Mike Murphy
Vern and Phyllis will always be dear to me. I met him around 1990, stayed in touch ever since, and our professional paths crossed significantly on several occasions, including a one year stint working for Vern in his Arlington office. When I joined Vern's firm, I was a "Responsible Agnostic" and used that period to come to terms with faith - a firm aye or nay. To his everlasting credit, Vern put no pressure on me, only opened doors and gave me opportunities to think things through, in a very deliberate, rational way. Had he and Phyllis not done so, I might still be an agnostic, and perhaps a smug one at that. Instead, aided by the generous example they both set, I found myself making the step from agnosticism to faith in 1996 and have remained that way ever since. Over the years, Vern and I have bumped heads professionally on occasion, but always reconciled through forgiveness - the cornerstone of faith and the fulcrum of the Lord's Prayer, a daily practice that has enriched my life in countless ways, all thanks to Vern and Phyllis. My deepest sympathies to Phyllis and the extended Grose family.