Mark,
You paint this picture of a poignant care to help a dying patient let go and pass on. If MAF were truly dying, I agree that the deathbed scene is the right one. There are far too many nonprofits that can't and won't ride into the sunset when their time has come. The missing piece in my view, and the reason why this case bothers me, is that no one knew that the board has to be accountable to a larger group - the community, the clients, the students, etc. They failed at that job above all. The fact that several programs lived on is a sign that they hadn't finished their work. I agree that the board at the moment of this meting were probably the wrong people for this time and maybe for any time.