Hi Erik, I just read your letter and I am shocked by the sad news. I should tell you that I secretely believed that you were to be there forever and that I could turn to you like when, a few years ago, we renewed our contact suddenly over my desire and intention to be the translator of your new book. The feedback and strong support you gave me then only reminded me of he kind of person you are, and what you have meant to me in my elaboration of my political and academic interests. You are one of those rare teachers, and in my case the best by far, who really left an indelible memory in my person. I remember with Julio those crazy days in Granada and your furious driving down that hill without brakes. Was that Erik? Yes, he was Erik. Let 's hope now that Erik surprises us again. I know you are fighting back. All my love to you, Marsha, Jenny, Rebeca and grandchildren of yours.

Dear Eric,
I had heard of your illness from mutual friends, but having just now been forwarded - all the way from England - your latest posting on this site, I would like you to know that I will always especially remember the warm hospitality in your home and the stimulating discussions you hosted there as well as at the Havens Center both the times you invited me to speak at Madison. That this was my experience on visits there which spanned a quarter of a century - from the late 1980s to the one just a few years ago - only confirms how consistent and long-standing has been your role in sustaining the socialist intellectual community across the generations. For this you deserve a hearty bravo from all of us who have shared this commitment. My thoughts are with you.
With very warm regards,
Leo

Hi Eric,
I am writing from Turkey, where your three books on social classes are translated into Turkish in the last two years. I wanted to inform you that we, students of sociology who enjoy critical perspective, continue to understand the society with your contributions.
Best regards,
Metin Ozugurlu
(Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University)

Dear Eric,
I remember, as a then graduate student, your visit to University of Hawaii in the mid 1990s and the dinner with faculty and graduate students after your talk to the Sociology Dept. on class analysis and the middle class. There were heavy hitting faculty at that dinner, but you showed as much sincere interest in our research as in your esteemed faculty colleagues.
Your rigorous academic standards and enthusiastic dedication to students remind me of my late mentor Peter Manicas, with whom classmates and I discussed and debated your theoretical arguments throughout my time in Hawaii.
Grateful to have had the chance to learn from your example as a Marxist educator, activist, and a good human being, and, when possible ‘pay it forward, ‘ as a professor in St. Cloud, MN.
Steve Philion

Dear Erik,

Thank you so much for all you’ve done. I took your class as a graduate student and it was my absolute favorite class. And, your work has been central to my thinking. I wish you and your family wonderful days in these last three or four weeks. Thank you so much for being such an inspiration to me and thousands of others.

Erik, I wish I could comfort you in some way, perhaps recalling the meetings in frozen Moscow, or in warm Grenada with the little adventures of the travel thru Sierra Nevada, or in harsh Madrid and the chistu with tamboril you got signed by the spanish ECBC group, or in far, distant Canberra. Old, lovely years, for always associated with the clarity of your thought, the amenity of your story-telling and the warmness of your friendship. With love and gratitude, un fuerte abrazo. Julio,

Oh Erik, this is such awful news. You may not recall, but you and I had two long, and to me, very meaningful conversations over these last many years. The first was a job interview at a hotel during an ASA meeting when i was looking for a job, and the second was a couple of years ago after I had spent a week as a Visiting Fellow at the Havens Center, and we had dinner together on my last night in Madison. At the end of both conversations, and thus over the course of a 35 year period, I came away not just rejuvenated and challenged and stimulated by you at an intellectual level , but also deeply moved by what a truly good and decent person you were, and are. For all of the deserved acclaim and recognition you have received over the years, i hope it is known just how much of a mensch you are as a human being. With all my gratitude and good wishes and hope for you,
Rick Fantasia.

Deat Erik;
Your books are a very important source of inspiration to me. Besides, I visited you 15 years ago, and I could see you great humanity. I glad to meet you in this is life. Best regards

Dear Erik, I have always admired your energy and excitement about life and ideas. And I owe you so much for where I am today, especially my confidence. To a lowly undergraduate student from Croatia, you have been exceptionally kind and supportive. What I appreciate the most is that you have always treated me as an equal and gave me the same kind of attention as you would give folks who are much higher on the prestige ladder. I will also cherish our Croatian and Bosnian adventures. I am sending you my best wishes and my thoughts. With love and gratitude, Valerio.

I am so sorry to hear this, Erik. You have been a huge inspiration to me and thousands and thousands of other scholars, your work is timeless. Your work on building real utopias has been used heavily in the latest Plaid Cymru manifesto, for example. Your scholarship has and will continue to drive tangible improvements in people’s daily lives, thank you for everything comrade