Greg Howell was my personal Halley’s comet. We both attended William Chrisman High School in Independence, Missouri, and I greatly admired him. I think it was around the end of our sophomore year that he came by my house for a visit to talk about his family’s upcoming move to Arizona. We both knew that Scottsdale had excellent schools and was a great place to live, but I was sad to say goodbye to such an interesting friend.

As often happens when teenagers move away, Greg and I did not keep in touch although I got reports about him. And, as chance would have it, my parents moved away from Independence in the spring of my junior year – less than a year after Greg left. Neither Greg nor I had the traditional experience of attending one high school for four years and then graduating with a cadre of classmates that we had known “forever.”

I often thought of Greg and, though I knew he would do well, I had no direct contact with him. Then, 52 years later, my Halley’s comet friend returned. A classmate from Chrisman put us in touch when Greg mentioned that he was going to visit the Bay Area. Since my husband Jim and I lived in Oakland, the planets were aligned for us to drive to Half Moon Bay to meet Greg for brunch. He was just as delightful to visit with as he had been when we were kids. Our brunch was in the spring and I told him that Jim and I were planning to attend the Chrisman 50^th Reunion that fall. The organizers let me be part of the group even though I had not graduated, and I was sure they would also welcome Greg and Dana.

While he had seemed interested, I was very surprised when he wrote and said that he and Dana would meet us in Independence. It was a wonderful reunion. We sat at the same table with Greg and Dana and other old friends. Reunions are remarkable because it’s as if time has stood still except that we’re all a little wiser and more confident. Spending time with Greg in 2011 was a cycle like a Halley’s comet, and Greg was definitely a bright star in the sky.

The denouement was another dinner when Greg was in Oakland not long after the reunion. And there was Facebook, where I was able to follow Greg and Dana and Emily from afar. It was Greg’s brave post in late January about his illness that broke all our hearts.

Rest well, Greg. The old gang from Independence remembers you and misses your shining light that passed through in our youth, and returned decades later to celebrate with us ever so briefly.