It was during this later period of his life, a few Christmas’ ago that my wife and I stopped by to visit where we were treated by Gordy to a generous portion of kindness and hospitality. On his kitchen table was his collection of cameras and lenses. He showed us the latest addition-- a new Leica digital camera that he had recently purchased. There were boxes of old pictures some color, some black and white. He brought out that picture of my sister and I just after we moved in next door so many years earlier. Then he brought out something very special. He had pictures of his parents and of himself when he was a little boy and later after he had grown up. Yuki and I were struck by how fit and handsome he was. He had hair—something I never considered having only known him in his retirement. Then he told us a story… Gordy lived at Mooseheart. Mooseheart is an orphanage located in Batavia, Il. His father had died when he was quite young. He, his brothers and mom lived at the orphanage where they lived strictly regimented lives until they were old enough to no longer be considered children. Gordy told us that when this day arrived they basically gave him a few dollars and showed him the door. He initially found work in the Conservation Corp doing manual laborious work and living in barracks. Gordy did eventually find a job at a ball bearing manufacturing company where he worked until retirement. I now understood how Gordy’s past shaped the person I got to know. His neatly kept home was a reflection of the living regiment at Mooseheart. His career as a machinist and engineer honed his appreciation for tools and precision equipment… like cameras. His love of pictures was how he preserved his life experiences and memories. As his father died when he was young, the photo of his dad provided an important connection between them.