Our friend David died October 30, 2008 just a little time before his 62nd birthday and did not quite manage to out live his mother. A sad day for all of us but in some ways a blessing for him considering all that was wrong with his health. Our hearts are with his sister Deb and his brother Bill.
Despite the fact that we did not get to get much face to face time in since we went our separate ways after Ohio where we spent many week-ends together, drinking cheap Chianti, playing our guitars, and, God help us!, singing, even taking an unscheduled pre-semester break to the Gulf Coast of Florida, we did stay in touch one way or another for the rest of the time.
We had met and became friends during our shared Freshman year in 1964-5 at the
American College in Paris (ACP now a university AUP). Our informal group that included “Chip” Jefferies, Glenda Jackson (Cooper), Joan McCallum (Rasool), and myself as our classes seemed to get out at the same time and we all trooped across the Seine on the Pont d’Alma and on up to rue Marboeuf to the Officer’s Club for lunch and to see the other students we knew like Phil Strub, Eric Elbot, Sue and many others. Since the traffic never stopped for us to cross the roads, we became “auto fighters” using our raincoats as capes.
David then came back to the US to attend Ohio State while I stayed on another semester. After Ohio, we sent tape “letters” back and forth until ultimately I found myself taking a second degree down in Los Angeles while David was working on a newspaper up near Sacramento, so we were able to visit then and a few times as we passed by each others homes. Finally email arrived and we were in regular contact.
So we followed each other’s lives, enjoyed railing about politics and almost anything else that crossed our minds.
We both had moved around a lot as kids; he with a father in the military and myself a civilian with parents living in England and a high school and college education spent far and wide. I think the unanquored life was something that gave us both a shared view of the world as a bigger and more diverse place than home town USA and we frequently commented on how it had shaped our view point, our reactions and judgements.
His was a valued, long time friendship that we both cherished and that enriched our lives even if we could not actually be together very often. It never lagged. We always just picked up where ever we left off as though no time at all had gone by. I attended his
wedding to Pat, took photos that I recently discovered and put up as an album, and was saddened when it seemed to just unravel. I don’t know if David was just more comfortable as a solitary person or became one by default. I always thought there was plenty of time left to discuss such things. I am sure what we all learn is that the only time we can count on is the present.
I have made a small
memorial site with photos of David through the years and would appreciate anyone who would like to send some more photos will do so. It has his Obituary and reports from Deb, his sister, of his short stay in hospital and nursing home in the few days leading up to his death. His brother Bill has promised to provide information on the eventual internment when it becomes available.
Peter D’Aprix
