Shamms Mortier Remembered

Today I learned that an old friend, Shamms Mortier, died 5/22 at 3:30 pm.

Shamms was the kind of bodhisattva that laughed and played tricks. He was an avant-garde jazz musician, writer and visual artist — but his biggest impact on the community may have come from his three decades of teaching at Burlington College, and CCV. Below is a statement he had sent to fellow instructors last April. It seems worth sharing, as to Shamms, everyone was a teacher, and everyone was a student.

“How honored I have been in these last three-plus decades to be in the sacred classroom with you. You have given me more, taught me more, than you will ever know. All narratives must eventually reach their final chapter, and this is true for all of us as well. Would that it were not so, I would elect to keep teaching and learning forever; and perhaps that is what happens anyway in the great and enduring mystery to come. I would ask all of you to keep focused upon three things. First, be creative!  That means risking doing things that are just out of reach. Push yourself to climb mountains.  Second, or maybe first, be compassionate. Realize that extending a helping hand is the heart of humanity, and without heart, no blood flows. Third, be conscious! Wake up! Be aware of your world and your life. I send you much love."

— Shamms... April 21, 2008

Comments

[Christina]

Thank you so much for your commment here. I was a student in Shamms' class three or so years ago. How nice it is to read this message from Shamms to his fellow faculty right now. What a powerful message! Blessings

[Christine]

Thank you for writing this post about Shamms. He was my daughter's teacher for several classes over the past two years and he made an indelible, positive impact on her. She often came home from his classes excited and talking about the discussions that took place during the class. She admired him and he always made her feel capable, creative and most of all, valued. His presence was a gift.

[Vermonter]

Shamms and the Science Fixion crew were so inspiring for young musicians to watch in the early 90s...

Their freaks and geeks/Sun Ra/Frank Zappa fusion explorations were a treat to see live. And taught me so much about the importance of dynamics and careful arrangement and just plain fun in music.

They -- and Shamms in particular -- were an inspiration to many Burlington musicians.

Especially to demonstrate that even when your hair starts to turn gray, there is still a chance you just may still become a rock star. And you can still raise your freak flag fly.

He will be missed.

Neil Jensen, Monkton

[Razmarie]

Marc, I just read this note from Shamms, which a colleague of mine from the college was kind enough to share with all of us here in Burlington who worked with him. Shamms was the type of person that if you could meet him you could not NOT remember him. He influenced, in some way, everyone who ever came into contact with him. We should all be so lucky! He was a unique and vibrant person in many ways, and he will be missed.

[Barbara Cotto]

Thank you so much for writing about Shamms. The truth is I have never in my life met a man as wonderful as him. I may never again have the privilege of knowing a man such as him. I am a student of his and I can tell you that the impact that he had on his students can never be measured. He touched us all deep in our souls. The last year was very hard for me, but Shamms took the time to counsel and console me. He made reach deep within myself to find my strength. I will never forget him, and to everyone who new him we were blessed, and to those who didn't know him, you have missed out.

[Chris]

Shamms was a gift to all who had him as an instructor in the classroom, whether in the arts or the academic world. The passion, vigor and love for learning and life were always the driving force of any time spent together. He will be missed but never forgotten.

[Bob Long]

I met Shamms many, many years ago, before he and his wife, Diane, moved to Vermont. We remained friends.

I was 19 and he and another friend of ours ran a small coffee house in Chicago briefly. We were in jazz group that left for the East Coast. When he played and wrote music he always felt deeply that he was closest to absolute meaning in his life. He did not waste a note. He studied assiduously. After the group broke up, I moved to the West Coast and then back to Chicago. He had found a home in Vermont, a place he dearly loved and where he ultimately found great strength and peace. I visited him and his family two weeks before he died and, it turned out that thirty-nine years later, our remembrances of those times were much the same. We both understood that for many people life loses meaning as the years go by, if they have not paid attention to what drives their souls first. He never lost that focus and is an inspiration to all of us still around from those days. Peace, Shamms.

[John Lilja]

I played bass in the last incarnation of Science Fixion. I've lived out of the country for the last ten years and had some contact with Shamms via e-mail, but I think of those days with the band quite often. Andy Hildebrandt (the keyboard player) sent me a mail just now with the sad news. Shamms was a great guy to play with, a great guy to drive home to Bristol after rehearsing at UVM, a great guy to share a hotel room with after a gig, a wonderful teacher, a magician and an inspiration.

[John Lilja]

I played bass in the last incarnation of Science Fixion. I've lived out of the country for the last ten years and had some contact with Shamms via e-mail, but I think of those days with the band quite often. Andy Hildebrandt (the keyboard player) sent me a mail just now with the sad news. Shamms was a great guy to play with, a great guy to drive home to Bristol after rehearsing at UVM, a great guy to share a hotel room with after a gig, a wonderful teacher, a magician and an inspiration.

[John Lilja]

I played bass in the last incarnation of Science Fixion. I've lived out of the country for the last ten years and had some contact with Shamms via e-mail, but I think of those days with the band quite often. Andy Hildebrandt (the keyboard player) sent me a mail just now with the sad news. Shamms was a great guy to play with, a great guy to drive home to Bristol after rehearsing at UVM, a great guy to share a hotel room with after a gig, a wonderful teacher, a magician and an inspiration.

[k]

He was the best and brightest spirit of immense spark I could have ever hoped to meet. I dug him big time. I'll miss him always.

[pam long small]

I had been thinking about Shamms and decided to see if anything new had been written. Like my brother Bob, I have known Shamms and Diane for over 30 years. I spent a short time with him a few weeks before he passed on. He was very weak and wondered if anything he had said to students all those years had made any difference at all. He questioned whether perhaps it was all ego. I thought, maybe so, but what does that matter? There were two unopened cards from his students sitting near, and I asked if he would like me to read them. In reading these comments to him the love and gratitude expressed was incredible. Students wrote about how now they could see beauty in things they had never seen before, how shamms had changed their way of thinking for ever...Listening to these students was a powerful inspiration..I told Shamms, " Wow, I wish I had been in your class. What did you say to them?" He leaned over, and spoke clearly in a weak whisper "Have a good Day"

Many people may not know that Shamms wrote an extremely beautiful book...beautiful but sad, because it seemed even then that he saw mortality near at hand. The book...almost an essay is "In the company of trees"...it is more like an essay than a book...remarkable, deep peace

[Brooke Chamberlain]

The Burlington area and beyond lost a wonderful beam of light when it lost Shamms Mortier Those of us knew him for his intelligence, commitment to knowledge and curiosity, truth, and his compassion for the world around him.
He, as an Instructor at Burlington College, inspired me to question many of the usual assumptions, particularly in the areas of ancient Egypt. I was inspired to read many texts and internet sights on everything from alternative building techniques of the pyramids, possible alternative energy sources, connections between the ancient Egyptians and those in the Americas, and many other subjects. He taught me to look beyond the obvious, the predictable, and the assumed, and search for paths less traveled.
I hope to see you again someday, Shamms. May you shine where you are now!
-Brooke C.