In Memoriam

On this Memorial Day 2008, I am reminded of the ephimeral nature of our lives on earth and of the importance of passion, integrity and authenticity in the longevity of our legacy... I have recently been deeply moved by the passing of my main mentor at MIT, Mark Schuster, who was relentless in his quest to inspire us all to do our best every single day. Likewise, there are other important mentors that are no longer physically on the same time/space as us, but whose inspiration and meaning still live on: Lee Becker, my Masters mentor and the first Venice Project Center director; Andrea Penso, the tireless chaperon of hundreds of public art enthusiasts like him; Mimmo Chiozzotto, who saw the value in what we did for Venice's environment. Despite these losses, we're lucky that so many of our mentors and inspirers are still alive! We must make sure that we honor all of them this year.
It's been really painful for me to have lost a dear professor and role model like Mark, without having had a chance to tell him in person how much he meant to me. As hard as it may be to open up to those who have made a difference in our lives, it's nothing compared to the pain of regret when it's too late to do it. Unexpressed gratitude is truly ungrateful...