Jeff Byers got his PhD in quantum chemistry, but don’t let that fool you – to his core he is a down-to-earth, hands-on guy. He told me the story of the first time he rented a Bobcat – a small backhoe that he used to dig out his pond (or maybe it was the foundation to the bath house – I can’t remember which). Jeff always suspected that operating one of these “small” pieces of heavy machinery would be a lot of fun, but I guess it turned out better than even he expected. When he climbed down from the excavator his wife asked him what he thought. “It was better than sex,” was his reply. Understandably, Carita was skeptical. So she gave it a try herself. “Well?”, Jeff asked. She had to admit that Jeff was right.
I’ve never operated a Bobcat, so I’m speaking from ignorance here, but I found this whole episode just a bit strange. So the first chance I had, I told the story to a couple of construction-working friends who have had many opportunities to use backhoes. They said there was no doubt – Jeff is crazy. Not that I needed confirmation.
Oh man….
Jeff is one of the best.
My heart breaks at Jeff’s accident and injury. I sure will be hoping for a full recovery, and also hope in this difficult time that his family remains strong and healthy.
Last time I saw Jeff was at the Photopolymer Conference. We had a good discussion of his very excellent talk (I thought it was the best presentation at the conference actually!). He is so fun to talk to – very passionate and animated about his research, full of ideas to take it further, and so insightful. He is a great scientist, and my last interaction with him left me with a very happy memory.
Jeff is by far the smartest person I have ever known. He is also very humble and is willing to help wherever and whenever needed. I cried when Georgia told me of his accident, and I pray for his family. I think as I get older I have become more sensitive to really important things. Jeff is important to me and most folks who are fortunate enough to know him. He loves our little house in the canyon as nature surrounds it and is a private retreat from the city (he installed Tito’s cat door as a favor to Georgia). As I work here in Seabrook during the week away from Austin and life there, I look forward with the greatest of expectations to having a tasty brew in the canyon with Jeff and friends, which is where we were the last time I was with Jefe.