I came to know Steve when he took my course on cellular solids at MIT. Afterwards we became friends, sharing our love of engineering, natural history and Canada (I grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario, went to UofT and lived in Calgary for a year, working for an engineering consulting company). When I told Steve that I was interested in making a video on how woodpeckers avoid brain injury, Steve volunteered to videotape one of my talks about this at the Arnold Arboretum. It was so much fun for me to see Steve in this different light, making use of his film background from Queen’s.   After Steve moved to Silicon Valley, we would get together when he came back to Boston for medical appointments, often going for a walk along the Charles River, having lunch in Kendall Square, or going for a walk at the Arnold Arboretum with my dog, catching up on our latest interests in engineering and natural history.

One day Steve showed up at my office with a gift for me: a CPR railroad spike that he had obtained from some railroad workers repairing the track near the Keatings' cottage. What a perfect gift for a Canadian engineer, far from home! I love having it in my study, reminding me of Steve.