ERIC NELSON

On this gorgeous fall day, coming after a day of heavy rain, i remember Eric's great spirit of adventure, as we spent a couple of days bushwacking in the jungle between Albay and Sorsogon and another time traveled to the Muslim island of Jolo.

This cool and clear morning, with terrific fall colors color, made me think of running with Eric in Hawaii. Peace Corps training began with six weeks at an old sugar plantation school. Eric and I would begin the day with a two mile run on the old coastal road. The smell of wild guavas on the pavement could be overpowering, but it was a great way to start the day.

I first met Eric in about 1952, when we were both children. The last time I saw him was in Washington a few years ago. We were going to meet at a restaurant on a busy street. We spotted each other through the crowds at maybe 70 yards' distance as easily as if we were two kids on an otherwise empty playground.

It was so good to see Eric last month at our Peace Corps reunion, which he helped organize. He and I had many adventures in the Philippines that took us from Jolo Island to part way up Mount Mayon. He made the world a better place.