by Judy Wilkinson

The facility at The East Bay Center for the blind in Berkeley was packed on Sunday afternoon, May 15, as we gathered to pay tribute to Alfred (Al) Gil
who had passed away a few weeks earlier. Connie Gil spoke of her beloved husband of over 25 years. In fact the 2 married in this same location on Halloween
because (as Al quipped) no CCB chapter would be conducting a meeting on a fifth Saturday! Little did we know then that following her years battling cancer,
we will be attending a memorial service for Connie herself in this same location at the end of August.

All Al's families were there.

His CCB family was there: represented by Steve Fort from his Bayview chapter home; Frank Welte, president of Al's San Francisco chapter home. I had the
honor to represent CCB on behalf of myself as incoming president and Jeff Thom, outgoing president. Al, his voice so frail, shared with us at a recent
board meeting that we must continue with work of CCB. We thanked him for his loyalty and devotion to CCB for over 65 years.

His Orientation Center for the Blind family was there: colleagues including former administrator Mike Cole, (who shared that Al gave him a cane travel
tip or two over the years.) Other OCB instructors including Diane Smith, Phil Yocum and others shared. The OCB staffers remembered the belly laughs and
classical music emanating from Al's office as in his capacity as Rehab counselor, he met with numerous students.

And of course Al's own family: his children and first wife; his second family and Connie's children. His and Connie's son Vincent hosted the event and
spoke about his dad's love for his wife's chocolate cake, which we had the privilege of sharing this day.

His children spoke of their dad's involvement in their lives such as various childhood activities like scouting. They remembered trips with Dad by greyhound
bus, charging from one bus door to another as updated departure announcements were heard. (Perhaps the origins of Al's famous greyhound bus imitation?)

I did my own spoof of Al's imitation of the Cal Berkeley marching band. We roared with laughter sharing some of Al's funniest stories. Which is exactly
how he'd want us to remember him: doing work to enhance the lives of blind people everywhere; sharing good jokes and memories of one who made everyone
he touched happier.