Episode 604
August 29, 2020
Last week my dear friend Patrick Owen Doyle died.
Since high school, fifty years ago, he was always there to listen, talk and understand.
What follows are two tributes.
The first tribute is a poem written about Pat in 2003 for his 50th birthday.
pod
the inventor,
a recombinator
whose vision sees simple,
“all the technology exists,”
t.s. eliot said.
there is nothing that is new,
only what is, in a new group
next year.
an engineer,
precision assembler,
everything dependent
on what was before and after,
like cascading dominos,
once begun cannot stop.
if one bit is out of sequence
it fails.
deeply moody
intractable spirit,
phase shifted perception
reflected by the sparkling eyes.
a pouring out of restraint,
a pillar of support,
steady as foregone conclusion
is there.
calculator,
master of summation.
without thought is thinking
unknown variables
of moon phase calculations,
of subtle averages,
formulae which yield unthought of
totals.
underminer,
unnerving brain teaser.
the game is like cat’s mouse,
trapping reality in time,
chasing imagination
held by the liar’s tale
pouncing on misunderstanding,
we’re caught.
you are the sleuth,
ultimate observer.
all in your view is seen,
recorded like inspector’s pad.
the designs around you known,
gifted security
you are trusted, a confessor,
a friend.
rickiT 6/3/3
i wrote the following tribute to Pat this year.
Rest in peace friend.
i miss you.
Greetings Friend! (for the first time since the Easter Beer Hunt somewhere back in the ’80s) A wonderful tribute. Pat is a lovable guy. I miss him. Peace and Love.
A wonderful tribute to a special person in your life, there is nothing more stabilizing than such a friend. You and I are among the lucky ones to have experienced such a wonderful friend.
Best always,
Sandy
Sorry for your loss, Rick. Sincere condolences.
For over 5 decades, I never once had to question whether to adopt a new technology, because Pat had already bought one and given us a summary of its strengths and flaws. And that’s just the tiniest piece of his legacy
.
Rick, very powerful descriptions of Pat. Thanks for sharing them with your audience.
My heart goes out to you Rick. I’m old enough that I have lost many great friends myself and know how bad it feels. I’m pretty sure that you will always treasure his memory and know you were as treasured to him as he was to you.
Rick, I’m so very sorry to learn this sad news about Pat. Tina told me about a week ago about his health and I was sorry, totally struck dumb after I thought he’d won his battle years ago. He was a really good person. Maria and First and all his friends will miss him greatly. So will Bob and I. We’ll treasure his memory. Thank you for the loving tribute.
Such a loving tribute to an all around wonderful man. Thank you, J. A., for without that, I would not have met and enjoyed his friendship for 50 years. I was truly blessed to have had him and , of course, you in my life all these years. Words cannot express the sadness and loss in my heart.
Rick, So sorry to hear of your friend’s passing. It’s hard to lose a lifelong friend. You wrote a very loving tribute to him. Cherish the memories.