So long scarecrow

Waiting for someone to pass is easily in my top five of worst feelings in the world. Last night I got word that a former boss, and all around amazing person is not going to be with us much longer. Rick Pirko was the definition of non-conformist, he did things for humor and the pursuit of knowledge. He has the heart and mind of a curious child most days. Rick was never arrogant, and never once would I question if he would be there if I needed something.

It seems that Rick's heart stopped suddenly yesterday, and know we're all in this awful waiting game. It seems fitting however that Rick would go at his favorite time of the year. If you ever had the opportunity to see the Halloween Laser light show at the Ward Beecher Planetarium in Youngstown, you enjoyed a genuine treat. It is because of the planetarium that I have some of my closest friends...in the least, we became better friends because of that place. I have many memories of very late nights getting ready for the most attended show at the planetarium. I will never forget watching Rick take a broken piece of a band saw blade to a belt sander and filing it down into one of the sharpest damn knives I ever held. It was with those knives that we carved countless pumpkins grown from Rick's own garden. Most of the decorations for the show were from Rick's garden....Rick is the only man I have ever known to eat raw pumpkin with sheer joy on his face.

When Tim and Kate got married, Rick and I were partners in the wedding party. The planetarium clearly was a special place for Tim and Kate, as they held their wedding their. I can't imagine ever forgetting Rick and I dancing at the wedding...apparently I led the whole time. A brilliant awkward man and a lesbian made for a dreadful dance pair...thankfully all eyes were on the newly married folks.

To this day one of my favorite stories about Rick has to do with his fight for religious freedom. It may not be as noble as that, but I will always tell the story that way. See, anytime Rick would stay in a hotel, he would open the drawer on the bed stand and smile when he saw the bible ever so generously placed there by the Gideon's. Before leaving the room, Rick would steal the bible. He must have had 100 bibles the last time I saw the collection he so proudly would show everyone in his office at the planetarium. If I could have one item to remember Rick by, it would be one of those bibles. I know that I have never stayed in a hotel since knowing Rick without thinking about taking the bible with me. For all we know, it could be a Muslim staying in the room, and I doubt there are any free copies of the Koran laying around. Not that it matters, but Rick is a very proud atheist...but if you need a bible, he would gladly hand you one of the countless copies sitting in a drawer.

As far as I know, Rick is still alive, at least in the medical sense of the word. I'm sitting here at work waiting to hear...and in my own way praying that he will pull out of this. I almost expect Rick to suddenly wake up and wonder why everyone is sitting in a hospital room staring at him. If I were in Ohio right now, I would head to the truck stop by his house and have a bowl of truck stop chili...and then go to bw's and raise a glass in his honor.

Without a doubt, Rick Pirko is one of the best things that I got from YSU.