1990

These last couple of days, I have been thinking about Jason Greer and his wife, Lucy, who died in a tragic commercial fishing accident in Alaska this summer. Rough waters capsized their boat, and the rescue party arrived too late to save them. A close friend of Jason's sent me a letter that I'd like to share with you. In light of the somberness of this column, I hope you'll understand why I've held other announcements from our classmates for next month's column.

"Jase was not only my best friend, but he was also the most decent human being that I know. He was a person of incredibly strong beliefs, which was made evident by the fact that he graduated from Dartmouth without touching a single drop of alcohol (as you know that was no small feat). He loved rowing and writing while at Dartmouth, and he had a tremendously good sense of humor.

"But what really differentiated Jase from other people is that he thought things out extremely carefully so that he never had to compromise. When he committed to things, he always gave it everything he had. I think of many of our classmates who wish that they could have spent their youth traveling and crisscrossing the world instead of being stuck in an office or the library. Jase was the sort of person that we wish we could have been. He judged people by the strength of their character rather than the length of their resume.

"He was one of the lucky few people who not only met and married the person of his dreams but also knew every moment of every day how fortunate he was. Once he married, he and Lucy spent every day together. Their lifestyles allowed for this closeness, and they never became bored with each other.

"We're still not 100 percent sure about what happened in the icy waters off Alaska, but I am certain about one thing. I'm sure that he died trying to save his wife. As I said, he never compromised his beliefs, and he held marriage as the most sacrosanct of all vows. He promised to honor and protect his wife, and I know that this is what he did.

"He was one of a kind, and there's no way to replace him. But for everyone who knew him, we were so lucky and fortunate to have had him in our lives."

Jason's parents have formed a foundation in memory of their son and daughter-in-law, in honor of their esteem for the arts: the Jason & Lucy Greer Foundation for the Arts, P.O. Box 6321, Bloomington, IN 47407.

135 W. 16th St., #56, NY, NY 10011; jeanheek@hotmail.com