Tim Jones writes

Dear Jim,

I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear about Vaiva's death. I learned of it this afternoon (eight months late) from the E Theta newsletter. The newsletter arrives in my mail sporadically at best, and no more than once a year. I am as likely to toss it as read it. Unlikely as this sounds, the first thing that came into my mind when I saw it was Vaiva. I don't think you can ascribe this to any supernatural force, but rather to her quiet and persistent influence which is still radiating out from all those years ago. It was perfectly natural for one to suddenly think about her first before anyone else. For one thing, she was beautiful - at least I thought so. She was also kind, thoughtful and smart.

I've always had a suspicion, never verified, that it was she who first advanced my name as a possible pledge at E Theta. It was certainly she who shared middle front with me in my very first semester. That was probably one of the more transforming two months of my life, and I will always associate it with her. Her voice imprinted on me like a mother hen imprinting on a chick. I heard her on the radio translating about fifteen years later, and knew instantly after a few words who it was though the context certainly threw me.

It seems such a short time ago that we were students. The pictures of Vaiva and others on your blog are images of such extreme youth. I still think of her and you and everyone else as exactly that young - full of energy and promise and excited to forge ahead into the future. Vaiva represented for me all the freshness and excitement of plunging into college. I'm very sorry that she is gone, and I just wanted let you know.

Timothy Jones

tim@tjones.com