Dear Prudence,
I am on the board of directors for a small theater company. One older member simply smells bad—it is body odor, i.e. no deodorant. I had to sit next to them for the first time tonight and it was pretty awful. I mentioned my discomfort after the meeting to another member and they said, “Yes, don’t sit next to them.” He is an amazing person who is intelligent, direct, etc. I feel that he would be appalled if he knew how bad it was. Someone needs to tell him. Should I tell his wife? (Who surely knows?) Should I just kindly isolate him and tell him bluntly? I am a kind person, and would be able to do this as well as anyone could—please give me some words!
—Holding My Breath