George Casella ISBA 2012 memorial

”Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still.
For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent.
In this divine glass, they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure.
This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.”
—William Penn, Fruits of Solitude—

Yesterday, we had the memorial session for George at ISBA 2012. A lot of his friends were there, as well as well as persons who had had a interaction with George, either directly or by reading one of his books. We showed the slideshow prepared by Sarah, George’s daughter, for the memorial in Gainesville and edited by Ed George for a few more captions. Ed read the moving eulogy he had prepared for last week. And then people came to the desk to give testimonies on how they interacted with George and how they had been impacted by this interaction… Above is the poem read by Rebecca Steort as a tribute to George, poem which beautifully sums up our feelings.  Thanks to the organising committee, and in particular to Genya Kobayashi, the memorial was filmed and I hope to get it on line once I am back in Paris, as well as forward it to Anne, Sarah and Ben Casella, as a message of loving support and admiration from all those present at the session. (The above picture was taken in Varna, near Ithaca, when George was the captain of a truck in the volunteer Fire Department. He engaged in this activity as intensely as in any activity he was taking part in, getting through certifications and keeping a pager on at all times but when teaching for emergencies.)