Thursday, June 27, 2013
The world has lost one of its most interesting individuals. And if Brian can ever be categorized, he was an individual. Brian welcomed me into the R&D labs at MacDermid in 1989 with a mix of mentoring and suspicion. Natural rivals from competing hockey schools, we did find common ground in cheering each other's team (Clarkson or RPI) against Yale at the Whale. And the Yankees, Mets, or Sox were all bad for the sport, but that didn't prevent our many trips to cheer on the bums, and share a couple brews while doing so. It was on the return trip from one such outing that we noticed the unsteady legs that became an MS diagnosis. Gradually, our lunchtime walks to Gus' Luncheonette became slower and less frequent. I think we all saw the change in Brian (I'll always think of him with my nickname 'Gus') as he internalized his diagnosis. Brian had never suffered fools, but as time flowed, I do think he softened in his cynicism, adopting a perspective very few of us can share. Brian was an intense, creative thinker, a passionate fan of athletics, a loyal friend, and surely one of the most interesting individuals I'll ever know. See ya' on the other side, Gus.
