Edited by author 10-24-2006 12:00 AM
Steve, I will think of you as I clammer around on Tuolumne's summits or walk in the Mariposa Grove of big trees. Our infrequent emails and phone calls span a couple of decades and I cherish each one of them. Your entusiasm, your love of the natural world, and your readiness to help and guide others are qualities that I can only hope to emulate in my life. Smile down on us.

Dear Steve,
We still cannot believe that you have gone. Our relationship with you and the Yosemite Association was born out of the Range of Light Campaign that you nurtured through the 1980’s, and it was your dedication to Yosemite that inspired so many to create the legacy of preserving, protecting and enhancing the visitor experience in Yosemite for future generations. Thank you for all you have done to keep Yosemite in our hearts and minds. You brought great joy to our work through your wisdom, insight, dedication, partnership, sense of humor and true commitment to preserving and protecting the crown jewel Yosemite. We will miss your wily smile and dry wit. A momentous pronouncement from you in the middle of a marketing discussion seems appropos…”A million times anything is a lot.” We will miss you a million times over. From everyone at The Yosemite Fund, we send our warmest appreciation to you and encouragement to all who carry on the good work you started.

There are a few people one meets during life’s journey who make a powerful, positive and lasting impression. Steve Medley was one of those. Our hearts go out to Jane and her boys, the Association and its employees and to all Association members who share in the untimely loss of this rare and gifted person.

I was introduced to Steve some sixteen plus years ago by Bob Binnewies who thought we should get to know each other. Eventually I became a YA Board member where I had the privilege of working with this wonderful and charming man for nine years.

Steve was one of those generous people who was endowed with so many gifts and boundless energy. He enjoyed challenges and was never afraid to try new things. He had an acute business acumen , was politically savvy and had an artistic and literary talent. He was able to mix them all up when needed to move the Association’s goals forward. Those who had the privilege to work for and with him knew there were many difficult forks in the trail. Steve ‘O (I called him Steve ‘O), however, shouldered his pack well and always negotiated rugged and unfamiliar terrain with determination and purpose. He knew what he had to do and how to get there.

I knew Steve not only as an associate but a trail buddy and mountaineering friend who would share his private thoughts with me. He was witty, humorous, of great intellect, enthusiastic, yet gentle and unassuming. He was passionate about life and what he was doing, about his family and Yosemite. He was inspiring to all he knew.

Steve had a special name for me as a result of my fondness for taking him up some of Yosemite’s steep gullies - “Couliour”. That name is more special now.

Steve will be tremendously missed but we will all move ahead knowing Steve will be with us wherever we are. Weren’t we the lucky ones to have known him ! He is indeed one of Yosemite’s great guardians.

Goodbye, my friend. You made Yosemite and the world a more beautiful place. Other trails and mountains are now waiting for you.

Good Journey,

“Couliour” (Koolwar)

Bob and Nancy Eckart

Edited by author 10-31-2006 11:59 AM
While I only had the pleasure of speaking with Steve a couple times via telephone, I feel like I have lost a brother. As a YA member I followed Steve's work with great admiration and respect. He was able to do what I was not able to do. Like a big brother he protected my interests and stood up for me when it came to the Park I love. His work will not pine away but rather, continue to grow like a giant redwood.

As a long-time member of the Yosemite Historical Club, I am safe in saying we (as an organization) are ALL devistated by this loss. We know what dedication Steve had and truly appreciate the seriousness of the loss to Yosemite. It is our hope that the five people it will take to fill his shoes can be found and that they can do 50 percent of what he was able to do with his many talents.

Farewell brother.

Steve was such an inspiration to me. His wit, charm, intelligence, generosity and openness to me were rare and endearing qualities. Fortunate was I to have been among those who walked and talked and rode with him on planet Earth. May Jane and all who loved him find consolation.

Steve Medley was all that his friends and admirers say. Almost 20 years ago I figured out that he was a person of immense caring for Yosemite, and of great skill in dealing with the complexities involved. He never lost sight of the idea of service, in the form of preserving and protecting a unique and wonderful place.
He helped me discover how to understand the many constituencies of those who love the park, and to deal with them more effectively. Even when he might be irritated, he looked for productive solutions.
He helped a small group of us put together an anniversary history of the park, steered us to the right people and places to collect information, and was encouraging about ideas and projects regarding the unique history.
He quietly helped ease a difficult situation with a ranger friend on the outs with the administration, and always gave good and reasonable advice on contentious issues.
I am sure that when someone makes up a list of great contributors to the preservation of Yosemite, Steve's name will be near the top of that list.

