Rest in Peace Old Friend

My dear friend of half a century departed this life on Tuesday, the day before yesterday, after a brief illness. Peter was one of my favorite clients, from his days at Little, Brown on Beacon Street in Boston, to Polaroid where he ascended the corporate ladder all the way to Executive Vice President. He leaves his lovely wife, Andrea, four splendid sons, their wives and seven grandchildren. We all mourn their loss, for he shall be missed.

Peter was the smartest guy I ever met. He and Andrea raised four great kids and got to live the American Dream.

The top photo is of Peter in 1958, this the two of us ten years ago at his home on Golden Pond, aka Squam Lake, New Hampshire.

I don't usually get much email except for those who want to know how much their old Polaroid cameras are worth (how would I know?) but Peter's passing has generated quite a bit from those saddened by the news.

"He was the best creative manager I ever worked for. Without apparent effort, he created a culture where everyone seemed to do the best work of their lives," was an email that said it all about Peter.

Peter is the author of Land's Polaroid, published by Houghton Mifflin in 1987; and a novel The Last Bastion, 1995, The Permanent Press. (Houghton doesn't carry its back list on its website so I've linked to used book sources.)

Update, 14 November, the obituary from The Boston Globe.

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