Like everyone on Tweeters, I am stunned at Patrick's passing. While I
seldom birded with the Sullivans, I have had extensive contact with Ruth and
Patrick in my capacity of layout and photo editor for WOSNews, the
newsletter of the Washington Ornithological Society.

I've been doing that job for nine years (since issue #58 - issue #111 should
be out shortly). I doubt there's more than one or two issues in all of my
tenure that didn't have a photo by Patrick or Ruth in it. Back in the days
of film (remember them?) they were often my only source of photographs. I
could not have done WOSNews without them. Even now with the proliferation
of digital photography, I have often sent desperate pleas for photos off to
them. Ruth and Patrick would respond quickly with a variety of photographs
by both of them for me to choose from.

All of the emails would begin "We are sending you these photos", and would
be signed "Ruth and Patrick Sullivan". Patrick never was one to toot his
own horn, but I got the impression that in recent years, Patrick was playing
a bigger role in helping me out.

Patrick took good photographs - sometimes really nice. And because of Ruth
& Patrick's dedication to the observation of the rarer birds in the state,
many of his photographs were of those birds we all wished we could have
chased.

So I wish to say a public thank you to Patrick for everything he did for me
over the years. I think he always wanted to share what he'd seen with
everyone, such that we could learn and thereby get to see too. And so we
did.

Ruth, my thoughts are with you.

== Michael Hobbs
== Washington Ornithological Society layout editor
== http://www.wos.org
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net