Some weeks ago I wrote about our trip to Greenville, NC in mid-August, where Ed reconnected with a friend, Joe Babb, from undgraduate days at Kenyon, a semi-retired cardiologist teaching at the university there. Fifty years had elapsed but they were instantly as close as ever. Ed phoned them today. He was concerned about hurricane weather because they have a 2nd house on a little island that might have problems and he knew they went there often. He learned that Joe had an accident in his car, perhaps triggered by a heart attack, veered off the road, crashed and died.

Joe was a pioneer in interventional cardiology and prominent Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He was recognized for performing the first coronary angioplasty at the Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center, and also the first coronary angioplasty in Connecticut after being named chief of cardiology at Bridgeport Hospital. Ed also went to medical school, but dropped out due to a family tragedy, in order to take care of his sister who would otherwise have gone into foster care. He often wondered about the life he missed.

Ed was devastated and has gone off in his car, probably to smoke, since that is his “go to” whenever he is really stressed.

Ed invited Joe’s wife, Margo, to visit should she need to have a break from the process of reinventing yourself because you have to. She appreciated the gesture very much but I feel she probably won’t take us up on it. I am sure their children – some his, some hers, from earlier marriages, are being attentive.

The irony is that Joe had his accident on Ed's birthday, September 6th. I liked Joe a lot. We had a great rapport and traded one-liners the whole time. I am truly saddened.

xx, Teal