He was, and always shall be, our friend.

Leonard Nimoy died today.

I have loved Leonard Nimoy since I first saw him as science officer Spock on "Star Trek" when I was six. Many have speculated on Spock's appeal: we wish we could be more logical; we wish were were more in control of our emotions.

None of this was ever true for me. What I loved most about Spock was that you could trust him. With Spock, there was no subtext; he was loyal, principled, honest, wasn't mean, and didn't gossip. He told it like it was, and the human side of him gave him humor and compassion.

I know that one is the actor and the other the character, but I love the actor for bringing me the character. I loved Nimoy for staying a class act and for not ruining the character of Spock for me, and for being a good actor who knew how to mock himself.  Who remained someone who deserved our love.

When we played the "who would you have dinner with, if you could have dinner with anyone?" game, Nimoy was always on the list.  I knew it was extremely unlikely, but I did  harbor hopes of one day meeting him in person to thank him for everything. That is, if I could speak at all.

Goodbye, Leonard. You are not dead if we find a way to remember you. And we most certainly shall.