A brief eulogy for a friend,

Thought I'd share this with you:

I first met Kimber in '91, and we quickly became friends. I say "quickly" because if Kimber didn't care for you, he didn't waste any time letting you know his opinion.

Kimber was my colleague, my preferred digging partner, my confidante, and my mentor.

He never gave me much technical advice in the business of archaeological fieldwork...didn't teach me how to dig straight and level, or identify artifacts or features. He definitely wasn't much help with the paperwork...

But he did impart to me his "Three Laws of Archaeology". I think they really were applicable to much more than archaeology, and I would like to share them with you.

"Kimber's Laws"

1. Never get separated from your lunch.

The wisdom of this is self-evident, and when we heard that eventually, with the allegedly unwitting help of H. H., who took the work van, and Kimber's lunch, on one of his many important tasks, for the better part of the day, we were much amused.

2. It will always rain, and you will always have to move your backdirt.

It took me a long time, years really, to figure out why there were two, seemingly unrelated, parts to the second law. I think this was Kimber's way of saying, "Plan for the worst, because it is inevitable". The more experienced I get, the more I appreciate his philosophy.

Kimber's Third Law was this: Never display competence, or it will be expected of you.

You might think Kimber was setting a low bar here, but I suspect he was being somewhat facetious. Then again, in proudly serving our corporate masters for a pittance, perhaps not. Eventually, I got him to admit that there was actually a corollary to the third law: Always master one unique skill, because then you are indispensible!

A touching eulogy for what seems like a unique and fun person.

Seems like he had a lot of wisdom and I'm sorry for your loss. You did a nice eulogy for him--you let us get to know someone whom is obviously unique. I hope you get the chance to mentor someone else in turn.