It takes a village (esp. in the Bay Area)

My husband and I were both co-workers of Tagan and Tanya as well as fellow East Coast transplants. Not only did we share the identity of being scientists, we also decided to embark on the journey that is parenthood a few months after Tanya and Tagan were expecting Bodhi. While Chris and Tanya worked together in a postdoc lab at Stanford, Tagan and Stef were both postdocs at UCSF/Gladstone. Below we share some of our favorite memories of Tagan and hanging with the family.

Work Buddies Bonding Over Burritos, Science, and Parenthood: Tagan and Stef would meet for a burrito break for lunch on the reg while they were both postdocs. Tagan had just become a father and Stef was expecting; these lunch hangouts were great for getting to nerd out about science and later swap stories of being new parents. Tagan was super excited about his postdoc and sounded like a kid in a candy shop discussing the experiments that he was planning and the resources he had at his disposal. You could really see his passion for science and that he was happy with the career path he had chosen. However, nothing could hold a candle as to when Tagan would talk about his growing family and how proud he was of Tanya and being a father to Bodhi. Tagan would talk about some of the adventures he had planned with Bodhi, including using a super fancy carrier to strap Bodhi to his back to go hiking. Tagan was excited to think about all of the daddy/Bodhi adventures he would go on - including many more hiking trips. Tagan also confessed how thankful he was raising Bodhi alongside of Tanya; he was so proud of her rocking being a mom and later a career change from academia to industry. Stef would also like to point out that Tagan would always finish his burrito - he had a very good appetite.

Epic PlayDates: After our son was born, we all visited Tanya and Tagan for some playdates in their home in San Mateo. They had the BEST play area for Bodhi and we were always happy to bring our son Jonathan over to their place for a playdate. Stef distinctly remembers one time while Bodhi and Jonathan were playing (or really more playing alongside each other as young kiddos do), Bodhi had done something that had required Tagan to intervene and discipline him. Stef doesn't remember the particulars as it was a normal part of being a toddler and learning some boundaries, but she does remember that Tagan disciplined Bodhi by just giving him a very stern "look." This look was enough to make Bodhi cry and say he was sorry. Then, Tagan swooped in and gave Bodhi a big hug to remind him that we all make mistakes and that he was proud of him for saying sorry. It was an example of Tagan's super gentle and effective parenting style with Bodhi; you could really see how close the two of them were together.

Best Spaghetti Ever: During one of our playdate visits, we had stayed long enough that we decided to all make dinner together. We went to the grocery store and picked up spaghetti stuff and then came back to the apartment. While the kiddos were playing, Tagan quickly whipped up some spaghetti with meat sauce and peppers and mushrooms. In the early throws of parenthood ourselves, it was such a nice treat to have someone cook for you. Stef and Chris devoured it and our picky young toddler enjoyed it as well. Tagan was so generous and we were really thankful and appreciative of his cooking expertise.

While we left the Bay Area and didn't get a chance to meet Sophia, we are certain that Tagan would have the same pride in being a Dad to Sophia, as he had for being a Dad to Bodhi and partner with Tanya. We will always remember Tagan for his love for his family, his wit, his gentle and generous spirit, and as a fellow nerd.

Love,

Stef and Chris Makinson

To contribute a page to the memory book, email your words and/or photos to taganmemorybook@gmail.com