My condolences to his family and friends, and my eternal thanks for all that he did to protect Yosemite for me, my children, grandchildren, and those to come.
Sanders (& Pat)
Camp Connell, CA

We were extremely saddened by Steven’s death, and our hearts go out to Jane and the boys. He was a good friend, and one of the most outstanding individuals we have ever known. He was charming, witty and competent in so many areas, and was a man of high integrity.

We first met Steve in the ‘70’s when he was the librarian at the Yosemite Museum and have fond memories of him over these 30 some odd years. We remember the summer of 1980 when he employed his acting talents and played the part of an early days Ranger at Wawona, and we followed his career as he went on to Law School at U.C. Davis, and then practiced law. We were delighted when he was chosen President of the Yosemite Association, and then with his achievements in that role.

We will miss him, and he will remain in our thoughts for a long time.

It was the summer of '70. The memory of Woodstock had congealed into the bummer of Altamont. I was going into my senior year at Brown, with the draft and Vietnam hanging over my head. I decided to hitchhike out to California from New York. I stuck a hundred bucks in tens in my sock and got out on the Wantaugh Parkway about sunset with a sign that read: "California". I was counting on it taking about two weeks.
Four days later, again about dusk, I rolled into San Francisco. I was panicked: I didn't know anyone in the whole State except Steve, down in Gilroy. Luckily my last ride was from Brown grads who let me crash on their floor in Battery Park. The next morning I got out on the highway again and headed to Gilroy. A ex-Marine picked me up and gave me a ride and we fought all the way down, arguing about Nixon, the war, etc. I thought 'this is California?' Where the hell are all the hippies?
In Gilroy, I called Steve from a gas station and he drove out to get me. Man was I glad to see him! I was pissed at him for bailing from Brown to go back to the West coast, never could understand it. We spent a couple of days, swimming at the reservoir, watching a little league ball game, and watching his friend sing wretchedly at a local club.
I remember Steve played a Linda Rondstadt song over and over "For a long, long, time." A Brown girl, Bonnie Good (no lie) had broken his heart and that was his healing song. Maybe that's why he bailed from Brown.
After a couple of days, Steve left me out on the highway again, and I hitched up to Berkley to have the other half of my California adventure. Berekley during the end of the sixties, that's another story, I can't tell. I didn't know then I would never see Steve again. I'm pissed at myself for not looking him up again after all these years. Thought I had the time. Guess I didn't. Good luck up there, Steve. We'll have a game of combat freesbie when next we meet.

I'll never forget meeting Smedley my first day at Brown back in 1967. He had a room down the hall from Rupert and me in the freshmen dorm. He had arrived to face the daunting New England winter with a wardrobe that consisted of two pairs of jeans (one full of holes) and about 20 T shirts. I thought "Now here is an interesting guy." And I was right. Steve did eventually purchase a winter coat, a big puffy thing that made him look sort of like the Michelin man, but he always had a big warm smile on whenever I saw him sporting that thing. I remember when he came back from an early April trip to the Salvation Army thrift shop with a clerical collar, which he proceeded to wear while skateboarding down the precipitous incline of College Hill. He was filmed by thhe local TV news looking for "Signs of Spring," and he gave a fascinating interview about the philosophy behind the Reverend Steve Medley's Skateboard Church of Life. I remember my girlfriend giving him what must have been his first haircut in 4 years back in the spring of 1971 just before he hitchiked back to California to get a job as a ranger at Yosemite. I remember all those great Christmas letters that made me feel like I really knew Jane and the boys. I just saw him and Jane and two of his boys this past spring when I finally made it to Yosemite. It was a wonderful visit with an interesting guy who had remained a good friend for decades. it isn't right that he is not still with us.

Been trying to write something for days with no success. Steve was a good and kind-hearted man and we are so glad our paths crossed. We value his friendship and our memories-every one of them full of his humor.

Our sincere condolences to his family and to the Yosemite community. The world dimmed with the loss of Steve.

Edited by author 11-03-2006 09:55 AM
The ranger that you referred to Patty and Louis was Clyde Booth. I know this because last night I found a letter from Smed that I received in July 1980 where he told me what he was up to in his unique style, "Well [return to law school] is only 4 weeks away - in the meantime I'll be pretending to be Clyde Booth, a 1915 ranger in one of the old log cabins in the history center."

I'm leaving for Oakhurst in a few hours. If any of you guys from Brown are at the Memorial, please track me down and say hello or email me at ronsopas@earthlink.net. That goes for everyone whose posted here.

I'm looking forward to meeting many of you who knew and loved Steve and have more humorous stories to share. This man had such an impact on me, it's really incredible, and from the looks of things he had the same impact on countless others. A true gem of a human being.

