On Monday January 16, one month after her untimely passing, several GreenMan members and friends took time to celebrate and reflect on the life of our friend and colleague, Carol Bair. We invite you to learn more about this kind, talented, and giving individual.

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, "Since most of us spend our lives doing ordinary tasks, the most important thing is to carry them out extraordinarily well." These words define and describe our friend and theater colleague Carol Bair. Carol was talented onstage--whether it was dancing, singing, or acting. Her talent and passion for the theater went hand in hand throughout her life. With all her talent, the ordinary thing would have been for her to focus on only her craft. But Carol was not ordinary. Her extraordinary trait was her giving heart. She entered whatever project she was involved with without the slightest notion of how it would benefit her. Carol always thought of how it would benefit the group. She had a kind soul and did not judge people. This unconditional loving spirit within her may have led to her affinity for animals and nature. She felt most at home surrounded by animals, the wind, trees, or a body of water. The surroundings gave her peace, allowed her to be herself. They also stirred the creativity in her heart. I'm not here to tell anyone why we miss Carol or what we remember most about her. We can all reflect on that in our own ways. I choose to remember when she was happy. Just in closing--I remember a line from Closer which goes, "All the language is old. There are no new words." To me, this line means that it doesn't matter what we say. It matters what we do to show how we feel. Well, Carol showed us all how special she was in her own extraordinary way, and that's why she'll never fade away.

Carl Zeitler
Janaury 16, 2012