Gene Borza and I were newly married (44 years ago) when Gene and Jackie Melander generously welcomed me to their social circle. Along with John and Stephany Romano, Joe and Bonnie Flay, Tracy and George Heitmann and Jane and Vince Norris, they formed a friendship circle that persists all these years later. It was a time when dinner parties were the preferred way to entertain (let those days return!) and Gene Melander was always a treasured guest and appreciator of food and wine. Not just "oh, a lovely Cotes du Rhone" but "isn't this Cotes du Rhone Villages made by the same winemaker who makes Chateauneuf du Pape?) Over the years, Gene evolved from a knowledgeable appreciator to a fine cook and baker himself. I envied his baking skills! I wasn't surprised to learn he had taken up the cello just a few weeks ago. Gene Melander was a colleague to both of us. To Gene Borza, a fellow academic and teacher, and to me an administrator in the years I was a WPSX/WPSU staffer and adjunct faculty member. The bureaucracy of Penn State is legendary, so I always respected Gene's gentle patience in working within it, to improve its operations and policies for students, staff and faculty alike. There is so much to admire in Gene Melander--as a teacher, friend, husband and as an extraordinary father. Karen and Michael Borza grew up with the Melander daughters Jody, Leigh and Lynn, and shared in the excursions and neighborhood like that Jackie and Gene created for their daughters and the tribe of kids who formed around them. He lived a life of purpose and love.