My name is Bob. I met Jef the night after Thanksgiving, 1988 at Childrens Hospital L.A. I had been asked to come to the hospital that night by Sherry Szeles, the 5-East activity coordinator. She wanted me to make a presentation for the kids about science and space exploration. I had done this several times before and had always enjoyed myself. Each of those times had been uneventful with me making the presentation, answering any questions the kids may have had and then going home. What I couldn't know as I entered the hospital that night was that I was soon to meet somebody who would affect my life in the most profound and deepest way possible. This kid's name was Jef.
My first definitive recollection of Jef is from that fateful evening at CHLA. I had set up my equipment in the 5-East activity room and several kids and their parents had gathered to watch the show. I was going to be building a model of a comet nucleus using dry ice and then doing experiments with liquid nitrogen. All was ready and I began my talk. No sooner had I started then a small, very cute little blond kid came racing through the door of the activity room at top speed in a wheelchair. He whizzed straight into the room, positioned himself in the front of the group, popped a wheelie in the chair and backed the chair into the position he wanted. He sat there with a grin that could have killed and was intently interested in what I was doing. When I was finished I was asked to make a couple of additional presentations in patients' rooms and I found out that one of those rooms was Jef's. His roommate, Patrick, was too sick to attend in the activity room but wanted to see it. During that time in their room Jef was asking one question after another. It became very clear very quickly that I was dealing with a very intelligent and inquisitive boy, something I liked.
Over the next several months Jef and I grew closer and closer. He and Pat and I would go to movies, baseball card shows, lunch or whatever we felt like doing. And as I spent more time with Jef I came to realize, respect and appreciate the magnitude of the acute intellect he possessed. I have attended several memorial services in my life and in each the person was described as being unique, and in each case it has been true. However, in Jef's case the word unique is grossly insufficient to describe his personality.
Soon after I met Jef his uniqueness was mammothly displayed when he made his Make-A-Wish wish and it was granted. Jef didn't ask for something like a trip to an amusement park or a ride in a plane, he wanted to meet with the President of the United States in the Oval Office. President Bush, who had just been inaugurated, gladly agreed to meet with him and the wheels were set in motion. Jef was greeted by President Bush and they had a very pleasant conversation which lasted 20 minutes and included a walk in the White House Rose Garden. This was a very strong indicator of Jef's approach to life. He aimed for the furthest stars in the universe and he occasionally hit one. And when he hit one it was a big deal.
Jef had a deep appreciation for the diversity of the world. His musical interests ranged from classical through jazz, old 60s rock and folk to today's musical styles. He was equally comfortable listening to a Beethoven symphony or the Red Hot Chili Peppers; a trait not commonly found in people his age.
In terms of art Jef was not just interested in looking at it; he had developed his own style of drawing and was a rather prolific poet. He appreciated art for its own sake, something most people three times his age have not yet come to accept. This appreciation even extended to his tattoos. When he first considered getting a tattoo he came to me to ask my opinion. I told him that I didn't like them and, though I would not endorse him getting one I also would not fight him about it. We began to discuss the content of the tattoo and he assured me that he was not going to get anything like the standard images for a tattoo. His tattoos were to be works of art, not some obscene display. When he told me that I remember telling him that I would never put one on myself but that he was welcome to get one, with my blessing. He did and he stayed very true to his word. The final tattoo was of a sunburst and very beautiful. And he adhered to this rule for all other tattoos he ever received.
Jef's intellectual interests were varied. Just a couple of examples are his study of the human brain and philosophy. He was well read regarding the inner workings of this little blob of goo in our heads. He found it fascinating to understand how it functioned and also to read of its many remaining mysteries. His library includes several books about this topic. As for philosophy, he was very well read in many different schools of thought. One of his favorite books was the complete works of Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher. He loved following the dialogues as Plato told his stories. These are but two examples of the depth of Jef's intellect.
Jef was also a very good and loyal family member and friend. Everybody here today can attest to this simple fact. His personal relationships were of the greatest importance to him. His love for his friends is obvious to us all. And his friends are a diverse group. They come from all walks of life. Many are fellow Cfers. He would spend a whole week each year at CF camp with them enjoying their company. Others were his peers, from school and the like. He spent uncountable hours with them doing the things that young adults do. And, finally, there were those of us who were chronologically much older than he but were, nonetheless, his good friends. With us he would take trips, do fun things, go eat or engage in stimulating philosophical discussions. My personal experience with these discussions was that he frequently enjoyed trying to use the Socratic method, which he had learned from the book of Plato's dialogues, to twist my mind up during these discussions. It always made me feel like the world's biggest idiot when he succeeded with me because I was the one who bought him that book.
Jef was also fairly well traveled, especially for someone his age. I personally enjoyed his company on a trip to Death Valley, several trips to Disneyland and a multitude of visits to Neverland Ranch, Michael Jackson's home. Jef and Pat and I made close friends with the folks who made the TV program "The Wonder Years." The three of us would frequently visit the set during filming. The boys were always greeted joyfully by everyone there. And the boys always loved being with those folks. He was even lucky enough to get to meet Michael J. Fox on the set of "Back to the Future" parts 2 and 3. He took Pat with him on that visit and both boys were elated to get to be with him. Jef was asked to be part of a television special produced by Linda and Lee Stanley which brought a group of kids in trouble with the law together with a group of terminally ill kids. Jef just basked in the notoriety he received. He even received fan mail.
Jef was planning for his future. He had begun attending college and was interested in the film industry as a career. He and I had several discussions about how his unique perspectives of the world and experience base made him a naturally interesting host of a very serious radio talk show. We also talked about his writing books about his life as a Cfer and what it has been like to grow up watching your friends being so sick and even dying while still so young and knowing that the same fate awaited you. He was interested in these possibilities and was headed in those directions with his enrollment in college. I know for a fact that Jef would have been extremely successful in these two endeavors.
In retrospect, Jef has lived a very full and dynamic life. Family, friends, travel and experiences all add up to an enormously good life. I am personally so happy to have met him and become as close as we have. The pain I am feeling is not a pain of loss but a pain of separation from someone I love infinitely. I love this kid like I have loved few others in my life. I love him as my son. I always have and I always will. I miss you, my Jef. I'll just keep plugging along for now until the day we are reunited, which will be the single happiest day of my life. Until then, always remember, I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Visit the Jef Baird Photo Gallery
Visit the Jef Baird Poetry Page
If you have not yet done so, please be sure to take a moment to sign the 
Mr. Brooks may be contacted by sending E-mail directly to rbrooks@pop.jpl.nasa.gov.
I wish to express my deepest thanks to a fine young gentleman, Justin Linick, for scanning the picture of Jef I have used as the background image for this page. He volunteered to do it and he did so out of the kindness of his own heart. You're a truly great kid, Dude. Don't ever lose that. Thanks again.
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