Burlington - After four years as the indispensable administrative assistant/office manager for the Samara Foundation, Ted Looby is moving on. He'll be "following his bliss" as a musician, a co-career he has pursued alongside his office duties.
     "Yeah, I'm moving to the low-paying life of a musician," Looby said with a laugh." And I hope to finally get my degree at the Berklee School of Music. I'd like to see where this goes." He is studying music production.
     Being a straight ally in a gay foundation, he said, "has challenged perceptions about the foundation and about me. I've never fit into a mold: I married a black woman and our kids are mixed race, I live in an artists' coop, so why not be a straight man in a gay foundation?"
     Looby, a Vermont native, was working at the now defunct Trinity College in 2000 when he met Samara Foundation Director Bill Lippert and was hired away, "just in time for the 2000 election."
     He added, "It has been amazing working here with Bill and the various board members who have cycled through. They're quite a collection of thoughtful and intelligent people."
     Linda Markin, a long-time member of the Samara Foundation's Board of Directors, including stints as president and vice president, had this succinct comment regarding looby’s impending departure: "It's a bummer." She continued, "We'll miss his skills, his humor, his humility, and his grasp of lgbt issues, even to the point of being mistaken for gay. We've done a lot more than we thought we could," thanks to Looby's talents.
     Looby's stint at Samara ends at the end of November. Lippert is seeking applicants for the job. "I'm excited for Ted," the foundation director said, "and I personally will miss working with him. What he brought to Samara far exceeds his technical ability. My only consolation is that he's pursuing his life's passion. I'm happy for him and will miss him terribly. I know that he will continue to be a part of our communities in new and different ways."
     Ted and Winnie Looby perform together as Color Complex. Their next appearance is Nov. 5 (8 pm - see Calendar) at 135 Pearl in Burlington.