Alex was the most talented person I knew in high school. A great actor, who spoke several languages. I remember parties at his parent's penthouse. Wow! Alex was suave, good looking, and full of knowledge. I think half the girls in the school had a crush on him.
I got to play Roxanne to his Cyrano when I was a lowly ninth grader. Quite an honor.
In tenth grade my family moved to Portugal. The next summer Alex and Murray Zeilin came to visit there. What great fun!
When Alex died I wrote a heartfelt letter to his mother and got a lovely reply. I remember what a sweet woman she was, always welcoming of Alex's friends. She lost her only child. Years later I lost a child who was about the same age as Alex was when he died. Luckily she was not my only child, but it gave me a new appreciation for what Alex's mom suffered.
Alex was one of my closest friends. He called me his little sister. I have fond memories of hanging out at the Reti apartment, with all of its European richness; raiding the frig at night for Russian caviar and crackers!I was in the Bay Area that summer. Alex was going to start at Reed College in Portland that fall. I would be going to Lewis and Clark College in Portland. We had made lots of plans. Alex had spent part of the summer in the LA area with Paul Lee. We talked hours on the phone. He would be driving from LA to Portland, and was stopping for a few days with me south of San Francisco. I talked to him 2 days before he was to leave LA, so excited to see him. Paul called me the next day.....Alex had died in a car crash. He and Paul were returning home after getting all of the things Alex needed for the trip. The brakes went out on the car. Paul was injured, and Alex was gone. Paul never got over it. I miss Alex. He was an incredibly talented individual with a great passion for life. He was a loving friend, and the loss was huge.
Alex spent a lot of time at our house - for he was close to my brother Mike Kanarek and lived in walking distance. I can still hear his laugh, louder than anyone else's, penetrating my bedroom walls during late night poker games. In general, his presentation to the world seemed always so in control - and then I'd find him talking to my mom in the copa - letting his angst show. I admired his sophisticated style, his interest in the arts. Truth-be-told, back then I was a kid and kids were not his thing. However, he was a constant in my life even after he graduated, like a relative who's whereabouts and ups/downs you continue to track - for he and my mother, Julia Borgen, remained connected until his death.
Susan Alkema (Da Silva) (1968)
Alex was the most talented person I knew in high school. A great actor, who spoke several languages. I remember parties at his parent's penthouse. Wow! Alex was suave, good looking, and full of knowledge. I think half the girls in the school had a crush on him.I got to play Roxanne to his Cyrano when I was a lowly ninth grader. Quite an honor.
In tenth grade my family moved to Portugal. The next summer Alex and Murray Zeilin came to visit there. What great fun!
When Alex died I wrote a heartfelt letter to his mother and got a lovely reply. I remember what a sweet woman she was, always welcoming of Alex's friends. She lost her only child. Years later I lost a child who was about the same age as Alex was when he died. Luckily she was not my only child, but it gave me a new appreciation for what Alex's mom suffered.
Jane Stowell (Duck) (1968)
Alex was one of my closest friends. He called me his little sister. I have fond memories of hanging out at the Reti apartment, with all of its European richness; raiding the frig at night for Russian caviar and crackers!I was in the Bay Area that summer. Alex was going to start at Reed College in Portland that fall. I would be going to Lewis and Clark College in Portland. We had made lots of plans. Alex had spent part of the summer in the LA area with Paul Lee. We talked hours on the phone. He would be driving from LA to Portland, and was stopping for a few days with me south of San Francisco. I talked to him 2 days before he was to leave LA, so excited to see him. Paul called me the next day.....Alex had died in a car crash. He and Paul were returning home after getting all of the things Alex needed for the trip. The brakes went out on the car. Paul was injured, and Alex was gone. Paul never got over it. I miss Alex. He was an incredibly talented individual with a great passion for life. He was a loving friend, and the loss was huge.Bruce Kanarek (1972)
Alex spent a lot of time at our house - for he was close to my brother Mike Kanarek and lived in walking distance. I can still hear his laugh, louder than anyone else's, penetrating my bedroom walls during late night poker games. In general, his presentation to the world seemed always so in control - and then I'd find him talking to my mom in the copa - letting his angst show. I admired his sophisticated style, his interest in the arts. Truth-be-told, back then I was a kid and kids were not his thing. However, he was a constant in my life even after he graduated, like a relative who's whereabouts and ups/downs you continue to track - for he and my mother, Julia Borgen, remained connected until his death.