P3D John Baird

[Bruce Springsteen <bsspringsteen@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've been speechless since yesterday - I had great hopes for John Baird to
beat his illness and make a full recovery, and his death on Sunday comes
as a shock and a hard personal disappointment.

This last spring, when I posted some P3D questions regarding shooting
stereo in museums, John wrote to me offlist in a detailed and generous
outpouring of his knowledge and experience in that area, the best advice I
received from that query.  We corresponded on this, his answers always
exactly attentive to my purposes and abilities, and I took the occasion to
let him know how much I enjoyed his light painting show at NSA Milwaukee
in 1994, and how I hoped to hook up with him and the new Kansas City Metro
Photographers Association stereo club, once Gail and I had made our move
to Lawrence.  John kept me up to date, immediately started sending
newsletters, and once we arrived in Kansas was the first person to phone
us in our new home.  He welcomed us to the area, mentioned a gentleman in
our town who was also interested in stereo and an NSA member whom we might
wish to call, and urged us to come to the next meeting, which thanks to
Dave Williams we were able to do.  Any of you who have moved to a strange
new place know how much that kind of thing means.

By the meeting date John's cancer had been discovered, nevertheless he was
the undaunted Stereo-Host in his Kansas City warehouse studio - the
perfect setting for club activities.  He was so anxious that the meeting
be well attended, and was soon asking us if we thought more frequent
meetings would be the key to growing the club.  He was the sort of person
with whom you immediately feel familiar - his first remark to me was how,
in my bright red tropical shirt, ponytail and Realist hat, I looked just
as he imagined I would.  (I'm sure it was a compliment ;-) ) His deep love
for 3D and eagerness to build this new fellowship of stereo folks was
obvious and contagious, and ever since then I have been imagining and
hoping that his dream of a vigorous 3D community in this region would come
true, and how I might be a part of it.  I certainly knew that this was a
person with whom I could become a close friend, if circumstances would
allow.

Losing old friends is hard, but losing new ones is surprisingly so too. 
Things that might have been are taken away - and with John, good things
seemed to be squarely in his viewfinder, ready to be captured.  Who
wouldn't want to be a part of that?  

Thanks, John.  The little bit I got to know was terrific, and I won't
forget you.

Your friend,
Bruce

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