Heartfelt condolences to the family and friends.
And to Paul, I’m wishing the best in his heart to accompany him forward. Farewell dad until we meet again!
Met Paul in August 1980, in Columbus, being one his and Dorothy’s exchange students. In the early days of the year I spend in his home, I simply could not comprehend his unceasing mind, hands and feet. He worked and did something useful the entire 18-20 hours every day! I had never met anyone like him.
I don’t think he slept more than 5 hours nightly, and would lie on the carpet after an evening meal once every other month or so and sleep until the morning to catch up. :-)
He would come back from his trips, for instance from Washington DC attending the national Nuclear Safety Committee meeting (he was the chair then), and walk right into the kitchen washing few mugs in the sink, consolidating leftovers in the fridge, while saying hi!
He made wine in the basement, changed the oil of his cars (soaked newspapers in the oil to start the fire in the fire place), repaired his bikes, almost always cooked and served the desert for the dinners, which featured guests few times a week. Many other house chores and more…all this besides the incredible demands of his well reputed career and frequent travels. He even found time to give me ride to places frequently, as exchange students could not drive. I just could not understand how all this could be accomplished.
Concerts with him were special also . He would enjoy them, but he always worked some engineering problem on the back of the program almost throughout the event.
He liked driving; short outings and interstate travel alike. He seemed to be always checking out the car inside and out: Sounds, configuration of equipment, fixing adjusting things.
One time I visited them for Christmas while attending college in Iowa. He asked if I wanted to drive his red VW Scirocco, he liked very much. I was new to driving which he knew. I kept downshifting on red lights. He finally said “Kaan, these days brake pads are much less expensive then gears!”. He always made this type of jokes with messages. I missed much of them in my early days with him, as my English and my maturity was no match to catch both the joke and the point; but they were always rich with guidance.
He and Dorothy visited Turkey the following year after my return. We were on the Aegean cost enjoying the sun, beaches and historical places, when he developed serious diarrhea. I remember for a day or two he only drank Turkish coffee and ate water melons as the recommended cure by us locals, following along, not wanting to disrupt the mindset and planned activities. I also remember he would stop in souvenir shops and study the metal work carefully, nudging things with the nail of his index finger, leaving me to explain the shop keepers what this was all about. :-)
Many fond memories with Paul & Dorothy, remarkably vast hearted people, great parents to complete strangers, rare gems of life one encounters if one is fortunate.
Love & Peace forever…
Kaan & Erdal family