Even though I began this thread, I am still having difficulty realizing that Jonathan is gone.Riki,Nancy, Sandy, Kathy, Chance--we have all been luky to have known this brilliant, talented,irritating, compelling man. I agree, genius is the right word for Jonathan.

I first saw him on stage, with Pete Seeger and a group of singers I later came to know and love: Helen Schneyer, Andy Wallace,Bob Clayton and Mike Rivers. I sat in the auydience with my roommate, Merle, singing on all the choruses, completely overwhelmed by the power of the music. I had been listening to "folk music" most of my life, but this was a revelation! We went back to our dorm at the University of Maryland determined to find other people to sing with us. Several adventures later, we were taken to an FSGW open sing-we had never heard of FSGW-and there were those same magic people, singing with us, and ASKING ME TO SING!Although I certainly did not realize all the ramifications of it, I was aware, even that night, that I had come home.Jonathan was first, to me, the core of this community. Later, as I worked with him on various committees, and especially when we acted as coordinators of the Washinton Folk Festival, which he,along with Mia Gardiner and Debbie Hutton, founded and ran, we became friends, and I saw and learned to know the off-stge Jonathan.He was sometimes difficult and downright obnoxious, often stubborn, obsessed with getting the details right, exhausting to try to keep up with, hilariously funny, a master of wordplay, my sushi guru, a Tabard Inn regular who also loved eating in diners,and an everflowing stream of information on the most amazing topics.I also was the recipient of a Jonathan compliment about a song, which I cherish, knowing it to be a rare gift. He could seem impossible, and yet in a very bad period of my life he offered me compassion,sympathy, and true friendship. I have many years' worth of Jonathan memories; I will cherish them.