I first met Spencer when he and I started teaching at Thacher together in the fall of 2002.  We all found ourselves on the New Faculty camping trip, meant to give us all an introduction to the camping experience at Thacher.  In comparison to me and my husband Jeff, Spencer was clearly an "old hand" in the outdoors, while we were total rookies.  He bore our misguided attempts to follow a map and challenges in general with his easy good humor.  Soon after that, Spencer and Jeff were coaching the first ever Thacher football team in preseason with Eric McCarren and Fred Coleman.  I am sure that Spencer could regale you with tales of Fred's obsessive devotion to kicking, Tyler Caldwell's run back on the first kickoff of the first game for a touchdown, or the exciting Viewpoint victory in the playoffs.  In those early days, I would often show up at Spencer's apartment to take Nuey out on a hike with Cypress.  She was a great dog.  In our time working with Spencer, we knew him as a dedicated teacher, a devoted coach and a good friend.  If he was going to leave us at Thacher, the only solace we could take is that he is just right up the road in Santa Barbara...and now at Cate.  Yes, we will even take that.  Happy 40th Spencer, and thanks for including us in your circle of friends.
 XO, Kara Hooper