I received an email from Andys high school friend Ken Rogers, and he asked me to post this on his behalf. Thanks Ken for sharing your memories of Andy. -BK From Ken Rogers- First time we met in high school…we came from different middle or intermediate schools and we were in some random class without any of our regular friends and we were looking at all the new people and trying to figure out who was a candidate to be MY friend and then we saw each other and realized we were each doing the same thing…gave each other the knowing nod…that was 27 years ago. From that point, our groups of friends sort of melded together and we all grew up together, drifted apart and came back and drifted apart again as life moved on. It is/was unbelievable how unique Andy was…he got along with everyone and treated everyone like they were special. Case in point, Senior Year he was our high school’s Homecoming King...not because he was the BMOC or the super jock or whatever, but because everyone who met him, even peripherally, knew him and liked him. Random memories of Andy: 1. Opening Night of Batman way back in 1989, charged up crowd, everyone cheering during opening credits for the big stars (Keaton, Nicholson, etc.) and then when they get to the 6th or 7th supporting cast member, Andy whoops it up and starts everyone going nuts again. 2. Watching opening night flix at the Dome Theater and having to be in front so that we can get the best seats and then him being pissed when “the best” seats are taken. 3. Smile/grin/eyes closed/head nodding up and down/laughing/clapping hands and saying YES YES YES 4. Being the cautionary take for Ygnacio Valley High School weight classes. During our senior year, as he was lifting the spotter was screwing around and not paying attention and the barbell fell and chipped Andy’s two front teeth. My brothers, who went through YV after me, said that the PE instructors used Andy as the example for the importance of spotting for at least 8 years. Andy always laughed about it. 5. Always being available just to hang whenever I swung back “home” and sliding into the comfort zone like we saw each other yesterday even though it may have been months or a year. 6. Dropping everything and coming out and visiting for a week during the holidays back in the late 90s just because he knew I was going through a rough patch. 7. How much he cared for and loved talking about his friends and their lives…I feel like I know BK and Brandon and Patrick and Gerry and Eric and others through his stories even though I never or briefly met them. 8. His eclectic professions--- tomato truck driver, long haul cross country truck driver for Dick Simon (the Skunk trucks), substitute teaching, and then his career at Schwab…may be missing a few, but he was so…Andy. Most of all he was a professional friend to many. I am sad and mad, but find myself also smiling because thinking of Andy just makes you do that. He would have loved Game 7…dammit.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 22:59:03 +0000
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