It’s always hard to say goodbye to a close friend as they complete life’s journey and pass on. For our friend Corey Jensen we find ourselves confronting a huge void upon his passing. He was a man of such personality, warmth, kindness, and compassion, that to define his effects on our lives is quite overwhelming. As time goes by, we’ll all carry special traits, trinkets, and memories given to us by “the Corey Lama.”

A fitting remembrance and homage to Corey was given last week just after his passing. At the American Kitefliers Association (AKA) Convention, every name tag had Corey’s name officially printed on the back. It seems like a small thing, but for those of us who knew Corey – and the AKA – for the last 30-something years, it was the AKA acknowledging: “You were right, Corey, and we were wrong.”

You see, for so many years the AKA as an organization would throw up its collective arms when Corey would start exchanging name tags at the convention. “How are new people going to know who they’re talking to?” “How unprofessional!” “How can you introduce such chaos?” Well, what we all acknowledged by wearing those name tags last week was: what a great way to meet new people, what a great way to personally connect, and what an appropriate way to recognize the kind soul who was Corey Jensen!