I considered him my best friend, but he wasn’t the type to choose favorites. His infectious conviviality earned him many friends. Those of you who had the pleasure of his company know of his humble and kind nature, engaging conversation and unmistakable laugh–a sometimes quite raucous “YUK, yuk, yuk!” often accompanied by “Lordy mercy!” or “Girl, I swear!” It was rare that I saw Karl in a state anything short of a decent mood. He devoted countless hours to studying Raleigh’s history filing away not only names and dates, but astute historical analysis peppered with the right amount of perspective, imagination and curiosity. Raleigh was Karl’s primal landscape–the benchmark on which he compared all others. In so doing, he formed a bond with his hometown that would never waver. He recorded the growth, destruction, stagnation, rot and every crack in between. He rode the streets of Raleigh by bike with his Kodak Instamatic camera, snapping photographs of his changing city. Perhaps influenced by his father’s love of history, he recognized at a young age that the new construction, urban renewal and demolition of historic Raleigh homes and buildings were worth documenting”and document he did. Karl was able to view the changes in an historical perspective. Citizens watched as the city changed some with anger, some with hope. Karl came of age in the 1960s, a time of energetic and abrupt transition in Raleigh. He battled a brief illness with optimism and strength. It is with a heavy heart that I announce the Jpassing of Karl Edward Larson, known to readers and friends alike as Raleigh Boy.

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