Way back in June of 1975 Gary and I drove his old Ford Galaxy down to the rail yards in Kansas City and upon finding the appropriate loading ramp, drove it up into the back of a 30 foot Penske rental truck. We piled out personal possessions in and around his car and so began an adventurous road trip to Tucson Arizona. He had graduated from the University of Missouri and moved back to Kansas City the year before after being diagnosed with leukemia. His disease was in remission and I had decided to go back to school (U of A) so what better a thing for two young men to do but to head out on a road trip for the great southwest! That was the beginning of a wonderful year. We rented a house with a pool on the edge of the desert on the very western edge of Tucson. Gary had two labs, Duncan and Dooley. Both were backyard escape artists who would lead us on many a wild goose chase through the lovely Sonoran desert. Visits from our old Southwest High School classmates Jimmy Watters and Scott Nygren during that year were especially fun. In time though Gary’s illness caught up with him and he moved back to KC. He died there in the fall of 1976. I will always remember that time in Tucson with Gary. Today there is a very fine picture hanging in my hallway of Gary and Jimmy standing in the desert among saguaro cactus under an unbelievably blue sky. He was a great friend to me. He was a wise young man of intelligence and quiet integrity far beyond his years. I think of him often. He is, to this day, still missed.
I got to know Gary when we were on TRAIL staff senior year, but we became much better friends a few years later at Mizzou. If my feeble memory is correct, Gary transferred to Mizzou, I think our junior or senior year. Somehow, Gary and I hooked up and started hanging out. Just as friends. We just liked to talk. He was a gentle, extremely intuitive, loving man.
One memorable evening, he invited me for dinner where he was living out in the country. He delighted in cooking up something fabulous for me, and introducing me to some new jazz artists he was excited about...and then we took a long walk aftrer dinner, him leading me down a secluded country road in the moonlight, and Gary sang to me ---some of his favorite old African-American spirituals. How he knew of these songs, beats me, but it was typical of Gary's passion for the eclectic and profound.
Truth is, if I hadn't have already been involved with someone else, how could I have not fallen head over heels for the guy?
After we graduated, Gary was soon diagnosed with leukemia.
I pretty much was in denial of all that.....just kept telling myself it would be like having an ulcer or a cold sore or something......that it would surely go away.
But it didn't.
When he was in a brief remission, Gary visited me in Boston where I lived after college with my boyfriend/soon- to-be-husband. I think Gary was there for about a week--- we had a fabulous time romping around New England. Several months later, I was honored to have Gary at my wedding.
The next year, he was gone.
I only had about 3 years of close, heartfelt friendship with him, but for that I'm ever grateful. I still savor letters from Gary, written between our college graduation and his death. They are extraordinary letters, talking of life and beyond in passionate, insightful and beautiful ways.
Like many of our classmates who died so young, Gary had much to offer this world. He was clever and riotously funny , brilliant, talented in so many things, a true Renaissance man with many gifts. But his devotion to his friends, I believe, was his greatest gift.
I knew Gary from the time that came into our class in Hale Cook Elementary as a "new kid"one year and I can still remember going to his house near 72d & Walnut after school. I was fortunate that, for the next 15 years or so, we were able to just sit down and talk like friends do for a 1/2 hour or an hour sometimes when we would meet. I still remember that, during his last years, he always considered any time spent with Karen to be special and it his hard to put into words how much he valued the year in Arizona with Steve. While Gary was at KU Medical Center, Paul Nelson happened to be a medical student and I think that Paul deserves a lot of credit for helping him through some really rough times. God bless you all.
I know this is a little later than most of the comments, but seeing Steve Pherigo's post......I remember the soccer club team we played on at Southwest. Gary, Mike Sinclair, Steve Moore, guys forgive me for omitting others. We got better and better but I don't think we were any match for the Catholic boys at Rockhurst, Miege, and De La Salle.
Gary was ever the optimist...I remember we would be down by five goals, and it just would not phase him. Now this leads to another memory......... poker games at either Sinclair's or Pherigo's house.....probably fueled by some cherry flavord vodka....bad stuff. I haven't seen Mike forever, but Steve now and then, but it's been awhille. Steve Pherigo, a great guy and gentleman.
Bob Cook
A great guy, a true friend.Robyn Black
He was so much fun......and such a great guy!Steve Pherigo
Way back in June of 1975 Gary and I drove his old Ford Galaxy down to the rail yards in Kansas City and upon finding the appropriate loading ramp, drove it up into the back of a 30 foot Penske rental truck. We piled out personal possessions in and around his car and so began an adventurous road trip to Tucson Arizona.He had graduated from the University of Missouri and moved back to Kansas City the year before after being diagnosed with leukemia. His disease was in remission and I had decided to go back to school (U of A) so what better a thing for two young men to do but to head out on a road trip for the great southwest!
That was the beginning of a wonderful year. We rented a house with a pool on the edge of the desert on the very western edge of Tucson. Gary had two labs, Duncan and Dooley. Both were backyard escape artists who would lead us on many a wild goose chase through the lovely Sonoran desert. Visits from our old Southwest High School classmates Jimmy Watters and Scott Nygren during that year were especially fun. In time though Gary’s illness caught up with him and he moved back to KC. He died there in the fall of 1976. I will always remember that time in Tucson with Gary. Today there is a very fine picture hanging in my hallway of Gary and Jimmy standing in the desert among saguaro cactus under an unbelievably blue sky.
He was a great friend to me. He was a wise young man of intelligence and quiet integrity far beyond his years. I think of him often. He is, to this day, still missed.
Karen Stark
Richard Koenigsdorf
I knew Gary from the time that came into our class in Hale Cook Elementary as a "new kid"one year and I can still remember going to his house near 72d & Walnut after school. I was fortunate that, for the next 15 years or so, we were able to just sit down and talk like friends do for a 1/2 hour or an hour sometimes when we would meet. I still remember that, during his last years, he always considered any time spent with Karen to be special and it his hard to put into words how much he valued the year in Arizona with Steve. While Gary was at KU Medical Center, Paul Nelson happened to be a medical student and I think that Paul deserves a lot of credit for helping him through some really rough times. God bless you all.
Jim Wilkinson
I know this is a little later than most of the comments, but seeing Steve Pherigo's post......I remember the soccer club team we played on at Southwest. Gary, Mike Sinclair, Steve Moore, guys forgive me for omitting others. We got better and better but I don't think we were any match for the Catholic boys at Rockhurst, Miege, and De La Salle.
Gary was ever the optimist...I remember we would be down by five goals, and it just would not phase him. Now this leads to another memory......... poker games at either Sinclair's or Pherigo's house.....probably fueled by some cherry flavord vodka....bad stuff. I haven't seen Mike forever, but Steve now and then, but it's been awhille. Steve Pherigo, a great guy and gentleman.
Take care, Jim Wilkinson