I first met Arthur when I joined LARD in the fall of 2002 after the Long Beach race for off-season paddling. I was new to the team and Arthur was one of the first people I got know on the team. At the time he was still attending UC Santa Cruz in northern California and, having moved from the Bay Area to the Los Angeles almost a year earlier, it was good to meet someone who was familiar with where I had come from. I remember that he was quiet and very kind and always looked out for the well-being of others. Every time I came to practice, he and Aaron were always the ones to greet me as I approached the LARD tree. I found it easy to talk with him, especially when it was so difficult to understand Matt and Yang’s humor, and he seemed to be the only one that seemed to understand me. He always had a very easy going and friendly demeanor. I think he was everyone’s friend and everyone was a friend to him.
About Arthur’s eating powers, I first got a chance to see how much he could eat in 2003 in Vancouver when I joined Art and OLee for a Brazilian BBQ dinner on Saturday night. Art was definitely OLee’s match. At the time, LARD was still more of a recreational team. Art again demonstrated his eating abilities two months later at Greenfield’s and has done so ever since.
I got a chance to see how much a true friend he was when I lost my wallet at the Vancouver airport in 2006, one hour before I was to fly out of Canada for home after ALCAN. We were late and the rest of our group had already ran through check-in and ahead to the gate. Art was with me and when I got to check-in, I found that my wallet was missing. Without the credit card I used to purchase my tickets, they would not check me in. I was standing there with my passport but without money or credit cards. Arthur could have checked-in and joined the others at the gate. I even told him he should go ahead and not miss the flight home. Without hesitation, he refused to check-in and he stayed with me. That was the kind of person he was. He was a true friend to a friend in need. We both missed our flights that night and since we both had little or no money, we sat in the airport until the airline check-in clerk finished his shift and was kind enough to offer us a lift back to the downtown Vancouver Hampton Inn where Art’s mom, sister Megan, and other teammates were staying to fly out the next morning.
When I read the emails that Thursday night, I was deeply shaken and I felt the sudden sadness that Art was gone, that a friend and such a kind and good person was gone. And now I will not see him and greet him again at the LARD tree. I will not get to talk and walk with him again. I will not get to paddle with him and see him in the dragon boat again. I will never forget him.
Rest in peace, Arthur, and thank you for being part of my life.
Jesse Wong
LARD
No comments:
Post a Comment