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Friends, faculty and students of Cassal remember his passionate dedication as a teacher and his warm, caring nature as a person.
Donald Johns, lecturer for UWP, supervised Cassal as a graduate student. Like others, he was shocked to hear of his death.
"It was a great loss for future students, a devastating blow, and it was especially hard for those of us who didn't check our e-mails over break," Johns said. "He could have succeeded in a number of fields, but he chose teaching and academia, which can be a highly competitive area. Even still, he was always a complete professional."
Receiving a master's with an emphasis in creative writing in 1997, Cassal later on earned a Ph.D. in English in 2003, becoming a postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis the following year. He became a lecturer in 2004-2005, teaching various English literature and UWP classes.
While at UC Davis, Cassal assisted Professor Margaret Ferguson with editing the fifth edition of the Norton Anthology of Poetry, and in 2000, he won the UC Davis teaching award for outstanding graduate students.
He published more than 500 articles in his lifetime as a journalist and freelancer, including features on Shakespeare festivals in Oregon and California. Cassal's great passion was Shakespeare, one of his favorites being Othello, in which he examined the concept of honesty in his dissertation.
Last fall quarter, he taught English 117C, a class on Shakespeare's later works.
Scott Koningisor, a senior English major, said he had dreaded taking the Shakespeare requirement before taking it with Cassal.
"All the Shakespeare I had read was dull, but he made it interesting and instilled in me a respect for Shakespeare's art," he said. "He actually taught, giving students various critical interpretations of the works as well as the opportunity to share our gut reactions to the text."
Senior Vishad Dewan also took English 117C and wanted to take another class with him.
"He made sure we walked away knowing the material and was very open and welcoming," Dewan said. "I came in to the class thinking I knew a lot about Shakespeare, but I walked out thinking I knew nothing. I learned how to analyze and better appreciate Shakespeare."
Jeffrey Smith, a graduate school classmate, carpooled with Cassal to the Bay Area during graduate school. He said his death came as a particular surprise because he was a fitness buff.
UWP lecturer Elizabeth Davis often took the same train with Cassal to the Bay Area.
"He was smart, funny and loved to mock the tried and true," she said. "He was a terrific conversationalist, and I remember when we discovered that we both, at one point, drove powder blue '75 VW hatchbacks."
She also remembered his chivalry.
"I remember he would always walk me to my car in the train parking lot," she said. "I would insist on driving him to his car in return, but he would always say no. He was a gentleman and a scholar, and will be greatly missed in the department."
Cindy Dufern, program coordinator for the University Writing Program, remembers his thoughtfulness.
"When I told him I was going to Hawaii, he brought me books and guides of Maui [and] Kauai," she said.
All of his classes for winter quarter were full, she said.
Senior Cyra Emery said Cassal was his favorite English professor at UC Davis.
"He was genuinely interested in not only what you had to say, but also in you yourself," he said. "He seemed to love simply interacting with students, both on an academic and social level."
Dewan added that Cassal wasn't just teaching but mentoring students as well.
"He helped with more than just classes, but also on a personal level," Dewan said. "He was a warm, understanding guy. He really touched a lot of people."
KATHARINE LU can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.