[GSBN] Photo Request

[Joyce Coppinger]

Bruce Glenn sent the eulogy he gave for Chris Stafford on April 28, 2008.
This will be included in TLS#60. Does anyone have a 300 dpi photo image of
Chris that can be used with Bruce's article?

Here's Bruce's eulogy for Chris

Chris Stafford¹s Eulogy April 28, 2008
 
I originally met Chris Stafford around eleven years ago when living in
Durango, Colorado. I heard through the Straw bale grapevine that an
Architect was designing a commercial load bearing straw bale building a
Library and Mosque in Saudi Arabia, I got really excited & had to talk to
this man so I tracked him here to Port Townsend Washington and gave him a
call. 
 
My first impression was he was a very gentle, gracious soul, very modest &
respectful of everyone¹s experience be they a designer, builder or fellow
architect.
 He spoke very little about his architectural career but showed his passion
for  ³Environmentally responsible design²
 
On a personal note as the past president of the local chapter of the
Northwest Eco Building Guild Chris was always available to me for support,
encouragement & words of wisdom. Always generous in sharing, he loved to
brainstorm & strived to take green building to the next level.
 
Chris¹s architectural career was diverse in its spectrum both in form &
content. Since the early 80¹s Chris had been directly involved on AIA
American Institute of Architects steering committee, speaking through out
the country on environmentally sustainable building practices. This was pre
Earth Day consciousness when your piers thought you were speaking in Greek
not about sustainable design & saving the planet. This did not deter Chris¹s
commitment in persevering the planets resources and creating healthy living
& working environments.
 
To highlight a couple of Chris¹s many projects:
He was bestowed with the ³Award of Merit² from Washington Trust Historical
Preservation, for the historical renovation of the 64,000 sq. ft
Temple of Justice the Olympia State Supreme Court building.
 
Hanging on the his office wall is a personal thank you letter from a client
then President Bill Clinton thanking him for his work in  ³The Greening of
the White House in 1994².
 
The list goes onŠ 
 
In the late 80¹s Chris co-founded the Northwest Eco Building Guild a non
profit organization of architects, designers, builders and city planners
whose mission is to teach environmentally responsible design, building &
development practices on a local level. This organization started over
twenty years ago, members are located in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana,
California & British Columbia.
Working on the national & local levels Chris was instrumental in the
national green movement that we see today.
 
A quote from Architect Terry Phelan past vice president & current board
member of the NWEB guild reads ³Chris was a founding member of the Guild,
and board president from the beginning to the year 2000.
Without his hard work and dedication, there would not be a Guild today, nor
would the green building movement be as strong as it is on this Earth Day
week.²
 
Chris had received many accolades for his work throughout his career, but
you wouldn¹t know it. The man took his success in stride & would run to the
next design project or board meeting with a slight nod in humble obligatory
acknowledgement. 
 
How appropriately that Chris chose to pass on a day which the country
celebrates as ³Earth Day² a day he was instrumental in by expanding the
national awareness to our precious planet earth.
 
Chris was the perpetual optimist and would see the light in whatever bump in
road life placed in front of him.
He was one of father¹s of the Green building movement today, he was my
friend, his vision, enthusiasm & passion will surely be missed.
 
 
Chris loved his wife Sakura, his children & grand children and made his
transcendence designing a responsible friendly home Saturday April the 19th.
 
 
 
 
The birds have vanished into the sky,
and now the last cloud drains away.
 
We sit together, the mountain and me,
until only the mountain remains.
 
--Li Po
Translated from the Chinese by Sam Hamill
 
 
One day I will
say
the gift I once had has been taken.
 
The place I have made for myself
belongs to another.
The words I have sung
are being sung by the ones
I would want.
 
Then I will be ready
for that voice
and the still silence in which it arrives.
 
And if my faith is good
then we'll meet again
on the road
and we'll be thirsty,
and stop
and laugh
and drink together again
 
from the deep well of things as they are.
 
-- David Whyte