Today, the world lost one of its most influential loudmouths. At age 84, Larry Kramer wasn’t expected to live forever. But his larger-than-life persona certainly made it seem that way. And what is my connection with the renowned playwright and AIDS activist? My younger brother was his personal trainer for several years. My brother Bill got to know Larry through their mutual friend Rodger McFarlane. If you’ve seen the HBO version of Larry’s A Normal Heart, you probably loved the…
My younger brother, Bill, has a knack for making friends with some unusual characters. Take Rodger McFarlane, for example. You may know him as Tommy Boatwright from Larry Kramer’s seminal work, The Normal Heart (Jim Parsons played him in the Broadway revival and HBO movie). I know Rodger from a different genre. He authored an important book. Bill sent a copy of Rodger’s book to Gary and me in 2004, when Gary’s mom was dying of cancer. She had told…
I write this with a tear in my eye, as it’s the anniversary of the death of an incredible person. Jim Gosling was a college pal. We were in the Singing Hoosiers (think Glee for undergrads) together and laughed ourselves silly for three years. Our birthdays were two days apart (plus one year). My second year in Singing Hoosiers, Jim arrived, along with Vince and Mark. All so talented, full of promise; all from Elkhart. You’ve heard the term “triple…