings Ron would often enthrall us with his research and original ideas, at book shops we would hunt out new publications together and occasionally share moments at his home which was only a stone’s throw from where my father-in-law lived.
Whoever wrote the Shakespeare plays -- be it Francis Bacon, Edward De Vere, Marlow or Spencer -- was of an exceptional mind. For the plays reflect great learning, the ancient classics, history, philosophy, language, the Bible and an understanding of the law. The author or authors of this great collection of plays were incredibly knowledgeable and displayed a notable sense of humor.
Had Ron Halstead lived four hundred years ago he would have been at one with the author(s). He had all the same attributes, a brilliant mind, knowledge of the classics, well read, a student of the Bible and someone who smiled, laughed and had a wonderful sense of humor.
I shall always remember him as a friend bursting with knowledge and passionate about so many different interests, the kind of person you meet one or twice in a lifetime.
We have created an Oberon page in Ron Halstead's memory and invite readers to please write their thoughts about our friend there so that your words will be easily accessible to all who wish to read at http://oberonshakespearestudygroup.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.htmlFond wishes and happy memories.
Or you may read and comment on the memorial page by clicking on the title "In memoriam Ronald D. Halstead" in the masthead of this page.
Thank you.