While the other Ph.D. students chatted — dryly — around the pool, Noel sprang headfirst into messy dives, off-center flips and drenching belly flops. He then dragged an 8-foot long inflatable whale under the diving board to land astride and ride. “Who is this guy?” my classmate asked, bewildered. This guy was a Florida boy, a water lover who emboldened me to ditch my cover up and pretensions, then cannonball into the deep end. Twenty five years on, we’ve synchronized strokes, often finishing each other’s jokes. Our children and I agree: He’s the funniest fish in the sea. — Leslie Kenna