WOODY NAIFEH

There are those of us who believe that, in the moments when you are remembered by the living, immoratlity can be achieved. For this reason, I feel compelled to write about the incredible impression that Woody Naifeh made on my life. When I first met him twenty-seven years ago, at the goofy and awkward age of 11, he was my best friend's father. I remember him patiently driving his daughters and me to piano lessons every Thursday and always buying us an ice cream on the way. As a husband to and parent of very talented, busy women, Woody thankfully was a man who didn't need a lot of limelight. I remember him sitting way in the back of the audience at numerous piano recitals and lessons, reading books about particle physics. He was a man who simply and wisely knew that it would merely take a protective and patient presence (and a lot of ice cream) to carry out the immense job of inspiring a lifetime of music appreciation in his daughters and in me. His quiet and constant support has allowed Jody to musically inspire hundreds of young students. Karen is continuing this work and maybe her daughter, Lexy will too -- a form of immortality created from the way one can shape and inspire the lives of those around them. When I began to pursue my career in science, I appreciated Woody even more. I could always stop by the Naifeh's during my visits home and commiserate about the thrill and agony of scientific research. I remember realizing that I was so very lucky to have a best friend like Karen, that had given me an entire family of friends and more. Woody and Jody's hobby of collecting interesting people, throwing huge parties, and mixing their people collection together enriched my young life and broadened my views of the world. Woody Naifeh's deep understanding and love of nature was and is still tangible to me. I see it in the land he lived on and the beautiful house that he designed for his family. In his architecture I can still sense the high desert of Taos and the mountains of Colorado. Woody didn't need to live somewhere already great, because he made where he was a great place to be. He made his surroundings beautiful and interesting. His appreciation of nature, science, quantum physics, philosophy, big band music, wood carving, metal crafting, and architecture made him a true renaissance man -- and better yet, one that I could talk to and not just see on a dusty documentary. As a true scientist and philosopher, he lived for the occasional glimpse of the universal and profound truths that shape our world. In every stage of his life he made real contributions to these truths, once with a presentation concerning the non-existence of time and also in an elegant series of experiments demonstrating the magnetism of ozone. Yet, admirably, he was never narcissitic or vain or overly ambitious and chose to make a humble living as a public servant and engineer. He seemed to enjoy most when he could apply his genius to solving practical problems artistically and accessibly for the common man, like crafting more elegant knives. Today, Woody inspires me in my everyday employment as a public servant and scientist. He inspires me to make the place I am into a great place. He reminds me that great things can come from a little ice cream and the daily example that we provide for others. Woody is an inspiration to me to be a calmer and more laid-back parent. His memory reminds me that the universe is big and mysterious and beautiful, and that the world is full of art and good converstion and interesting people. His life reminds me that the best reward in life is a life well lived. He has become immortal to me and I will never forget him. Dr. Valerie Mattimore Fuller. We miss you and love you, Jody, Sheila, Jamie, Karen, Nathan and Lexy.