Thank you, Claudia, for your warm account of Alfred's career. His enthusiasm for good fiction (we dis- agreed about whether Hemingway belonged in that category) and his love of the natural world were 2 areas of interest we shared. You and I met a time or 2 for pizza in Palo Alto, when you had a break at Mills. He spoke of you often, always with pride; his love, admiration and respect for you were palpable. Alfred and I lost track of one another after I remarried, which I regret. I had not even known that he'd died until I happened to stumble across your fine tribute to him on the internet. Having known him only as an advocate for the environment, I was surprised to learn of his early pursuit of petrology-- an indication of how his active thinking shifted and expanded. His joie de vivre, his honesty and clarity, and his lively enquiring mind I remember most fondly. And the delightfully eclectic aesthetic of his house, the huge rhododendrons he'd chosen to ring his garden, and his fondness for Citroens were small, endearing things. Best, Robin Standish