Farewell to Virgil's Virgil

This morning, a cursory glance at the sites and Twitter feeds of what remains of the once-vibrant legal blogosphere conveys not only some very sad news -- the passing of the anonymous Editor of Blawg Review -- but also some indication of the tremendous impact he had on the legal blogging community.

It's fair to say that my own blogging was inextricably linked with Blawg Review, that "Carnival of Legal Blogging" which Ed. established and nurtured for many years. I was privileged to not only write several Blawg Reviews, but to work with Ed. for much of Blawg Review's run to source material for guest editors and to manage the upkeep of the carnival's main site. As a guest editor, I was deeply honored to have been given four "Blawg Review of Year" awards. Ed. was unfailingly generous with praise not only for my posts, but for many others'. To the extent my reviews were somehow more notable than the dozens of others who contributed throughout each year, that wasn't because Ed. deemed them to be so in his end-of-year awards, but because he made them so through his behind-the-scenes contributions, guidance, and encouragement.

He was as charming (and challenging) in person as he was online. I had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions over the years and will treasure those memories. My condolences go out to his family and my thanks, as always, go to Ed. I acted as "Virgil" in guiding readers through my Dante-themed Blawg Reviews; in the shadows, anonymously and without fanfare, Ed. was Virgil's Virgil. Farewell, Ed.