Ben Teague was one of the great stalwarts on FLEFO in CompuServe, which I joined in 1994 or thereabouts. He translated physics, but his great passion was amateur theatre. His wife Fran taught/teaches literature at the university. His website gives some impression of all this.

Now I learn from Michael Wahlster, via Twitter, that Ben was shot dead on Saturday, when he was standing outside the theatre with two other people, by the husband of one of them. Here’s an article on the shooting, and here another with more information about Ben and a photo.

Police said Marie Bruce, Tom Tanner and Ben Teague were all outside the community theater when Bruce’s estranged husband came by with two hand guns and open fired.

“Marie was the president of this organization for many, many years that acted and directed, (and) has two beautiful children,” said victim’s friend Steve Elliott-Gower. “(Tom), like Ben, he was always down at the theater helping build somebody else’s set. Ben Teague was the life and soul of the organization — very talented guy. He must have put in tens of thousands of hours building and designing sets.

I must admit I thought of him as old, but he was only one year older than me. He probably just did more! I am sorry I didn’t meet Ben. The same goes for another Flefoid, Alicia Gordon, who was only 53 when she died.

Further links: a personal account by Ben’s step-brother (since his 92-year-old father married Ben’s mother) and by the Austin Area Translators and Interpreters Association.