Our region lost a great man of the theater Friday, a man who was an equally great man in the circles of everyday life.

Prof. John Steven Paul was one of the first people I met when I began my freshman year at Valparaiso University in August 1988.

VU president Mark Heckler shared details for the memorial services on Monday.

"It saddens me to inform the campus community that Dr. John Steven Paul, age 58, passed away Friday, July 10, 2009," Heckler said.

"Dr. Paul joined the Valparaiso University faculty in 1979, as a professor of theatre, and he served for 20 years as department chair. Dr. Paul was the founder and director of Soul Purpose, the University's student liturgical drama troupe, and most recently he was program director of the Lilly Fellows Program."

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Moeller Funeral Home, 104 Roosevelt Road, Valparaiso and also from. 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.Thursday at the VU Chapel of the Resurrection. The funeral service follows at 11 a.m..

One of my favorite VU theology professors, The Rev. Frederick Neidner will preside at the services. A campus memorial service will be held in September when students return for the fall semester.

Memorials may be made to the Valparaiso University Department of Theater or the campus' Christ College honors program.

When I first arrived as a student at VU, one of the ways suggested to meet friends and become comfortable with the new surroundings was to audition for a part in the annual "Freshman Production." The new students wrote, produced and starred in the revue. The show was organized in a matter of days during freshman orientation.

It was Paul, along with Prof. Richard Pick -- and his wonderful wardrobe wiz of a wife Sylvia -- who helped coordinate the production.

Just as wonderful through the years has been Paul's wife, Margaret Franson, associate dean of VU Christ College honors program.

As I've mentioned before, I began my journalism career at the campus newspaper, The Valparaiso University Torch. I was assigned a story my first week on campus about the Popcorn Festival. Over the next few years, I found both Paul and Franson very helpful friends, providing much-needed background on subjects like campus government.

Both continued to help me out with story sources and information for my stories and columns to date, with Paul regularly tipping me off about column ideas and theater news of interest. I was a student in Paul's "History of Theater" course at VU, which has always helped me as a foundation for the theater reviews I write today.

I will end this tribute column to Prof. Paul with a few favorite quotes from him featured in my stories and columns that showcase his wisdom, observations and insight:

* On William Shakespeare during a 1999 interview:

"Shakespeare never goes 'out of style.' The characters and stories created by William Shakespeare are so vital they transcend their own time. It doesn't matter what the age, all of the elements of Shakespeare work capture an audience's attention. It's all right there: comedy, suspense, tragedy and romance."

* On award-winning novelist-turned-playwright Don DeLillo and his (then) new play in 1999 "Valparaiso:"

"It would be a dream to direct a production with Valparaiso University students. I just returned from a trip to Cambridge to review the play. I wanted to see it for myself. Now that I have, people want to know why DeLillo would want to name it 'Valparaiso.' I would think that the fact Valparaiso has been in the headlines so much because of Valparaiso University and the basketball team might have something to do with it. It's a play about repetition. And if the play were to be done in Valparaiso, that would mean it would have come full circle."

* On the continued popularity of the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" in a 2005 interview:

"This is a musical with amazing staying power and resurgence. You have to remember 'Jesus Christ Superstar' was one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's first efforts together. What you have is not just a meaningful rock opera, but also the musical where Webber and Rice really started to hit their stride together."

* On symbolism in the long-running musical "Fiddler on the Roof:"

"In the eyes of audiences, every hard-working man is the lead character of Tevye the Milkman. It's about not only this role, but what it represents. Whether it's his conversations with God or his struggle to preserve the traditions of his family and the customs of his faith, the audience can identify with who he is and the challenges he faces along the way."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

Actor Dale Robertson is 86. Actor Harry Dean Stanton is 83. Actress-singer Polly Bergen is 79. Football great Rosey Grier is 77. Actor Vincent Pastore ("The Sopranos") is 63. Former Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone is 62. Former Sony CEO Tommy Mottola (ex-husband of Mariah Carey) is 60. Musician Bob Casale of DEVO and actor Jerry Houser (Wally Logan on "The Brady Brides) and the Rev. Franklin Graham (son of Rev. Billy Graham) are 57. Producer-writer Scott Rudin ("In&Out") is 51. Singer-comedian Kyle Gass of Tenacious D and actress Jane Lynch ("Glee," "Talladega Nights") are 49. Actor Jackie Earle Haley is 48. Journalist Maureen O'Boyle ("A Current Affair) is 46. Actor Matthew Fox ("Lost," "Party of Five") and keyboardist Ellen Reid of Crash Test Dummies and singer-guitarist Tanya Donelly (Belly) are 43. Congressman Patrick Kennedy is 42. Actress Missy Gold ("Benson") is 39. Singer Tameka Cottle of Xscape and country singer Jamey Johnson and musician taboo of Black Eyed Peas are 34. Actor Sean Flynn ("Zoey 101") is 20.