I’ve had the pleasure to work with Gerry for many years starting on ODP Leg 193 Guam to Townsville, Austrailia. We’ve had some tough projects and some tough conditions over the years and Gerry was as hard working as you will find. He would not hesitate to get his hands dirty to help get things done or stay up for 2 days if that was what was needed to make sure the job was done right. I’ve very much appreciated working for him as he was a great person who treated people fairly and I had the utmost respect for him. On top of that he was just a great man in general that everyone liked to be around and that is the part I will really miss. Fortunately he was able to make some time for some fun over the years as well. I can recall many memorable times we’ve had from Rio to Japan and plenty of places in between but the most memorable I think was a fantastic dinner we had in Townsville at the completion of ODP Leg 193 which was our first expedition together. Leg 193 was a tough cruise due to the high temperatures we experienced and the stuck drill pipe that always seemed to follow Gerry whenever he came out to the ship, at least that is what he always would say because he would only sail on the hard rock expeditions which usually ended up with stuck pipe at some point. During this cruise we nearly melted our logging tools as the temperatures exceeded the design specifications above 500F deg at one drilling site due to the geothermal activity and a nearby volcano at Rabaul –Papua New Guinea. Fortunately no serious damage was done and we were relieved to say the least. I don’t recall how many times we had to sever the drill pipe due to stuck pipe but it must have been several times as well. Once we arrived into Townsville and being very happy to be on solid ground again after 60 days, Gerry rounded up a bunch of scientists and shipboard personnel from the ship and we had a large group dinner at an outstanding restaurant there. I’m guessing it must have been the entire science and operations parties from the ship it was so large of a group. People had such a great time that night that I was still getting comments from people even 8 years later who kept recalling how much of a good time they had at that dinner. Gerry used to recall this story as well and I really couldn’t do him justice to explain it as well as he could but it really was a fantastic time we all had with Gerry that I and many others won’t forget. Like Greg said, Gerry had a way of telling stories that thoroughly described how it really felt to be there and experience it first hand while at the same time making it very humorous as there almost always was something to laugh about in most of our adventures. More recently I can recall a scuba dive he and I made in Curacao for “Science” to verify a temperature calibration of a new logging tool. I was a bit hesitant as I still had a lot of work to complete but looking back now it was a really good decision as we were able to do everything we needed to do for work but also get some fun in as well. Another time Clay and I made a couple of scuba dives with Gerry as a “team building” exercise in Bermuda and looking back all of that was time very well spent. I think Gerry understood that it was important to not only to work hard during your journey but also to take some time and enjoy the scenery as well. Thanks Gerry for the fun and the memories! You will be greatly missed and I’m sorry I can’t attend you’re memorial but you and you’re daughter will be in my thoughts and prayers. Godspeed and smooth sailing! Kerry Swain