I received the same e-mail from Karen that Dr. John did on Monday evening and was really sad to hear about my friend Carl.
Our paths first crossed in the mid-1990's. I was elected treasurer of the Lionel Operating Train Society (LOTS), and Carl was my predecessor. He already had his "system" down pat for keeping track of things, which I inherited. The funny thing at the time was that everything was in DOS-based Alpha 4, a spreadsheet program that was quite dated, even by the mid-1990's.
I had just graduated college in those days, and still had a lot to learn. I liked Carl because he was a good teacher and had a low tolerance for BS (something prevalent in the club in those days). After my term was over, we continued to keep in touch, usually crossing paths at York.
Back in April of this year, I ran into Carl and Karen outside the Orange Hall, waiting for the meet to open for the day. He showed me a spreadsheet he had prepared for his train collection. Remembering what he used almost 20 years earlier, I asked what program he used to put it together. "You KNOW what program I used to put it together," was his response. That was Carl.
Having been active in this hobby for quite some time now, I've really come to respect those that treated me as an equal, despite my younger age at the time. It's hard to believe guys like Carl, Dick Johnson, Aaron Needham, Bruce Manson and Roland LaVoie are no longer with us, but I'll always remember them fondly.
Todd Wagner
Rochester Hills, MI
