Tribute to Earl Showerman By Kevin Gilvary

Oxfordians around the globe are mourning the death on 2 August 2026 of Earl Showerman. He will be remembered as much for his remarkable understanding of the works of Shakespeare as for his infectious enthusiasm in promoting the Oxfordian theory of authorship. Earl made significant contributions to the study of Shakespeare in two ways: firstly, drawing on his own experience as a specialist in the Emergency Department, (A&E) Earl demonstrated the poet’s enormous depth of knowledge and understanding of medicine. As if this was not enough, Earl studied a wide range of Ancient Greek Literature and showed its vastly underrated influence on the bard. Moreover, he played a key role in re-uniting the different Oxfordian societies in the USA.

The day before he died, he sent me an email detailing his enjoyment of (among other memories) a visit to Westminster Abbey, a joint meeting at Cambridge University, and a conference at the British Library on Elizabethan manuscripts. Earl was born in Detroit on D Day in 1944. He studied at Harvard and then at the Michigan School of Medicine. For a while he lived and worked among the Native Americans in the mid-West before moving to Oregon to be with his wife Lee. He worked in the ER department of a large local hospital, and upon retirement he continued as a hospital porter. He will be missed.

On behalf of everyone at the De Vere Society, we extend our deepest condolences to Lee, Earl’s family, and his many friends and colleagues around the world. Earl’s scholarship, generosity, and friendship enriched our Society and the wider Oxfordian community. He will be sorely missed by us all at the DVS, but his legacy and his contribution to Oxfordian studies will endure.