When I got there some were putting out light refreshments. Others were looking at pictures. Wandering around at that time I figured out that there were three general groups represented, the peace activists, Peters co-workers, and the family he grew up in. In the right picture above Peter's younger brother Bill and Kelly look at pictures from the brothers early life. It turns out that Peter was the middle child of three boys. Aparently his parents had two and then many years later his father had another son with another wife, the guy in the light coat shown above.

  

Christopher Bickford (Peter's older brother) sort of took charge of the place. He had a similar look to Peter, and also similar mannerisms in many ways. An excellent host.

Maggie (Christopher's wife) didn't say much. I'm glad she let me take this picture of her talking to Betsy. (In the background are David and Karen.)

 

After a little while we all took seats and Christopher said a few words about his brothers life. You can see much of that material by clicking his picture. He also told a story about sailing with Peter during a tough storm when they lived in Connecticut. Peter had done well under pressure, and they and the boat had come through without harm. Then he explained that he wanted to learn something about his brothers life from us. First he opened the floor to family, then coworkers, and then the rest of us.

       

William Bickford explained that he had been about five years old when his brother had left for California. One time Peter had visited with a guitar, and left it behind when he went home. He had picked it up, and learned how to play. That had shaped many things in his life. He blamed Peter with a smile. Then he talked about finding some of the music he had written in his brothers apartment, transposed so Peter could play it. He played one of those pieces for us. He had also found some of Peters own compositions, and he played one of those. I hadn't even known Peter could play guitar, and was plesantly surprised by the sound of his music.

        

The above had been coworkers of Peter, most of them recently. I think the guy with the tie was his last boss. He explained that Peter had done signal processing software for radar imaging and stuff like that. One of the other guys talked about how Peter and he were usually the last to leave in the evening. They had a protocol they went through so that the last guy would turn out the lights. Ute was a coworker years before that.

        

Betsy wrote a poem for the occasion. Others from the peace community talked about how Peter was always there, always smiling, always with something nice to say. Barbie talked about brandishing signs with him on the island whey they vigiled on Fridays in San Jose. She missed his presence last week, but said he was still "presante!" at the vigil.

The peace activists led us in a rousing sing along song that got the juices flowing. Then they marched through the room. I wasn't expecting that. I'd turned off my camera when they set out, so I only got one decent picture before the march was over, the one of Tom Hunter below.

        

Charlotte talked about how she had found the picture on the program going through videotapes of the last public meeting Peter had been at, and it showed him smiling and listening the way she remembered him always doing. She said the picture was "very Peter".

Vida talked about how one time she had tried to get Peter to take some fliers to give out and he had explained to her that every time he went to a store he was the only one there, and that she knew all of the people he was likely to be able to invite to anything.