Wednesday, December 28, 2005

The Rest of the Story

When I was a kid, dad used to drive us to and from school, and from time to time we would get to hear Paul Harvey on the radio. Sometimes we would arrive at school or home and I wouldn't get to hear him say, "and now, the rest of the story."


You would think that David's memorial, where people are sharing their stories about him, would be one place to hear the whole story. But how can you sum up a life, and a very full life with the number of people there giving testimony, in just an evening?

One story that sticks in my mind was told of a patron that was visiting the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. This patron had apparently given a generous donation to the museum, so he was being given an exclusive tour of one of the hangars by one of the museum guides. David was already there with a group of his cadets. The problem for the guide was that David's knowledge of the planes, where they fit into aviation history, and instruction to the cadets was so detailed, animated, and enthusiastic, that his guest was continually sidling away from his (dry) commentary towards David and the cadets on the other side of the hangar! After a while the guide just gave up and escorted the patron out of the hangar to another exhibit.

Of course, the stories told were just the highlights. It will take time to write even just a few of them down. For now, there are pictures on Flickr.

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