By Christine Bradley
Over the last year of Ron's life, he took great comfort in all of the cards, letters, and phone calls-full of wishes, prayers, and loving thoughts. After years of leading the charge-which often meant he was the first one to take the flack associated with new ideas-I think he was truly surprised by the outpouring of support. Those of us who loved him also took comfort in the fact that we got a chance to tell him what we thought-how much we cared and respected his lifetime of work.
I keep thinking back to the first time I met Ron in May, 1974, when my professor, Liston Leyendecker, suggested that I work in Georgetown as a summer intern. The first thing I said to Ron was, "Where do you get your funds?" Not something more polite such as, "What a beautiful town," or a compliment on the amount and nature of the work he had done. Oh, no, not me. I kicked myself all the way back to Fort Collins, hoping that he wouldn't be offended by my rather blunt question. He wasn't offended, and now with more than 30 years of asking the same kinds of questions as treasurer of most of his organizations, and fretting over how my dearest friend could manage to survive on a salary that was rarely consistent, I realize now how he must have smiled as I drove back fearing I had offended him.
About 10 years ago we both attended a funeral for a mutual friend-there were about 25 people in the church, and he turned to me and said, "There won't be this many people at my funeral." I begged to differ-but he didn't believe me. The last year, however, changed his mind, and he really began to see and appreciate the love of his family, friends, and neighbors. What a gift we were able to give him, and what an honor to be able to share our thoughts! I cannot begin to count the number of people who have made a point of telling me that he always treated them with respect-he treated everyone as an equal whether he agreed with them or not. He took great joy in calling himself a pompous ass, but he managed to do it without demeaning anyone.
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Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy: Where wasn't Ron in his element? At the 2003 Christmas at Hamill House reception, he donned a cowboy hat and joined in with the Plume Singers. Left to right, Claudia Cupp, Sarah Walen, Ron Neely, Joanie Regester (peeking out from behind Ron) and Christine Bradley. HGI Staff photo. |
The Christmas season was far and away his favorite time of year, and he truly believed that this year would be his last. He made it to the fire department Christmas party at the Hamill House, complete with tuxedo and with a boutonnière made by Janice Moore-he would have walked across hot coals for that event in order to show his respect for the department that saved his beloved Hamill House from total destruction in 1974. He couldn't attend the remaining Christmas parties or make it to Christmas Market to see the Santa Lucia singers. But once again, the cards and letters came to provide support and solace. Gary Long and Kathy Hoeft wrote him a note after an evening at the Hamill House, which stated, in part, "You have created for us a lasting Christmas ritual that gives focus to the ties that bind us together, that gives us community. We want you to know that we love you, that we share your progressive vision for Georgetown, that we will carry forward diligently and faithfully your good works." Those words eloquently capture what so many of us were trying to say.