In one of many digressions in a nearly 10-page single-spaced letter that has landed former University Ph.D. student Charles Bly in jail, Bly mentioned a conversation among University officials as to whether he was a nut or a genius.
Whether Bly, who is accused of knowingly mailing a threatening communication, a federal offense that carries penalties of up to five years in jail and fines of up to $250,000, is a genius, a nut, both or neither is one of many unanswered questions regarding the former nuclear engineering student.
And with the legal proceedings against Bly just getting under way, most people familiar with Bly's letter, and the events that prompted it, prefer not to discuss what they know, meaning the mystery will likely remain for weeks to come.
Earlier this month, a letter signed with Bly's name was sent to close to 50 University officials and officials elsewhere, including professors, University President John T. Casteen III, Board of Visitors members, Virginia Senators John Warner and George Allen, Gov. Mark R. Warner and U.S. Education Secretary Roderick Paige.
Bly's attorney, Willis Spaulding, said Bly admitted to authoring the letter when speaking with investigators.
"Mr. Bly was entirely cooperative with the authorities interrogating him," Spaulding said.
In the letter, Bly said former University Nuclear Engineering Prof. Roger Rydin stole his research.
"Rydin is a thief of intellectual property who believed he would not be caught by anyone who gives a damn about justice, and he was nearly right," the letter states.
In the letter, Bly also said he made a variety of complaints to University officials, stating August 1996 as the date of one of the first of those complaints, but said these complaints were dismissed or ignored.
The letter also included a number of references to violence as well pictures of target practice by Bly, which in the letter he said showed his "ability with small-bore and high-power rifles."
The references to violence mentioned the perceived ineffectiveness of any legal negotiations between Bly and University officials.
"Sorry UVa Counsel Mr. Paul Forch, Esq., bullets are far cheaper and much more decisive. A person with my modest means and abilities can stand at a distance of two football fields and end elements of a long-standing dispute with the twitch of my index finger," the letter said.
Besides accusing Rydin of stealing his research, the letter also said Rydin and another former University nuclear engineering professor, Jack Brenizer, held Bly in Brenizer's office against his will.
The letter accuses Brenizer and Rydin of "standing side-by-side blocking the doorway, creating a hostile work environment and haranguing me in the spring of 1996 to finish my nuclear Ph.D. program."
Whether any of Bly's claims are true, as well as whether his letter was intended as a threat -- and thus whether Bly is a genius or a nut -- remains an open question.
Bly addressed the issue in his letter, claiming he was neither.
"I have worked too hard for my achievements to be characterized a genius," the letter said. "At the same time, I have held too many positions of responsibility to be characterized as a nut."
Spaulding said his client has no criminal record and that Bly said in a court hearing last week that he has never suffered from any mental illness.
One former nuclear engineering professor described Bly as neither a genius nor a nut when he knew him.
"I knew him well," former Prof. Albert Reynolds said. "I don't know of any unusual behavior" by Bly.
Reynolds also said Bly spent a very long time trying to complete his Ph.D. dissertation.
"It got to the point where he wasn't making the progress he was supposed to be making," Reynolds said.
Another former nuclear engineering professor who knew Bly, James Kelly, said Rydin and Bly got along with each other at least at first.
"I think he and [Rydin] had a pretty good working relationship for a while," Kelly said.
Reynolds said eventually Bly ceased to follow Rydin's advice in pursuing his research.
"It got to the point where he couldn't advise him anymore," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he vaguely remembered a complaint by Bly that Rydin had stolen his work, while Kelly said he had no recollection of such a complaint.
Kelly declined to comment on what he thought about Bly, but did defend Rydin's character.
"Roger Rydin is about as honest and ethical a person as I've known," Kelly said.
Other than Kelly and Reynolds, few people familiar with Bly or the pending criminal proceedings were willing to comment on the record.
Rydin, who is now retired, did not return calls seeking comment.
Brenizer, who now serves as a professor at Penn State University, declined to comment on the letter while the matter was in the courts.
"I have no comment because the matter is under investigation," Brenizer said. "Because of the nature of the actions, we need to go through the legal channels."
Brenizer directed questions to Penn State General Counsel Wendell Courtney.
Though the case against Bly is being handled by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Courtney said Penn State and U.Va. are remaining involved in the case.
"Penn State has been working in cooperation with officials with U.Va. in this matter," Courtney said.
University Associate General Counsel Alton Martin declined to comment on the case against Bly.
Spaulding said last week that Bly believes the letter is a protected form of free speech that does not constitute a crime.
Though Courtney would not comment on whether Brenizer personally felt threatened by the letter, he said he thought it did amount to a threat.
"I think the letter speaks for itself," he said. "We certainly considered the letter to be threatening."
Bly's wife, April Bly-Monnen, declined to comment, as did Kathryn Thornton, assistant dean of graduate programs in the Engineering School, who the letter refers to repeatedly.
Spaulding said charges against Bly will be presented to a grand jury this week.
Whether the proceedings will answer many of the questions about Bly and the accusations in his letter remains to be seen.
Spaulding said Bly's claim that Ryden stole his work may or may not play a role in the case.
Though many details have yet to emerge, the fact that Bly's relationship with the University ended unhappily is not in doubt.
"It's a sad story," Kelly said.
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