HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!! Wishing you many more healthy and happy simchas. I am almost certain Grandpa is cheering you with his two finger pour ❤️ Love and hugs from all of us in KC! xoxo

My dear Cousin!
HAPPY Birthday!!!
It's such a joy and happiness being here telling everyone how wonderful and funny you are.
Half a century is a mark in a lifetime of joy and happiness, with Renya, Annika and Gavin!
We meet personaly in 2010 when you visited us in Madeira, and last year I have the pleasure to have dinner with you in New York and it was amazing!
I hope Our friendship/"cousiness" keeps going through the time and that we keep making memories.

Much Love from the entire Family in Madeira Island.
We miss You
Love
Marta
M10B

Dear Aaron,

A friendship that started between our toddlers in 2014 brought a a great connection between us parents too! It is always a pleasure spending time with the Vieira family - and Aaron your warm smile, engaging spirit, and hilarious stories bring color to every conversation whether when passing in/out during our Bedrock days or when spending an afternoon together with our families. We are so lucky to have you as a friend and we look forward to many more years of friendship as we watch our children grow.

Happy 50th Birthday, friend - we wish you many many more filled with good health and lots of love and laughter!

Lots of Love,
Kavi, Vishal & Bijal

Mister Vieira! (You get to be called that when you're fifty.) You're a swell fellow, and you always were.

Some of my memories of you, in no particular order:

You very sweetly describing how as a little kid you used to help your dad wash the dishes... standing on a chair, playing with the soap suds.

The steady stream of João Gilberto that came from the stereo, still a regular on my own playlists. Or was it Gilberto Gil? Jorge Ben Jor? It might have been either, and probably both.

Your explanations of how to speak Rhode Island: "Umbrellera. Tamatera."

Watching you sweat through the CSS meatgrinder as I watched movies and read plays, and feeling like I was missing out on something. (Also, I think you were the person who told me the scandalous story about the faculty, ending with, "I got this map from his room... just another thing I stole from Leon.")

That little four room apartment down the gangway we three split for $740 per month. (Current comparable listing: $2400)

Watching the OJ chase with you on that big blue uncomfortable futon couch, as it pre-empted Jean's appearance on the 10 o' clock news.

All the beautiful young women of Chicago who were pining for you, hanging around the apartment on the weekends. You weren't oblivious, but not ready to commit either...

The extremely drunk cabdriver at Clark Street Dog at 2 am, who finished his offer to show us the REAL Chicago with, "I'll show you the streets... I'll show you the alleys... I'll show you the rooftops!"

Being deeply impressed (and jealous!) that you were a member of Bang Bang, a troupe that I had long watched and enjoyed.

The long and involved story of receiving a high colonic (and coffee enema?), which for purposes of this public place I will pretend to have forgotten whether you were telling the story about yourself, or as it happened to a friend of yours, but which certainly made an impression.

Meeting Renya, and wandering through Millennium Park with you and Sheila and it being very, very easy and nice to be with you, even after so many years apart.

It was a pleasure to know you then, and to spend so much time with you some unknowable number of years ago, probably ten to twelve. Much love on your birthday, and may it bring you continued good health and joy. Yer pal Jeremy

Dear Aaron, Happy Birthday! I hope Renya, Gavin and Annika will help you celebrate with love. Please show Gavin and Annika the first three photos of what they have to look forward to when they become young adults. I was so lucky to be one of your roommates then because you were a joy to live with, and you could laugh rather than cry at our callous landlord Henry. Ah, those were the days. Thank you for coming to visit me in San Francisco later on and thank you tremendously for reading at the wedding of Peter and me. I wish you and your family many, many more years of joy and Brazilian music. Love, Jean

Renya posting for Courtenay Harding:

