I never had Marc as as a professor, but I recall that when I was applying to graduate school, he was one of the professors in whose research I had expressed interest. Although I did not know him in a formal capacity, he would always stop and talk whenever I ran into him in the elevator or in the hallway. Sometimes it was a simple "Hello, how is the quarter going?" and other times it was a questions about my work. I remember one day I mentioned that I was writing a dissertation on Pierre Loti, to which Marc replied, "I directed a dissertation on Loti years ago. There is not much out there about him so you have chosen a very rich topic on which to write." ALthough I never knew Professor Blanchard in a formal capacity, I will miss his friendliness and willingness to talk with someone who wasn't even a student of his. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.