When word came that Tony had passed away, I was overcome by a wave of memories. I hadn’t quite expected to feel what I felt. In the last 20 years or so, my contact with Tony had grown far less frequent, though, then again, I always read his social media posts and always knew his whereabouts. But with his passing I couldn’t help but reflect on the massive role he played in my life.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the day I joined the CHHS yearbook staff as a junior in 1988, and for many years thereafter, I spent endless hours with Tony. He laughed generously at my endless hamming-it-up. He lauded my work on staff, which was an early opportunity for me to take on a kind of leadership role I’ve always loved. He introduced me to the music of Nanci Griffith. As I wept recently at her death, I knew I was weeping for Tony too. Tony drove me and various motley crews to weird places like the Josten’s yearbook factory in Kansas, and magical places like the Newport Folk Festival in 1993. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I’m telling the truth, Tony helped (with a word of encouragement or two; maybe some playful gossip) my incredibly shy and insecure self make some of my earliest attempts at communicating with the opposite sex back in HS. How many Friday or Saturday nites did he welcome me and others to just hang out at his little cottage in downtown CH or, later, his house in the woods? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For so many years, I loved talking politics, sports, CHHS politics, and so much more w\/ Tony. He made room for me in his life, and left a stamp on me that I will value forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This past summer, after Tony was already gone, I travelled west w\/ my wife and children. While visiting Glacier National Park, I thought often of Tony and the love and reverence he felt for these places. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve attached a picture from my trip. He’s not in the picture, but at the same time, I guess he is. Rest well, my dear friend and mentor. Aye zigga zoomba zoomba zoomba, and whatnot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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