In Memoriam: Greg Hart

By Harlan Garbell

As many of you know, HumanistsMN member Greg Hart died in early June. At a  humanist memorial service shortly afterwards, many of his friends described a quiet, unassuming man who always stepped up when something important needed to be done. Personally, I will miss Greg terribly. His sweet nature, intelligence, and commitment to humanism always made me feel comfortable in his presence.

There are so many examples of ways Greg unselfishly supported our organization, but I will just name a couple. I have been hosting our monthly Coffee and Current Events Meetup program at the Loring Park Dunn Bros. for several years now. Greg went to every monthly session during this time except once, when he had to attend to his physically disabled daughter. He always arrived early and set up our space for the meetup even though I never asked him to. He just saw a need and did what needed to be done. He also re-arranged the space after the event. Every time.

Greg was similarly dedicated at last year’s Humanists picnic. He helped plan the event and volunteered to be one of our “grill masters.” However, he would not use just any coals. They had to be special charcoal chips that he assured us would provide a superior grilling experience. Sure enough, the food was a huge part of the picnic’s success. By the way, Greg worked at the grill the entire time of the food service while almost everyone else was enjoying themselves at sheltered tables. I also worked the grill (along with Bill Lloyd), but had to sit down after the heat from the grill and the sun got to me. I don’t know how he did it.

These are just a couple of examples of Greg’s unselfishness and his commitment to our community. There are many more. As with all people in our lives who die suddenly, we wish that we could have just said or done something more to express our gratitude for their time on Earth with us. I will miss you, Greg.