TR's comment from the last post stirred a little something. There are many fine tributes on social media today, as there are every year -- some more cursory, some more thoughtful and thought-provoking. I guess after a number years of tearful remembrances, it's been more of a quiet, quick reflection on this day for me. The human brain doing what it does; it's more comfortable and natural to not think about the horribleness I hope to never watch again.
But to "Never Forget" means to remember, and that's what we should do every year.
Lud, far right with the babyface
Not the unfathomably evil deeds and the terror we all felt, but the spirit of those we lost. For us older gheorghies that's fratres Mark Ludvigsen and Mike Edwards. As you've read here before.
I will always remember Lud as the guy who positively pestered me to play rugby (and join a certain fraternity). His love of the game was the most compelling reason for me to get involved, and doing so changed my college experience irrevocably for the better. Without question. I'm grateful.
Scoop, second from left getting cupped
Speaking of which, for Edwards, I will remember listening to the Dead and taking heat alongside him from most of the guys in the house who'd much rather hear AC/DC and the like... but then him rallying a fairly large group of the dudes to go to Hampton Coliseum for the now-legendary "Formerly the Warlocks" shows. That was a win. And I was happy to be a part of it.
Little thoughts to stoke the embers of their memories. I'll expect the same from you clowns when I'm gone.
TR's comment is worth re-airing
Today is a Tuesday, just like 9/11/01. But it’s not a crystal blue sky like that day. I worked downtown from ‘97 to early ‘03, then happily moved to midtown. Fate brought me a new job downtown. Will be my first 9/11 in the area since ‘02. Not too psyched to be here, staring out my window at my old work bldg, the one I evacuated that day.
Not sure anybody under 30 around these parts really gets it, and there’s a lot of them here b/c the Financial District is morphing into more of a residential neighborhood. Newspapers make the anniversary less of a big deal every year. Hoping to bury myself in work all day.
I may not do this enough every day, but today is certainly a day to think of others.
The Islanders (not the hockey team), Texans (not the football team), and Floridians -- especially GTBers traumatized by 100+ mph winds and storm surges taller than Gheorghe Muresan. God bless.
Mexican earthquake victims, just the latest natural disaster to plague the planet's inhabitants. With more such events to come along soon, sadly and assuredly.
All of these catastrophes remind me of two things. Weirdly.
One, the line "we care a lot about disasters, fires, floods, and killer bees. Faith No More.
The other is Gheorghe Carlin's typically irreverent take on our planet and those who would assert it needs saving. It's all good Carlin, but jump to 6:30 for the best.
Well, there's a slew of Mother Nature ass-whippings taking place out there this week, and I am hopeful that casualties are few and far between. It does seem like Irma could have been far crueler to the Gulf Coast (thus far). At least compared to what was "forecast" from the meteorologists. The weather folks appear to be chucking darts at a board for their predictions, now more than ever. Actually, Dave throws darts far more accurately than they predict weather.
Me wishing good things for those that have endured these irrevocably life-changing disasters doesn't really do a whole lot, as our curmudegonly fratre Malone posted this weekend (see meme at right).
As such, for those that are inclined, click on this link to go straight to the Red Cross donation site. I will make a donation so as to not be a total hypocrite. Or give blood. I'm Type O+ so they need my blood, amazingly. It's more pure than in the old days, so I give every few months.
Anyway, today is September 11, so there's more to think about. This morning 16 years ago a lot of things changed for the worse. This far removed, it remains important to keep the spirit of fallen brethren (and anyone who perished that day) alive. We frequently highlight our friend Lud, in part because he always seemed to think of others first, and because the elder GTBers were simply much closer with him, his sister, and his parents. For sure, never let the vitality of Mark Ludvigsen ever fade.
At the same time, it's just as important to remember that, accordingly a school official, six undergraduate alumni of the College of William & Mary died in 9/11, and three of them were members of our fraternity separated by just six years. Uncanny. Crappy.
In addition to Jim Connor '85, a resident of Summit, NJ at the time, we lost Mike Edwards '90.
Scoop, as we called him for some reasons unbeknownst to me, was a couple of years older than Dave, Rob, and I, and he mocked us mercilessly. Deservedly.
It's funny that in college you know someone for just a few years, but because back then we crammed 37 guys into 19 tiny rooms without cable access, we got to know each other -- and our faults -- really well. Of course, then you read someone's obituary, like that of Michael Hardy Edwards:
One way he found joy was through athletics. He was a crack hurdler in college, and he continued to run. In fact, name just about any sport, and it seemed that he did it: golf, skydiving, scuba diving, snowboarding, skiing.
Crack hurdler? I don't even know what that is, but if it's akin to papal elector, I guess that could be right for Scoop. I don't remember him doing a whole hell of a lot athletic, maybe simply because his permanently affixed do-rag and tie-dye don't exude "SPORTS." Anyway, I do like that on a memorial website there is this:
Education:Garden City High School
College of William & Mary
Affiliations:New York Athletic Club (where Lud's memorial service was)
Garden City Golf Club
Hobbies and Interests:
Pi Lambda Phi
running
golf skiing
playing guitar
scuba diving
Special Interests: Scuba Diving, Skiing, golf, the Grateful Dead, Central Park, Cuban cigars, Dave Matthews Band, Allman Brothers, Traveling, his friends, family
I trust that last section isn't in order. Anyway, what I remember most about Mike Edwards is whiling away the afternoons when others went to "class," lounging with a Milwaukee's Best or two and some crap cassette of Hartford '83 or the like. In his honor, here are three shows that we would have enjoyed, each performed on September 11.
Scoop... have one.
GRATEFUL DEAD -- AUDITORIUM, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 9/11/82
GRATEFUL DEAD -- CAPITAL CENTRE, LANDOVER, MD 9/11/87
GRATEFUL DEAD -- WILLIAM AND MARY HALL, WILLIAMSBURG,VA 9/11/73
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