I met Chris at AGU circa 2005 (I'm forever in your debt Joe Shea). Our annual meet-up in San Francisco instantly became a highlight of my year. When he moved to Svalbard in 2014, his arrival coincided with the fieldwork I had planned in Ny Alesund, and I asked him if he wanted to come along. Of course he did! We had the best two weeks, the highlight of which was (strangely) ferociously competitive ping pong. He's been one of my closest friends ever since. The great times we had are uncountable, and I will be forever grateful for this. I do have some regrets. I regret not acting on the opportunity to collaborate with him on a great paper we conjured up using some old data I had lurking in the bottom of a filing cabinet. I regret not being able to do more to help Chris and Brittany when their lives fell apart after Chris's diagnosis, which unhelpfully coincided with Covid lockdowns. They were beautiful together, and the hell they endured cannot be overstated. Finally, I regret not getting out to see him last spring. The stars just didn't align for that visit, and besides, I thought we had more time. Chris did too. We talked about whether he'd see 50. He was hopeful, but realistic that he'd probably not. I was more optimistic. Neither of us thought he wouldn't see 46. I keep looking at the last conservation we had on Whatsapp and thinking how can that be it?! It's not fair, but I'm really comforted by all the posts from his family, friends, and colleagues that remind me of the immensely positive impact he had over his much-too-short life. Thanks Chris for being the person you were. I'll miss you forever.
Tim- these photos and stories are such a gift to us, as you were a gift of friendship to Chris. I will never be able to thank you enough. 🩵