Well, since you asked, my son, Kaleb, died in a parachute accident the week before his graduation ceremony from the Air Force Academy. Here is an excerpt of what one of his USAFA professors had to say - there were a lot more like this, but this was one of my favorites - he was special:
"As you all know, Kaleb was unique. He was never one to follow the herd. He was far more likely to be exploring places the herd was unaware of altogether. He was similarly unique as a student. Kaleb was an astute reader and wrote beautifully. But this was in part because he saw what others did not, and had the observational powers of someone who moved from insider to outsider and back again at will. He never worried about what I expected him to think or understand ~ he was not trying to please a professor by figuring out in advance what the correct answer was supposed to be. And this is exactly why he was so intellectually advanced beyond his classmates. He cared about ideas, people, truths and his inner life more than grades or accolades. He cared more about helping his classmates learn than impressing them. Yet he was so very impressive as a human being. His final paper in my course was an A+, and I am sending you a copy ~ it’s a small part of him, I know, but perhaps you will want to read it.
Losing Kaleb has diminished all of us ~ our world will have less joy, exuberance, wit, wisdom, and kindness in it without him. He touched everyone that knew him, and we offer our deepest sympathy to you all. I will personally never forget your son, and will always say a prayer for you and your family."
I loved taking this special young man to GT games over the years.
