Mike was an extraordinary person. He held a PhD in Operations Research from MIT. When he died, Mike held an endowed chair at the PSU Smeal Business School. He had been President of his professional society (INFORMS) in 2004. He was also an avid birder. His lifetime identification list contained 1229 world-wide species and he had identified 152 species on our Riverhaven property in NJ.
The first summer we met, we went into the City to see a play. Passing a flower market, Mike wanted to buy me a dozen roses. It was 104 degrees and we had the play and dinner on our schedule. I suggested to him that if he bought a single rose, he could then buy one 11 more times. He agreed. In our 10 year marriage, there were not 11 days that I didn't have a fresh rose.
Mike was a very generous man. He believed in helping young students by gifting monies for scholarships. Mike's generosity extended past his death as he became an organ donor.
Mike and I cherished each other and we never left without saying "I love you". These were his last words he said to me before he left on Feb. 18, 2008 to go for his daily morning swim, where he died in the pool swimming. Three weeks later I received a delayed voicemail from him from the morning of February 18. He was telling me it was icy out and that I should be careful walking. He also said, "I love you and I'll see you later." That was never to be… I now have a CD copy of this voicemail which I will forever treasure.
Together we were happy visiting universities around the world, or just staying home and enjoying the sunset. He loved our Riverhaven property on the Raritan River where we lived in NJ. I miss Mike more than words can ever express, but from the beginning, we cherished our days together. We took the time to smell the roses.