Myles's college roommate, David Finkelstein, who Myles simply referred to as "Fink" but apparently does have a first name, passed along this wonderful story that makes this brick even more special:
We shared that story with Myles during our visit a few weeks ago and laughed just like it was yesterday! So we thought an appropriate and ever lasting tribute to Myles would be to buy him a brick at the College Football Hall of Fame, which opens in Atlanta later this year...Our thought was this would be one small way of honoring his memory with a great story combined with his passion for college football.
Several of Myles's former college friends were trying to decide on some way to honor him and we thought of something a little different, but uniquely appropriate in memory of Myles was the way to go. I promised you some stories, so here's one of them.....
One of my favorite Myles Beskind stories is affectionately known as "The Brick". During our Freshman year at UGA our room (738) was next door to two guys (Jason and Todd) who liked to party hard. "Motel" Jason and Todd would often come home early in the morning during the week drunk, stoned or both and crank up their stereo, which drove Myles crazy because he usually had an early morning first period class. After asking them to stop repeatedly without any success, Myles came home one day from his paper route and said to me "Fink, I found the answer to our problem" and he proceeded to put this huge red clay brick on my desk. It wasn't long before the late night noise started again and Myles said "get me the brick". He proceeded to bang it 2-3 times on their adjacent wall in a way that was loud as Hell and even caused paint chips to fall from the ceiling of their room. We heard them go bonkers next door and even shout out "Holy sh!t, we're having an earthquake!" He then went outside the room and pounded it on their door, which really got their attention and told them from now on anytime they wake him up during the week, he would respond with "The Brick". It only took a couple of more times before he had them conditioned like lab rats and the late night noise quickly ended.
Thank you, Fink, Brad, Vince, Scott, Joe, Doug, Ken, Chris, and Steve. You made our day!
Marcie
p.s. I never asked Myles why you call yourselves "The Meatpackers." I think I was afraid of the answer.
I love this!
ReplyDeleteSo great!
ReplyDeleteThis was the first I've come across this blog. Great post about Myles. I was sorry to hear of his passing. After my mother's (successful) battle with breast cancer, I continue to search for answers to the disease in the blogs that people use to document their journeys. This one is rich and poignant. I am saddened that after so many decades of research, we still lack the means to treat and cure people like Myles. -- Sherman Morrison
ReplyDeleteA "Classic" for a "Classic" "One of a kind" for a "One of a kind" for sure! He is missed for sure, he lives on.... Sandy
ReplyDeleteWhen I was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 I started blogging about my experience. I was lucky enough to have Myles as one of my readers. I haven't blogged or followed any blogs in almost 10 months so I just found out now that Myles has passed away. I am so sorry for your loss. If this is any comfort to you, I want to share a comment that he posted on my blog about moving forward....
ReplyDelete"It’s more than OK to move forward, Nadia. You are at a place in your life where that’s exactly what you should do. You can drop in on the occasional 5k and win the “survivor” category, make your contribution to a couple of charities, etc. But for you, for now, and hopefully forever, it’s time to close that chapter of your life. Count your blessings, and don’t have any guilt. You deserve the life that’s ahead of you!"
That comment will always stay with me. Thank you Myles for inspiring a whole community of cancer survivors. You will always be remembered and missed. RIP.
Thinking often of Myles (RIP) and family, Sandy
ReplyDelete