Jerry Waxman 1941 - 2009

I was going to write to Jerry Waxman, to let him know that Hubert had died, and I found out that Jerry died, too, just over a month ago. He was only 68 years old. You can read more about him here.

Jerry was the phenomenal astronomy teacher at Santa Monica College when Hubert and I were students there. We both worked as his teaching assistants, and that's where we met.

Jerry was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He was so excited about astronomy that he got everyone else excited about it, and I was an astronomy major because of him, until I had to take physics!

The last time I talked to Jerry was several years ago, but it still feels sad, losing these people from my past. It brings up so many memories of those days, good and bad, but surprisingly, mostly good!

Hubert Stamps 1948 - 2009

I just found out that Hubert Stamps died last May. He was my first boyfriend, back in 1973-74, and he was only 61 years old. I hadn't talked to him nor seen him in many years, but it still felt sad. From what I hear, he was well-loved by many who knew him in Santa Barbara, where he lived. You can see some of the tributes to him here.

We were an interracial couple in the days when that was rare. We were only together for about a year, but I learned a lot during that time. Here's a picture of us in January 1974.



And here's a picture that he took of me, that is still my favorite picture of myself. I always felt that he really captured my essence here. A little bit shy and a little bit sad.



Thanks for being my friend, Hubert. I'm sure the world is a better place because of you.