Albert was undeterred. He convinced NC Rep. George Miller, who was then chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, to intervene on our behalf. He was serious, but he could be impulsive and funny, too. He used to swing by my house and pick me up for meetings. For makeup, he had a smear of lipstick and, on his stubbly cheeks, two dots of rouge so perfectly round they must have been applied with a tennis ball.
Death often seems unfair.
In 1995, at his Durham High School reunion, he became reacquainted with a classmate, Beth Culley. They fell in love and got engaged. And together, they struggled against his illness. His body is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, but his heart and soul live here still.