Tribute: Remembering Danny (updated, and link added for photo album) One of my very best friends from high school , I called him Danny and he called me Billy, succumbed earlier this week to pancreatic cancer and Patti and I will be leaving in a few minutes to to attend services tonight and tomorrow night in Richmond. I also plan to attend the graveside service and burial planned for Saturday in Roanoke where we grew up. Coming from a family with a strong Baptist-faith tradition, Danny, while studying religion at the Univ of Va, embraced Buddhism. From that time forward he has remained a devotee to Buddhism, earning a PhD in Buddhist studies. He eventually became a college professor and touched many lives with his teaching and writings. See m.timesdispatch/obituaries/perdue-daniel/article_172d46c3-e2ad-5f84-a9ec-bbf52f24ccfd.html?mode=jqm I think its only fitting to point out yet one more rather noteworthy accomplishment because it was something I know he cherished. Im referring to Dannys senior year at Fleming when he served as the President of the Spanish Club, whose membership was dominated by countless drop-dead gorgeous female classmates. :) It was shortly after my Dad left home (I was 15) that my best friend Breck Hall introduced me to his best friend Danny Perdue, who spoke often of his other best friend Doug Benson. Danny and I fast became not just friends, but faithful friends, and brothers. Family, faith, and friends are important, but when faithful friends becomes your family you have something special indeed. Over the years weve created some amazing memories together. As teenagers Danny Breck and I did a lot of things together. We were kindred spirits, rebels without a cause, and united by a healthy skepticism of anything traditional. Many a lazy hot summer day we sat for hours on his front porch, smoking Dannys Viceroy cigarettes while sipping tall glasses of his mother Nancys fresh brewed sweet tea, and making plans for those gentle summer nights in Roanoke. Its interesting that our activities never included anything that required exercise or had anything to do with playing sports. Not only did Danny lack physical coordination, in spite of his phenomenal mental acuity, dealing with things mechanical took Danny well outside of his comfort zone. For example, it was over a year after Danny had reached legal driving age that he finally consented to get a drivers license. Everyone, especially his mother Nancy, had been on his case to do so. Nancy recruited me to teach Danny how to drive his family car, a gray Plymouth Valiant which had a manual transmission. The task was most difficult because driving requires coordination, quick decisions and short reaction time. Consider my misgivings knowing that you could measure Dannys reaction time using a sun dial. Alas we persevered and I suspect for his entire life Dannys driving prompted many a prayer for safe arrival to be offered by all who rode with him. Repeat riders were clearly people of great faith. Over these past 47 years Danny and I have remained in frequent contact, talking every few months. Religion and politics were far and above our most frequent topics of conversation, and more times than not, we were on opposite sides of the debate. Yet we could speak freely about how we truly felt because of mutual trust based on unconditional love and acceptance. One thing we agreed on, people dont care how much you know until they know how much you care. Staying in touch was one way we showed each other we cared. Two weeks ago at his home Danny and I said goodbye to each other in person. We didnt shed any tears, we kept the conversation upbeat and fun as we reminisced about all the times we had spent loving and supporting each other. What just dawned on me as I was writing this note, in all those years as friends I cannot recall us having a single fight, and never once got mad at each other. Whatever our differences we could find that middle ground, and after a number of healthy debates we really did come up with some practical solutions for all the worlds problems. Daniel Elmo Perdue is a great man and a great friend who enriched my life greatly. Some of my favorite Danny quotes: From high school: You can start calling me to Pur-niel Dan-due. I think that sounds much better than Daniel Perdue. And I can call you Yllib Ocirac. okay? From his freshman year in college: Our loins cry out for liberation, let us free ourselves from the shackles of Victorian morals After almost every joke Id tell hed chuckle, then softly mutter the punch line like he was making a mental note to himself, and then chuckle again. Then hed either say Thats a good one Billy or else That joke is such a Billy joke A mutual favorite is a joke about world religions which goes like this: Four facts are undeniable: 1. Muslims dont recognize Jews as Gods chosen people 2. Jews dont recognize Jesus as the Messiah 3. Protestants dont recognize the Pope as the head of the church 4. Baptists dont recognize each other at Hooters See the photo album from the Nov 22 and 23 services, and past photos which include Danny with me, my wife Patti, my daughter Allie, Breck Hall, Wayne Goodpasture, Billy Duncan, Lefty McLawhorn, Jimmy Sumpter, Gary Dudley, and my brother Barry Carico The pic that was taken before blow dryers with Dan in his suit was while he worked at Oakeys funeral home during summer break from UVa circa 1972. Click here to view album: https://facebook/media/set/?set=a.10151850045103800.1073741827.575623799&type=1&l=2318b21bfb
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 04:38:34 +0000
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