I'm so grateful for Melissa, Brian, and others who contributed to making yesterday's event possible. One of my first memories of Gregory is him speaking reverently about Mr. Chadwick and the garden @ UCSC.  I was honored to be there at that place listening to everyone share. I especially enjoyed hearing his students share stories of how he impacted their lives.  The one thing I remember most about Gregory is the important parenting tip he offered me.  "Don't push.  Just open the door, create a space for him, and let him come in on his own terms." Took me a long time to realize just how important that piece of advice was. 

May flocks of angels take you to your rest...

• We loved this song.  And, before he died he was learning how to play it.  There were many songs we shared , the three of us, Kyle, Gregory and I. This was one of them,  

Greg and I worked together during the heyday of the Student Garden with Alan. We both graduated in 1970 and stayed on as apprentices, effectively as the primary Garden staff under Alan’s direction. Steve Decater and Michael Zander also were part of that group.

The memories I want to share are somewhat different, however. Greg and I were both from the San Fernando Valley, and knew something of each other’s high schools and neighborhoods, and had some similar experiences as teenagers in 60’s LA. But in the late 60s and by 1970 the war in Vietnam was raging in full. We both had low lottery draft numbers and as it turned out, the same draft board in North Hollywood. We both were drafted after graduation.

Everyone drafted was required to go through a physical at the Oakland induction center to see if you were fit for induction. The date for our physicals was the same, so fortunately we had each other for company on the bus up to Oakland and back, and during the induction physical process itself. It was totally impersonal and felt degrading, a sneak preview of life in the army. Several hundred men from the Oakland region were marched through a maze of humiliating examinations and interviews. This was a physical you wanted to fail, Greg somewhat actively. But we both passed. If anything, working 6-7 days a week in the Garden under Alan made you especially fit. Another thing we had in common was applying for conscientious objector status, and going through an interview in North Hollywood with the same draft board, with all the angst and uncertainty that was involved. Those shared experiences created for me an additional bond with Greg.

We saw each other a few times over the years, though less than I would have liked. The last time was during the 50-year Garden and Farm celebration in Santa Cruz, where we had a chance to catch up. I was shocked and saddened to hear that Greg had died. My best wishes to his family and others who were close to him.