Every now and again, a fantastic life is cut short for unforeseen reasons. Last week, my roommate from graduate school was killed in a mountain biking accident. Meg was someone we could all try to be a little more like.... She was effortlessly smart, grounded, adventuresome, fun, wise, and just plain great to be around.
I moved to Missoula to begin graduate school sort of at the last minute in late August of 1997. I arrived into town days before classes started and I had no idea where I was going to live. Through a friend of a friend, I found out about two second year graduate students who needed a roommate. They were both in the same Environmental Studies (EVST) Masters program that I would be in, so it seemed like it could be a great fit. One of the roommates was a very high strung Williams graduate who grew up in New York City. She was incredibly uptight and was always home. Meg, was the other roommate. She was like a breath of fresh whenever she was around in that household....... She was busy-- when she wasn't working for MPIRG collecting signatures for various initiatives or volunteering for local non-profits, she was working on her last classes for her Masters. She always seemed to be in a good mood and didn't seem bothered by the nagging and complaining of our other roommate. She always had great stories, advice, and ideas. I'm a better person for having lived with her.
After graduate school, Meg and I both worked for Wild Rockies Field Institute teaching various trips. She went on to work as a scientist for Glacier National Park and then various parks in Alaska for the next ten years. She married a fabulous guy named Sydney and I was lucky enough to attend their perfect wedding in Glacier.
Two falls ago, Meg and Sydney happened to "swing" through Vermont on one of their annual tours of the East Coast. John and I were lucky enough to meet up with them and our good friends Shannon and Dave and Sidney's good friend Greg and his wife for dinner and blue grass at an old church in East Montpelier. Meg found out about the music while surfing the net from her home in Seward, AK. That's just the kind of gal she was. She knew what she wanted and knew how to find it.
Four months ago, Meg moved to the Upper Pennisula of Michigan to work for Painted Rocks National Seashore. She'd been hired as a senior scientist for the Park Service. She and Sidney had bought land and planned to settle in Munising, MI. On June 21st-- the solstice, the anniversary of meeting her husband, and his birthday-- Meg and Sydney went on a mountain bike ride. Tragedy struck during the ride.
At the service for Meg, her supervisor, who had only known her for four months, shared some amazing words about her. At the end of the speech, he informed all of us that a flag had been flown over the U.S. Capital last Thursday for Meg-- for her service to the United States as a Peace Corp volunteer and National Park Service employee.
She lived more in her 41 years than anyone I've known. She really did make a difference. My heart goes out to her husband Sidney, her family, and friends all over the country.
