I just found out from Dad he passed one week ago today. Dad asks "do you remember Harold Hamilton?" I told Dad I had just been thinking about him over the past days in fact. I sort of knew what was coming next. The visitation is tomorrow. Mom & Dad will be there. I wish I could be there - under different circumstances of course.
I met him when I was only about 17 or 18 or so. That would be 1978 or 1979. He was a true renaissance man of the first order.
He was an electronics tech in the Navy. Then got into computers. All the while he was also a Master Chef and ran his own restaurant. That's just what I know about him. When I met him he had just been hired to run a newly opened medical center in our little town. Actually we were in a line at the cash register at a local hardware store one day. He was behind me while I was checking out. He stood with a cane, was wobbly and slurred speach. I thought he was drunk - but he didn't smell at all.
Later that night at the family supper table Dad is telling us about this new guy in town to head up the new med center. Dad tells us the man suffers from MS terribly and appears to be drunk all the time. I claim immediately I met the guy that afternoon!! Indeed I thought he was drunk. Dad explains what MS does to a person.
Over the following couple of years I got to know him more personal and we share interests in electronics and computers. He even gave me some of his personal electronic equipment. My prized piece is the oscillascope he built himself. I still have it. I would often stop by their house in the evenings after working at Dad's pharmacy. We would have drinks and many times an awesome supper!!
At my first wedding, he was the sole Chef for the rehersal party. He cooked it all by himself, complete with all the fixins. The main was a HUGE prime rib role [actually two] he had been slow cooking for a couple of days at his house.
Fours years ago tomorrow (Friday) is the last time I saw him. That was at Granny's 90th birthday party. They parked his wheel chair right next to me. We chatted like we hand't seen each other since yesterday. His speach was super bad but I could understand him. He was completely wheel chair bound by then. Even with the motorized wheel chair, his wife pretty much did the joystick driving.
To be honest I was really suprised to see him still alive.
Harold was 79. God Bless you Harold. You were a good friend and am blessed to have known you at all. I am very happy to have gotten to have seen him when I did. And, God bless Ann [his wife] and give her comfort in this time.
Vaya con dios my friend. I'm sure God and Jesus might like a good slice of that fine prime rib and au jus as well.
A very fine tribute and well written. My sincere condolences.
In our later years, we sometimes look back to those who were actually our mentors, and wish that we had been better listeners. I think a lot of us probably understand that concept.
> A very fine tribute and well written. My sincere condolences.
>
> In our later years, we sometimes look back to those who were actually our mentors, and wish that we had been better listeners. I think a lot of us probably understand that concept.
Thank you Carl.
Something else I should mention then. Mom & Dad would have parties now and then and Harold and Ann would be there. Harold and I would end off to the side and get to talking about electronics and computers and logic. I had zero formal training at that point. I would tell him of some new circuit I was trying to figure out for my train layout. He would say "let's go see!" and we would retire to my bedroom/lab/train layout. We would take a couple of extra drinks and head off to "my world". Shoot, it might as well his world as well. We would spend hours down there while the party was going on - well, except for to get more drinks for us. After a few of those parties, Ann might ask "Where's Harold?". Mom or Dad would reply "Oh, him and Eric are probably down there messing around with trains or electronics or something". Sure enough!
As to a mentor. Sure he was all that. As to a good listener [me], probably a better student. When I didn't understand something, I'd ask and he would explain. Fortunately I had already taken all the advanced math and physics in high school I could so it wasn't like he was dealing with a newbie. 🙂
Far as I know they never had kids so maybe I was like his little geek son he might have wanted.
Sorry for your loss, BigE. 🙁
:love: Harold :love:
