LETTER #13

John Moseley, my Dad - cuz Fathers Day is coming up

I am so incredibly fortunate that both of my parents are still living. I’m 60. I think that’s unusual. My parents are in their early 80’s. Here we are living out our old age together. As challenging as these relationships are, I still get to be in physical space with the two people that have known me from the moment I landed on this planet.

My dad is a physicist. He was a pioneer in laser technology research. If you have had Lasik eye surgery or any other kind of medical procedure involving a laser, the work my dad did in the 70s made some of that possible.

As a kid, my brother and I would go into his lab and put on these huge goggles. He’d let us hold up a piece of metal in front of this giant laser in the lab at the Stanford Research Institute and we could just watch it burn a tiny hole through something that seemed impossible.

He brought our little family to France when he got a Fulbright scholarship. He’s the reason that I am a strong believer in the importance of living abroad and experiencing other cultures and ways of life. The French I learned at 11 and 12 helped me get my master’s degree at 35. The relationships we made while abroad continue today.

He’s also dad to my two half-sisters and granddaddy to four kiddos ranging in age from four to 23. He’s been a father figure since he was 22 years old.

Most of his adult life he worked at the University of Oregon in a variety of roles including Provost where he was instrumental in developing the science complex on campus; supporting international students and study abroad programs; creating scholarships for Oregonians; and housing musicians for the Oregon Bach Festival.

He’s a scientist and a lover of music, art, and culture. In retirement, he and my step-mom are traveling the world and volunteering for organizations like Reach Another Foundation. I’m grateful to be a part of his legacy.