For 36 years, Walter J. Ong, S.J., was one of Saint Louis University's most acclaimed scholars.

He served on national councils and White House task forces. He was an international pioneer of human communication studies. He was a man who could not be contained by a single classification-be it English professor or Catholic priest-even though he engaged passionately in all of the roles he filled during his time at the University.

This week, more than a year and a half after Ong's death in August 2003, the English department (and 13 other academic units) is hosting a conference designed to reflect the former humanities professor's wide range of interests and contributions.

"Language, Identity and Culture: The Legacy of Walter J. Ong, S.J." will feature eight lectures, panels and special events over the course of today and tomorrow.

Scholars from Harvard University (where Ong earned his doctorate, in 1955), Northwestern University and the Columbia Institute of Psychoanalysis will be headlining the conference, but they will be joined by academics from eight different schools-not to mention a handful of SLU professors.

"They are an amazing, amazing group of people," English Department Chair Sarah van den Berg, who helped organize the conference.

She added that scholars from half a dozen other colleges will also be in attendance.

Catherine Snow, Ph.D., who will deliver a plenary lecture this afternoon on "Literacy Development and Literacy Instruction," is the Shattuck Professor of Education at Harvard.

"She's the leading authority on children learning to read and factors going into literacy-both cultural factors and family factors," van den Berg said.

Following Snow's plenary will be another by Roy Schafer, Ph.D., of the Columbia Institute of Psychoanalysis, on "Psychoanalytic Insight and Interpretation: Dialogue for Personal Change."

Van den Berg called Schafer "the foremost expert on psycho-analytic theory in the country," and said he focuses on pivotal moments of change in the patient-analyst dialogue, or "how change happens in therapy."

Tod Chambers, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Medical Humanities at Northwestern, will speak on bioethics on Friday afternoon.

Charles Taylor, Ph.D., Trustees Professor of Law and Philosophy at Northwestern, will also speak on Friday, addressing "The Primacy of Conversation: Reflections on Ong's Dialogical Turn." Van den Berg called Taylor "the most famous social philosopher working today."

Another event which is certain to be special for many at the University is a panel planned for Friday afternoon at which "[Ong's] colleagues and former students at SLU will be sharing their remembrances of Walter Ong as a priest, a teacher and a friends," van den Berg said.

The conference's central event will be the donation of Ong's archive from SLU's Jesuit community to the Pius XII Memorial Library in a ceremony this evening at the library.

Van den Berg said the collection encompasses everything from Ong's years as an Eagle Scout to his correspondence with influential political, academic and intellectual figures.

This week see the inauguration of the Walter Ong Center for Language and Culture. "This conference, in part, will bring together local, community members and members of the national advisory board of the center, to plan future activities," van den Berg said.

For more information about the conference, contact the English department (977-3010) or visit www.slu.edu/colleges/ as/eng/ong/.