I met Alan for the first time nearly a year ago. It was an overcast afternoon in November and I'd flown to Northern California for the day. Parking my rental car on the hilly,tree-lined street, I double-checked Alan's address. His house number matched the one on the beautiful Spanish colonial nestled into the hill above me.Grabbing my computer bag, I took a deep breath,got out of the car and unlatched the gate.

This was taken at the end of our final meeting, at his home in Berkeley, in April...