MEMORIES

by Mahlon Lang, Fellow Peace Corps Volunteer

I knew Tom and Sharon Crosby as fellow Peace Corps Volunteers in Arequipa, Peru. I was a younger volunteer, and had been in Peru for nearly a year before Tom and Sharon got there. We shared a monthly poker game with other volunteers. Aside from the fact that these games did not end until sunrise, one recollection was how the bows on Tom's glasses were elevated to tip his glasses forward as I looked for bluffers. I also remember going to dinner at the Crosby home, I suspect out of Sharon's concern for the diet of single volunteers.

We were all involved in cooperative (user-owned business) development and went to several meetings together where, as one of the more "experienced" volunteers, I initially played a lead role. In fact, I had not finished college at the time and Tom already had a law degree. What struck me was Tom's willingness to listen to what a very young person had to say. I obviously had no hint (aside from his law degree) that Tom would become an accomplished jurist. In retrospect, his willingness to listen carefully was a habit that I first noticed. I grew to appreciate this character trait and aimed to make it a part of me as my career evolved, especially as I saw scholars, consultants and other "experts" hold forth on any subject in the absence of prior information.

Tom obviously made a habit of listening carefully. That made him atypical and more special. I last saw Tom in late 1967. I did not forget him.

Mahlon Lang
Zhuhai, China

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