RIP Francis "Uncle Bubby" Huck

The last of my grandfather's siblings has passed away after a brief illness.

And so passes another generation.

I have fond memories of Uncle Bubby taking me and my brothers out to the country to "shoot the guns."  We used to have a great time out there on his rural property in Osyka, Mississippi.  At the ages of 12-13 or so, we used to pile into Uncle Bubby's van early in the morning, stop off for Eclairs and coffee on the way to the country, and smoke cigars (yes, we did that!) while we crunched through the forests with our single-barrell 12-guage shotguns looking for squirrells or other varmints to pelt.

We used to stay in a rustic cabin that was heated only by an old-fashioned, cast-iron wood stove.  I remember heating our coffee cups on the top of this stove and even frying up our breakfasts of scrambled eggs and bacon on this stove.

In many ways, it was an idyllic time.

Uncle Bubby continued to make treks up to the country even with the next generation of my nephews.

He was a life-long bachelor who held many views about people and politics that I did not agree with; but he was a good-hearted man who shared what he had generously with others.  He will be missed.

April Brayfield, RIP

May a wonderful colleague and a lovely person, April Brayfield, rest in peace.  She left us much too soon and the world is a poorer place for her absence.

One of April's signature gestures was to hood one of her doctoral students on the stage during the Graduate Commencement ceremony at Tulane, and then pull out her camera and take a picture of the newly-minted Ph.D. right then and there.  It made her students stand out and feel special, and I always thought it was a wonderful, kind, lovely gesture.

She will be missed.

John (Jack) Jacob Zollinger III, R.I.P.

Jack, who is my brother's father-in-law, was a wonderful man. He was one of the most generous, peaceful, calm, and genuinely friendly souls I knew. He was a true man for others, in the best of the JHS Blue Jay tradition. Although not a Catholic himself, he was fond of the Jesuits and loved JHS. He was a regular at Jesuit baseball games. Every encounter I had with Jack was always a nice encounter. I will miss him. Rest in peace, Jack.