As I prepare to drive to the Park tomorrow to join with countless others to celebrate your life and mourn your loss, I am filled with many years of memories of the sparkle in your eye, and the lovely way you wove humor into our many encounters. You have touched the lives of so many, and we will miss you and cherish the memory of your spirit. Thank you for all you have done, and for your love of Yosemite, and of life.

In a couple of hours a herd of people will be gathering in Wawona to swap stories and hugs and celebrate Steven P. Medley. I am a long ways off from that gathering and really feel the distance today.

Reading all the posts here shrinks that gap, eases my anxiety and helps conjure up many memories of a supremely witty, warm friend whose gentle wisdom and easy manner made him such a joy to know and a delight to work with.

Hugs to friends and family. What a great guy. How lucky we all are to have shared his space in this world.

Although I was unable to physically attend Steve's memorial this afternoon, I spent some of that time reading through the personal comments of friends and family, which, for me, was a personal memorial. I knew Steve at Library School at the University of Oregon in the early 70's. Like all, he is remembered with laughter for the good times to be had when he was around. If a teacher ever asked for an example to use in explaining something, "Gilroy was there"! Anyone who had never heard of "Gilroy" before, certainly knew about it then. He, and another classmate, were responsible for forming "The Dewey Decimaters", a group of mid-late twenty-somethings to play basketball in the U of O's intramural league. Unfortunately, for them, their competition was quite a bit younger and locker room talk had it that the DD's got WORN OUT while the competiton was still warming up! The following year, he had split his time at school, he continued this tradition but also added football to the talents of the DD's. Naturally an "awards banquet, complete with trophies" followed the demise of each session. I was very lucky to have had dinner with Jane and Steve on Sept. 30. I'd only seen them once since school and now I am so grateful for the feeling that I "had" to visit Yosemite on this trip.

Yesterday, a beautiful Memorial was held for Steve Medley. There were many eloquent words spoken, much laughter and the tears flowed as those close to Steve shared stories. None were more poignant than his mother’s poem.

Here is the text spoken by my daughter Tara at the Memorial yesterday. The Medley home is but half a mile away from ours, and our children had come to know Steve from all too infrequent visits to each other’s homes. Of course, Steve teased them often and although they were sometimes puzzled by his quirky comments, they loved the silliness and loved seeing him.

TARA'S SPEECH:

“My name is Tara Neill. I am nine years old.

Mr. Medley was such a clown. One day when he and Mrs. Medley were at our house, he said he wanted to live with us. “But we have only 3 bedrooms,” I said, "and they are taken!!”

So he went inside our coat closet, he couldn’t fit of course. Next he ran into my mom’s kitchen pantry.

“Oh, no!” I said, “No one goes in my mom’s pantry - that's a NO-NO!”

“So where can I live?” asked Mr. Medley.

In our hearts, I say to him now, ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS.”


P.S. I am hoping that other speakers at the memorial, if willing and the words were written out, will post their words here too.

Bill Neill
wneill@sti.net

Steve meant a great deal to me, as a long time friend, a neighbor and as a mentor. As I am sure it was for the many others who were privileged to work with Steve on a book project, Steve gave me the indelible gift of fulfilling a dream, and of creative collaboration. I came to him with an idea to publish a coffee table book of my Yosemite photographs, and he (and the board) said yes! Along with the words by Tim Palmer, Yosemite: The Promise of Wildness was published.

His dedication to bringing my concept to life was thorough, and his great skills as an editor were very apparent and greatly appreciated. We even flew to Hong Kong together to be on press for the book to ensure it's highest quality. (And of course, he had a friend there we met up with!) His legacy of YA publications is unparalleled. His gifts and dedication enabled his authors to share their love for Yosemite and selflessly reflected his own passion for the park. Thank you so very much, Steve.

One last story. While on the long flight to Hong Kong, I heard many stories about Charlie, Joey and Andy. His pride burned brightly as he spoke of them, and their successes as students, athletes and people was apparent. So, not having children of my own yet, I had to ask him what was his and Jane’s “secret.” He answered simply, “giving them self-esteem.” I have come to know Steve’s sons a little bit since then, and I have admired their dignity and ease with people, including with me and my family. This impression has been greatly reenforced since Steve left us, when seeing them at their home and at yesterday’s memorial. Clearly and obviously, Jane’s and Steve’s greatest legacy is their sons.

Charlie, Joey and Andy, may you grow stronger through this tremendous adversity, and in knowing life can be short, live your lives fully. Through your pain, keep your dad alive in your hearts and minds by holding fast to all your own memories, and the many stories you’ve heard, between each other. The unspoken memory can be the first to fade. Lastly, follow your dreams. Your dad will be with you every step of the way.

Steve, may you Walk in Beauty always,

Bill Neill
wneill@sti.net