If I were to put into one word what seems to me the keynote of Mr.
Putney's life as I knew him, it would be service. There was never
a moment that I was not conscious that even when he was in physical
suffering, which, alas! was often, he was ready to help in every way
possible. This patience and kindness were unfailing, and his sense of
humor, which must have helped him as well as us, often pricked our
difficulties, and showed us how unimportant they really were. I was with
him only two years, but his character, and the lessons learned from him
have been a very real influence in my life ever since.