Life of Wry

I didn’t know Cap Thomson well — hardly at all — but, like most, knew of him. I do know, and have long admired, his wife Helen. I went to the Celebration of Life for Cap today because I knew it’d be a wonderful Davis community event — a coming together of a lot of Davis folks to honor a truly remarkable man. I wanted to be inspired by what is good about life in this community. I thought it would be the best kind of feel-good gathering. And it was.

Truly, the best of Davis.

I do, actually, have a story about Cap.

A few months ago (February), I was canvassing the neighborhood on behalf of Donna Nevelle, who was running in a special election for a vacated spot on the City Council (she went on to win that seat). I was in College Park, dropping flyers at every house, inviting neighbors to attend a Meet and Greet that Jim and I were hosting for Donna. I ran into Cap walking his Cairn terrier, something he did twice a day, at least. He was in front of his house, either coming or going. I said hello and he wondered what I was up to. I handed him a flyer and invited him to our house later that week.

What I remember was his kindness and enthusiasm. He eagerly motioned me to his front door and invited me in so he could tell Helen all about it. What impressed me was his immediate and complete attention to what I had to say and the way he engaged me fully. In that moment, he made me feel like I had the most important information in the world. Not patronizing in the least, just respectful and kind. When we walked through the door, he called for Helen. She came over, smiled, we talked briefly. Cap suggested to Helen that this would be a good thing to attend. She smiled again. Thanked me. Cap added his thanks warmly, said how nice it was to see me. He hoped they could both be there, even as Helen thought there might be a conflict. I left.

I remember walking away feeling like I had been so welcome, that I had useful information, that we shared common values. I felt absolutely like these guys were the best kind of neighbors. Not to make a huge deal out a small transaction, but quite honestly, it was a standout encounter.

It is exactly what every speaker said at the Celebration of Life. Cap was warm, gracious, kind, and humble. I learned a lot about his enormously significant contributions to the mental health field (he was an MD specializing in psychiatry) and everything he did for people with mental illness — on the most intimate and personal of levels, as well as his legislative accomplishments. A titan in the field and hugely respected. I also learned about his enduring love of Celtic music (of course the Putah Creek Crawdads), his athletic prowess (multiple marathons, major treks/hikes, Masters swimmer), love of the Sierra (a lifetime of backpacking trips), love of Scottish culture, love of family (I knew his oldest son Iain when he was a junior high school kid on one of the youth councils I supervised in the early 80s), a penchant for bad jokes and story telling, and that he was a lip-kisser.

Back to that mid-February neighborhood Meet and Greet… Helen did attend (it was so nice to see her), though Cap did not. I learned that at that time, he was in the throes of cancer (I believe) and would soon start hospice. He passed away at the end of July.