Michael,
I'm a friend of Greg's from high school. His obituary was discovered in December by a classmate who was searching for "lost" classmates for our upcoming reunion, and I was asked to verify that it was "our" Greg Maire. He has been on my mind ever since. I'm planning to make a donation in his honor, though I can't find my checkbook at the moment.
I was last in touch with Greg by email years ago, but the last time I wrote to him there was no response and I now understand why. I thought you might be interested in some of my memories of him.
Greg and I were in a special class together called "fast learners" (FL) who took most of our classes together all the way through high school. (I joined late, I think in freshman year because I came from outside the school system.) In our sophomore year four of us, plus a friend of mine who not FL, got together to play folk music.
Bill Mauro was Greg's best friend and later my boyfriend. Janet Snider was my best friend, and dated Greg for awhile (and loved him for a lot longer). I let both of them know about his death and they were very sad to hear of it. Greg's nickname was Lurch in high school. I told another high school friend who was a couple of years behind us, and his response: "I do remember him ... a very elegant dresser, as I recall."
I was shocked when Greg told me his IQ because it was higher than mine, and I'd always been at the top academically (I co-edited our high school yearbook). One of the activities we all did together was choir, Greg was in all-state and the small select chorus with me. Singing has always been an important part of my life, and I was very impressed with Greg's piano playing.
I was at Radcliffe when Greg was at Wesleyan, and I drove up to spend the weekend two or three times. Big Brother and the Holding Company was the headliner for one of those weekends, and I felt very "with it" to have seen Janis Joplin. At at least one frat party we danced on a table!
Greg put me up at a private home for the weekend, and I recall him disparaging his friends who only were interested in who "scored." At that point in time I didn't know that I knew anyone gay, and it not occur to me that Greg was. I was still carrying a torch for Bill, so was not really interested in getting sexually involved with Greg, who reminded me of our times together. But we had a good time as pals.
When Greg was married to Barbara, they lived right around the corner from me in Cambridge, though we did not see much of each other at that time. I found out about Greg's coming out of the closet after I had been in Chicago but had not known he was there.
We spoke on the phone, and he was extolling the joys of recreational sex. It must have been right about when AIDS was discovered, because I remember thinking (at some point) that his chances of escaping it were not very good. But we did connect once more by email, and I was glad that he had survived and by that time had you in his life, and his own architecture firm (which I guess is how I found his email address).
As long as I knew him, Greg was always doodling house designs. I'm so pleased to know that he was loved and cherished, and that he was able to fulfill his passion for design.
Best wishes to you,
Carol M
