To me, Gene was the ultimate lifelong learner. Years ago I discovered that he and Jackie knew and appreciated contemporary poetry, a passion I share. One day Gene turned up at my house and presented me with an elegant canvas bag bearing The New Yorker logo. It was so heavy I could barely lift it because it was full to the top with poetry collections by W.S. Merwin, Jane Hirshfield, Louise Gluck, John Ashberry, and most of all, Mary Oliver. Just like Gene, he'd included books about poetry including The Poetry of Everyday Life: Story Telling and the Art of Awareness; Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World, and How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. Some were new to me; some were signed. Such a priceless gift and a perfect expression of Gene's generosity and his impulse to share what he learned and valued. Each time I dip into these books I will think of Gene with love and admiration.