A sketch, and Brad

Still dismantling my studio. SO MUCH STUFF collected over the past 24 years. Came across these two things that were pretty meaningful to me. This sketch of a fireman, I did when I was a freshman in college (1977). I forgot that I even still had this one. I must say, I'm not unhappy with the quality. I may frame it, and give it to my firefighter friend for Christmas.

And I also forgot I had this photo. The guy in the middle is Brad Hardy (with his two brothers). He was full of life! A "party guy", for sure. He stopped by one afternoon when I was painting houses for a summer job (circa 1980), and dropped off a tap for a beerball that he had borrowed from me [BTW, a "beerball" was a small keg-like plastic ball filled with Matt's beer, from Utica, NY]. He was heading up to drop some things off at his college house in Potsdam (or was it Plattsburgh?). He wanted me to go with him. "It''l be a good time". I assured him that normally I would go with him, but we were anticipating finishing the job that we were on that day, and would be getting paid when it was done. "Next time", I said. There would be no "next time". Brad was killed in a car accident on his return home. He hit a tractor trailer head on. I was informed by my sister the next morning. Later, I remember being SO MAD when I read about it in the paper. The tractor trailer was carrying molasses, of all things. And the article said that no molasses was spilled during the accident. I remember thinking, "I DON'T CARE about the molasses... a friend of mine was killed!". But it was great to come across this photo of Brad. He always seemed to have a smile (smirk) on his face (and I LOVE the album that his tee shirt features).