12/6/09 It has been nearly 20 years…

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had the opportunity to go Christmas shopping because I just had to get away from my homework for awhile. I went to WalMart to spend a $25 gift card I had been given. I ended up spending the card on four toys, which I’m going to give to Toys for Tots. I am in the Christmas spirit now.

On my way back home, I stopped by my old Jr High. I attended that school from fall 1989 through spring 1991. The school has really changed over the last 20 or so years. As soon as I parked, I made a beeline to one specific area of the campus. It’s starting point whenever I go to visit.

In front of the main building there is a small grove of trees. The three trees are planted in a triangular formation. On the ground in between the trees, is a large stone/rock with a plaque on it. The trees have grown quite tall since the memorial grove was first planted and the plaque is fairly scratched; a lot has happened in 20 years.

This memorial grove is dedicated to the memory of my eighth-grade class president. Doug was president in the 1990-1991 school year. He was such a popular guy. He was a fantastic tennis player, had a wonderful personality, was extremely popular with everyone, and had a wonderful smile. If he were still alive today, he would either be a world-class tennis player or a politician (and a quality politician at that).

Doug was a chameleon; he could easily fit into any group category–the popular crowd, the jocks, the Goth, the shy, any of them. Every day, in English, he would flash me his grin and greet me with, “hey there EJ-Gitano-Gitano-Boys!” (EJ-Gitano-Gitano-Boys was a clothing line back then. EJ was my nickname back then.) That greeting always made me smile.

Tragically, Doug’s life was cut short. In December 1990, his family, along with two other families, went skiing during the holiday. Doug’s brothers had been sick during the vacation, so when Doug got sick, everyone assumed that he got the flu as well. No one realized how serious the situation was until Doug passed away. He died from appendicitis. The symptoms Doug had were so subtle that they appeared to be symptoms of the flu. I was absolutely stunned and shocked the night I got a phone call informing me of his death; I cried for a long time that night. Doug was only 14.

There was a memorial at his family’s church about six weeks after school resumed. It was such a wonderful memorial. Not only did the whole school attend but so did the students’ parents and members of the community. It was standing room only–that’s how well liked and popular Doug was.

Each year I go to my Jr High to visit the memorial. It has become part of my Christmas tradition. I do this not to depress myself, but to honor his memory. This is my tribute to my friend.

My vocabulary words are:
Sate: to satisfy fully pocket dictionary)
Assiduous: persistent or diligent (Webster's American pocket dictionary)