Recalling Robert Shell

I hope all members of the Princeton community will join in mourning the Feb. 3 death, at 66, of the celebrated Africanist Robert Shell at his home in Cape Province, South Africa. Shell was my good friend, and he recalled his years at Princeton in the 1980s as an assistant professor as among the happiest of his life. He was reunited before his death with his beloved daughter. A few years ago he remarried, fittingly, a librarian at a major African library. Rob was a man of brilliance, having a good heart, and dedicated to his work. His contribution to his field is truly major.