From Christina Neilson

Dear Maggi,

We had the conference in Shona's memory at the end of last week at the University of Manitoba and it went very well. We had 8 papers from people working in many different fields of Renaissance studies (history of literature, science, and politics, social history, and art and architectural history) and many of us had known Shona from our time with her at I Tatti. Shona came up a lot during the conference. At the beginning of the conference Roisin explained how the event had come about and how Shona had been one of the original organisers, and she went on to talk about Shona's work and how it engaged with many of the issues we would be talking about at the conference. Many people mentioned Shona during their talks and how their interactions with her had affected their thinking (for instance, Filippo de Vivo, one of the other organisers, explained how he had been moved to include a discussion of gender in his consideration of the experience of walking in the Renaissance city because of conversations he had had with Shona). On the final evening we had dinner at Roisin's house and we made a point of remembering Shona together. Roisin began by telling those people who were there and did not know Shona something about her. After that many of us talked about Shona and how she had influenced us or a funny story about an interaction we had had with her. Her droll sense of humour was mentioned more than once.

Something we were all happy about was the quality of the conference papers, which we plan on submitting to I Tatti Studies as a special issue, dedicated to Shona's memory. The high quality of the articles will be a fitting tribute to Shona's own remarkable talents as a scholar.  

I think of Shona often and I, like many, was very sad at the conference that she could not be there. She was very much missed, as she is in my life in general.

From Wojciech Iwańczak

In Memoriam Shona Kelly Wray

I knew Shona Kelly Wray only from the MAMA Conferences. I had an opportunity discuss with her and talk to her. I had an impression she was not only good historian but a charming person, open minded, cordial and sympathetic.

It's very unjust that such a people are passing away so early but we know that justice doesn't exist in our world...

From Dr Adelina Modesti

I was very saddened to hear about Shona's passing. We first met at the RSA conference in Venice in 2010, when Shona introduced herself as a fellow researcher of Bolognese social history. I remember her enthusiasm and genuine interest in my work (seventeenth century Bolognese women artists), and willingness to discuss her own research . She was working on Bolognese professors and their families, and was interested in education in the city in the early modern period, especially of women, on which I had done some work. My last memory of Shona was earlier this year, when she invited me to I Tatti to chat about our latest findings on the material culture of Bolognese households. We passed a lovely afternoon over lunch and a glass of wine, and I felt once again her infectious enthusiasm and good cheer. Little did I know that this would be our last encounter. My thoughts and prayers go out to Shona's family.

From Dr Philip Morgan

I first met Shona at CU Boulder when I held a visiting Fulbright post there and, to make up some of her requirements, she did a course with me on the medieval English gentry. She was a very scary student. She certainly scared me from the start since it was patently obvious that I couldn't teach her a thing. What made it worse was that she never let on how little she gained from me. She designed her own mini-project on gentry wills, produced a flawless paper (which I still have and use) and employed the time to teach herself more of the trade. She exemplified the difference between those who work as historians and those who have the minds of historians, interested in everything, always looking for connections, and desperate to visit the places about which they write because it is vital. A decade later I was in Missouri and she generously drove from Kansas City to Fulton and back in the day to give a student class on the Black Death. I did the same for her to Kansas City. She couldn't offer much of a dinner in the evening, she explained, since she had the children that night, and they were keen to go to the then newly fashionable Rainforest Cafe. So, we chatted happily about the middle ages for two or three hours, the children glowing with excitement and me with a smile on my face only slightly less broad. You never turned down the chance to be in her company. I saw her last at Leeds - on a staircase when she turned and waved since she was off to visit one of the sites of medieval Yorkshire. It was one I had been to lots and I didn't go, but I had never been in Shona's company, and I wish I had.

From Bruce C. Brasington

I shall never forget meeting Shona at one of the earliest meetings of the Texas Medieval Association. Her work on Bologna was outstanding, its excellence rivaled only by her enthusiasm and willingness to share her research. She gladly sent me all sorts of materials to use in my Medieval and Ren/Ref. courses, and 20 years of students here have benefitted from her intelligence, hard work, and kindness. Unforgettable. And missed.