Is Herb Archer Really Gone?
I knew the world felt a little flat these last 3.5 years… but I just didn’t know why. Now I do. Herb Archer is dead. I just found out. Though I knew it on some level.
This was a great man. I didn’t even know of his professional accomplishments or accolades, though I read a few in an obituary recently:
www.agoatlanta.org/organizer/0805Organizer.pdf
What I did know was cheerfulness, encouragement, persistence, consistency, kindness and a great smiley face.
He was my childhood piano teacher. He was my youth choir director at church. And I am not talented at piano or singing.
And he met my mediocrity with — as I said — cheerfulness, encouragement, persistence, consistency and kindness for years. And never let on that he had better things to do or more promising students to invest in.
And those are the sorts of people whose lives count and whose absence on the planet is missed, on some cellular level, even if you haven’t seen or heard from them in 35 years.
Thanks, Mr. Archer.
