O Captain! my captain!

 I am not sure why I decided to carve a woodblock with the face of Agamemnon almost 60 years ago. 18 years ago on April 1 (a day I never forgot) I saw a very tall man come striding a bit gingerly  through a forest of cacti and succulents in Mitchell Hall at Denver Botanic Gardens (the last hours of the annual Spring sale of that Society) and someone said "That's your new boss!" My first glimpse of Brian Vogt. 

I never dreamed I'd see the enormous positive changes he would bring to DBG (and all of us on staff). His many accomplishments will be publicized and sung for a long time to come. But all of us who worked with him can share the other bonds we'd formed. For instance, Brian and I share a love of Classics (both studied with Hunter Rawlings III at the University of Colorado--later three times president of Cornell University). And our biweekly meetings often veered into the ruff of politics or Roman or Greek history. I was astonished by his memory for detail and incredible intellect.

I told Brian about the woodblock I'd done, and how I thought it resembled him. I hesitated to have my niece (who has it on her wall) photograph it since the face looks so tortured and gaunt--so unlike this extraordinarily positive man. I am startled to see how the cancer, radiation and chemo--not mention two heart attacks accelerated the resemblance.

 I don't have the heart to seek out and share an actual picture of him.  R.I.P. Brian. My sadness will never obscure the love, respect and awe I will forever hold for you, Boss.