Monday, August 24, 2009

The loss of a personal hero

Grandy was 19 years old when she stumbled into the wrong corridor looking for a class, and ran into a rather kind portly gentle-man.

"Can I help you little lady?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but I think I'm lost" I responded.

"Aren't we all?" he replied with a smile. "What is it you're looking for?"

To this day I don't even remember what class it was I was looking for. All I know is there was this man, with a larger than life personality, and the all the charm in the world. He was working on casting for some one-act plays, and convinced me to audition. He cast me... and changed my world forever.

This lovely, sweet man, who influenced and loved so many, passed away yesterday. He was my first mentor, and a personal hero. He was the man that convinced me that I could do Theatre. He never tried to tell me what I "should" do...he just reminded me of what I was capable of.

He was brilliant, artistic, sometimes impatient, and authentic. You never questioned what he meant, and always knew where you stood. This is a quality Grandy has always embraced.

Thanks to the community of Facebook, I learned of the loss, and have been able to embrace my fellow theatre family members who are still stunned from the loss. It's amazing that although I haven't worked with some of these people in over ten years, we are still connected and the love is still there. His Facebook page is now filled with love and emotion, as people express their appreciation for all he's done for them.

Thank you, Tom, for all those you've touched in your life. You have left a legacy that cannot be replaced, and will be sorely missed. I LOVE YOU!!


6 comments:

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

What a lovely tribute.

Facebook is wonderful that way--there is a tribute page for a friend of mine and I can't tell you what it means to his wife when someone puts up an old video clip they've just unearthed.

Renie Burghardt said...

So sorry about the loss! His spirit will live on in all those that loved him and thought so highly of him.

The Mother said...

I'm not on Facebook, and I have no idea what happened to all the kind folks from that era of my life.

I probably should check up, huh?

Mike Golch said...

Great posting,sorry that you lost such a great person in you life.

Joyce-Anne said...

I'm sorry to hear about the loss. He sounds like he was an amazing man.

Grandy said...

Thank you all sweet people!!

((Hugs))