Schon and I were once sitting in the spare dorm room we'd turned into a lounge talking about how it used to be much easier to write popular music. I sang out, "I like potatoes!", and without missing a beat, Schon sang out "I like potatoes too!"
For the talent show, Schon and I worked out a combination juggling mime routine, and it boggles my mind to this day that we did it (and that it was as well received as it was).
Schon was such a vibrant presence in the room--quick witted and impish--and I'm deeply saddened by his premature departure. I'd been very much looking forward to meeting him again this year and laughing about our misbehavior. I wish he knew how much I esteemed him.
Anytime I've reflected back on the group at the JCMU during the 91-92 school year, I've always considered Schon to be "the personality" of our group. If you asked all of the American and Japanese students to list all of the students they could remember from that time 20+ years ago, Schon Washington's name would absolutely be on everybody's list. There would be some names that each person would forget, but his wouldn't be one of them.
Although I was Schon's roommate in Japan, I wouldn't claim that I knew him the best among our group. Our room was simply where he kept his stuff while he circulated out among the entire group of classmates playing endless games of basketball in the parking lot, hanging at Sugimoto's, or heading out to some outrageous weekend adventure he'd arranged for himself and a handful of other compatriots lucky enough to be invited along. Schon was the guy who was chummy with everybody. He referred to himself as "Cool Schon Washington" without a hint of arrogance. It was simply an acknowledgement of who he was.
There are few people in my life that I've known before or since that are so ready to laugh and whose mere presence kicked up the "fun factor" of any mundane gathering. Although we've spoken only a couple times since returning to the US, I've always looked forward to a time where we'd be able to get together and just reminisce about some of the foolishness (often just as much my fault as his) we found ourselves in during those 9 months in Hikone, maybe laugh about some inside joke that only former roommates understand. It saddens me that we won't be able to do that and any reunion of our group will be a little less fun due to his absence.
Christopher Lunt (1991)
Schon and I were once sitting in the spare dorm room we'd turned into a lounge talking about how it used to be much easier to write popular music. I sang out, "I like potatoes!", and without missing a beat, Schon sang out "I like potatoes too!"
For the talent show, Schon and I worked out a combination juggling mime routine, and it boggles my mind to this day that we did it (and that it was as well received as it was).
Schon was such a vibrant presence in the room--quick witted and impish--and I'm deeply saddened by his premature departure. I'd been very much looking forward to meeting him again this year and laughing about our misbehavior. I wish he knew how much I esteemed him.
Brian Swank (1991)
Anytime I've reflected back on the group at the JCMU during the 91-92 school year, I've always considered Schon to be "the personality" of our group. If you asked all of the American and Japanese students to list all of the students they could remember from that time 20+ years ago, Schon Washington's name would absolutely be on everybody's list. There would be some names that each person would forget, but his wouldn't be one of them.
Although I was Schon's roommate in Japan, I wouldn't claim that I knew him the best among our group. Our room was simply where he kept his stuff while he circulated out among the entire group of classmates playing endless games of basketball in the parking lot, hanging at Sugimoto's, or heading out to some outrageous weekend adventure he'd arranged for himself and a handful of other compatriots lucky enough to be invited along. Schon was the guy who was chummy with everybody. He referred to himself as "Cool Schon Washington" without a hint of arrogance. It was simply an acknowledgement of who he was.
There are few people in my life that I've known before or since that are so ready to laugh and whose mere presence kicked up the "fun factor" of any mundane gathering. Although we've spoken only a couple times since returning to the US, I've always looked forward to a time where we'd be able to get together and just reminisce about some of the foolishness (often just as much my fault as his) we found ourselves in during those 9 months in Hikone, maybe laugh about some inside joke that only former roommates understand. It saddens me that we won't be able to do that and any reunion of our group will be a little less fun due to his absence.