Xavier

Dear Jennie,

Of course we were already very saddened by your previous email and hoping that a following email would not come too soon and that Larry would go without pain or suffering. I am sorry it was not that way.

Just today cleaning my desk I found a two page memo that Larry wrote and gave me to read last March when I last saw him. Is titled "A different way to look at gravity" by Larry Cowell in the year 2004. But it also has sections that he continued on 2005 and in 2007. A two pager that he kept working on for two years!

The memo is illustrative of one of Larry´s biggest strengths: his endless sense of curiosity about the world and the universe. He was always willing to learn and ask questions, and look for answers for himself in a very logical and reasonable manner.

I have not seen that in many human beings his age. My sample size is quite small too, but as humans grow older we tend to become more cynical about life in general. That is just part of human nature I thought. However, the highest quality human beings I have met, such as a few great scholars with whom I have spent some time, are just as Larry. They are like little kids with an endless sense of curiosity.

Larry never showed his age and I just wish I had the chance to meet him when he was much younger (physically). I will keep the memo as it reminds me of what it was like to have a conversation with him. But also because I would like to use it for teaching. I would like to show to future students that it does not matter what your age is or whether you consider yourself an "authority" or not in the subject. What really matters to keep going forward is how curious you are about the issue.

It cheered me up a bit to remember that after reading the letter I called him to let him know that I found his explanation reasonable and insightful. He seemed encouraged by that.

Xavier