Dear Aaron,
Happy, happy birthday!! Fifty! Egads…you, sweet young thing, you from my vantage
point! How did I get to be thirty years older??
One of the smartest things I ever did was to come to NYC and work with you at
the Coalition. You taught me how to do adult learning which is so different than
lecturing. You taught me about NYC, our 130 agencies, and the system of care. You
taught me about making better decisions. I was good at the job because you were
so good at your job.!
It was fun watching you fall madly in love with Renya. We all thought you treated
her with such caring and thoughtfulness. What a delight to be at your wedding
which you both took such care to organize. And how wonderful to see your two
adorable chicks grow and flourish.
I wish you fifty more and a life even more wonderful if that is possible.
Hugs
Courtenay

Very dear Aaron:

We hope you will have a very happy 50th birthday (such a child🙂). My remembrances of you are always joyful. Like your father, you have always been witty, courteous and very loving-a pleasure to be around. Oh course, among my fondest memories is our evening at Yankee Stadium. I was going to look for the original photos, but then Joyce told me that she was sending you the photos that Ted sabotaged by changing all the logos from Red Sox to Yankees. 😩 I hope you get them and can have a big laugh.

Speaking to that game in NY, I recall that you were hoping very much to meet someone special. Well, God came through for you more than you could have imagined, I'm sure. Renya is so fantastic, and together you have a wonderful family. So, all the best to you at the time of this milestone in your wonderful life.🎂

With love,
Margaret and Fred

Dear Aaron, I am proud to call you “Cuz” and so glad you and my dear cousin Renya upgraded from speed-dating.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS ABV

Realizing your initials are “ABV”, that makes great sense to me that I liked you immediately, as I’m a fan of beer… if you were a beer, you would be a great one with refined but not overwhelming hoppy character, a complex finish, and an ABV of at least 100, as you would settle for no less.

Did Renya mention I’m the weird cousin? There’s definitely some weirdness in the Larson genes, as I'm sure your beautiful children have announced by now. You and Renya have been generous in providing the world with a beautiful boy and a girl to replace you (not too soon!), and I can’t wait to see your family again. I hope the world gets back to normal soon, allowing us to have a proper family reunion this year. When that happens, be sure Annika and Gavin bring some gambling money, as we have a family tradition of fleecing younger members before they “get wise” to our tricks.

Larsons are life-long learners as well, and one of my goals is to finally pronounce “Aaron” correctly. I have watched the instructional video SO many times, I swear!

Cathy and I married a couple years after you and Renya, and one of my biggest sorrows is that she did not come into my life at a time when she could know Renya’s father Dick and her brother Kurt, who were so influential in my life and are so missed. I can imagine them meeting though, and approving to the extent that I would be lucky to get a word in edgewise as they picked her brain on endless topics. I can imagine the same for you — in fact, I can picture myself and Renya in the room looking at each other and saying “what are we, chopped liver?”

I have just one complaint, which I guess is actually 3 of them. You are wicked on the dance floor, and play a mean game of HORSE. Mojo is for sharing, not hoarding, my friend. Save some for the rest of us!

Congratulations on your 50th, not just for perseverance but doing so with grace, intelligence, and warmth. I hope your celebration is filled with the kindness and love that you model in the world.

Aaron,

It’s been nearly 5 years since we first met in the Columbia master's program - a fortuitous merging of our paths. We bonded over Hogan, Delta Partners (and all its headaches), GRC, and ONA, to name a few.

What has been even more rewarding is the personal friendship we’ve developed far beyond our educational affiliation. You’ve helped me in many ways - from assessing career options to personal challenges and relationships - which has meant more to me than you’ll ever know.

Additional cherries on top have been connecting with the beautiful Renya, Annika, and Gavin. What an awesome family for an awesome man!

Despite our geographical distance, I am so happy that we remain friends — no, brothers.

Xoxo
Chris

Having known Aaron since I used to Babysit for him the 70's I am torn on how to commemorate his big Cinquenta. On one hand, I like to think he has benefited from my mentorship during his formative years. On the other hand, I don't want to be blamed for his choosing non-profit social work. He could have been somebody. He could have been a contender instead of the socialist he is today. Anyway Feliz anniversario Aaronzinho. By the way, this is Samba Steve Becker.