Thursday, January 27, 2022
All of these comments about Alan’s demeanor are on target, and, as one of our classmates remarked to me not too long ago, we didn’t realize just how shy he was. He had a good sense of humor and it was fun to converse with him. I, too, fondly remember the gatherings at his house which took place over many years from grade school through high school and beyond. His parents were charitable in allowing us to dig up the side yard with our football and wiffleball games, and we always felt comfortable at his home.
Having some experience with operating a dialysis machine, I had a pretty good understanding of his living with that burden for a number of years before his renal transplant (and that condition, though certainly a better place, has its own issues). I admire how he handled all that in his quiet way.
An aside here: for some time, Alan and I communicated about those classmates who came and went over the years, trying to remember every last one of them. Because he did, indeed, have an uncannily detailed memory of such things, I told him that he was the keeper of The List, the compilation of those names. Whenever the odd name would pop up from the abyss that is my long-term memory, I would query Alan about its inclusion in the list. Most of the time, he already had it recorded and would proceed to fill me in on long-forgotten details and a story or two about that person. He was amazing in that way.
We grieve Alan's loss and extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family.
Here’s to our old classmate, a good man, with thanks for his service to our country.
