Late Nights and Laughter at the College Paper

Dear Ben and Melissa –

I met your dad in college, after I had transferred to Rice and joined the staff of the Rice Thresher while Greg was editor. I have many fond memories of Greg from those college years — as so many people have written, he was such a memorable presence at Rice — but the ones that stick in my mind most strongly happened during the weekly all-night sessions we often had to pull before the paper went to press.

Every Wednesday, all of the editors and assistant editors would finalize each section of the paper, making sure that articles were proof-read, photographs sized, and layouts fit. Inevitably things went wrong (I recall one night at around 1:00 in the morning when I knocked my computer’s plug from the wall and lost my entire layout). Suffice it to say, it was a time defined by chaos and fueled by caffeine.

It could also have been an extremely stressful and upsetting time, but it wasn’t, thanks to Greg. Despite all of the chaos–the missed deadlines, typos, and kicked plugs, Greg brought an incredible humor and sense of perspective to the entire punch-drunk situation, laughing uproariously at every ridiculous snafu and bringing all of us into a healthy frame of mind.

I will always remember that laugh, and the image of Greg wearing his t-shirt with the Liebling quote (“Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one”), keeping everyone sane, and more importantly, fostering a community of collegiality, warmth and humor.

Reconnecting with Greg on Facebook a few years ago, it was clear that he carried those wonderful characteristics with him through the years.

I know this is just a token, but hopefully it adds another drop into the pool of memories that reflect the admiration that many felt for Greg.

Best,
Tim Carroll