My mom was the director of education at the Fowler before I was born, which meant that from the time I could walk, I was running around the museum. In other words, there has never been a point in my life when Doran wasn't there. I remember climbing onto the elephant in the center of his office, helping his office file papers during summer breaks, and being introduced by Doran to larger-than-life idols at exhibition openings. Later, this turned into family dinners and celebrating holidays together, with Doran as my mom's partner.
I always saw him as a man of great height, wit, intellect, and generosity. But our relationship changed when I became his research assistant during the last three years of his life. Over the course of four hours, every Saturday, we developed our own language, routines, and jokes. We shared stories that neither had heard, and reflected together...