John's video message

VIDEO MESSAGE (SCRIPT)
Script for Video Message Hi! John Miller here. Thanks to everyone who helped Organize the reunion! Nice job. [Hold up the card.] I sent a stack of these cards up to SPOKANE, so please take one home with you, wherever that may be. The card has my contact info and a LINK to a Web Page... with this video, so Joe Roberts and others can play it. The web page has memories of Dean Rowbotham, Al Snyder, and other teachers. I mention Dennis - he and I took a programming class at Gonzaga in 1966. And the web page lists my volunteer work, hobbies, and other videos and stuff you may enjoy. My wife Cynthia Stowell and I live in Portland. We have a son, 'August', now 27, who married his sweetie 'Savannah' on April 1. My web page also Links to their stuff. The web page is more fun than my Talk. Please bear with me. [put card down] OK, What's up? Let me tell you about events in 2010 and 2011, and fast forward to today. In the Spring of 2010, I lost my job due to a budgetary shortfall. I was OK with that... the RECESSION hurt a LOT of people. By Summer, I had an iPad, and was learning how to develop Apps. In the Spring of 2011, I published 'Geom-e-Tree' which was way cool! [Hold up Geom-e-Tree card] Cynthia & I took a trip to France! :^) [Put Black Cap on] Then, in July, my accordion-playing friend Dieter died. I played Tuba with Dieter for ~35 years. During the same week, Cynthia's folk-singing childhood friend Bill Morrisey died. My sister Judy died in August, in Spokane. I returned home from Judy's memorial after my birthday (September 13th). The following Saturday morning, on Facebook, I saw these words: Mark Bosworth has gone missing from Cycle Oregon! I had 100's of lunches with Mark Bosworth during the 13 years I worked at Metro -- 13 years is like the K-12 years we spent together in school. Mark had a lymphoma that went into his brain, but he beat that, and had a clean bill of health for a couple years. So what could Gone Missing mean? We learned later that summer, before Cycle Oregon 2011, Mark was sometimes confused, suggesting that the cancer might have returned. Very few people knew that. (He hid it very well.) He went ahead as a Rider Services volunteer, and unfortunately, he wandered off from camp the last night of the week-long ride, Friday, September 16, 2011. It's been six years, and Mark has not yet been found. At Burning Man that same September, Tom Fowler rode a scooter into a wire fence and broke his back. Steve Jobs died on October 5th. Tom was taken off life support on December 17, 2011. We were still looking for Mark. Damn. That was a low point for me. Cynthia & I have lost other classmates, brothers, and parents. We all have. But Not Knowing what happened to a close friend really sucks. In talking with others about Mark's disappearance I learned that everyone has one of these stories — everyone has lost someone, in some way. [Put CO Yellow Cap on] Through Mark's loss, I myself became a Cycle Oregon volunteer. I'm on the board of the Mark Bosworth Fund, which sponsors several first-time riders each year. So, at the beginning of this year, 2017, I thought was going to be at a Cycle Oregon volunteer dinner in Bend, Oregon at the end of the ride (Saturday, September 16), but fires and smoke forced the cancellation of Cycle Oregon, for the first time ever. ELEVEN days of fun up in smoke. I was shocked. It was like someone died. Prior to that, I joked with Nancy that if Cycle Oregon got smoked out, I'd come up for the reunion. Then Cycle Oregon decided to have a Portland event for the unlucky riders — on the 16th. So as a Site Team volunteer, (salute) I'm helping put on that event, as we speak! That's assuming the event happens.. as you know, the Columba Gorge caught on fire and I-84 is closed, but otherwise, no problems! I hope you guys are actually HAVING the dinner at the Longhorn! Who knows? So, Anyway, Things don't always go as planned. Maybe Cycle Oregon # 30 will take place in 2018. Maybe Mark will be found, tomorrow. Maybe not. Don't worry about me - I am not hung up about Mark, and the state of the world. I just wish I could retreat into research and art... and work on my Apps and more Stained Glass. But it's hard to shut the world out when the Damn Internet is always knocking on your door! In that regard, Don't forget... [hold up card again.] Check out my stained glass on the web page! Let me know if you enjoy anything. Sorry I could not be here — Jim Lynn, Marcia, Anne, Bernie, Judy, .. and everyone! See you on-line! OH .. I Love the DISHMAN HILLS! Please support the Conservancy if you can. Back to You. [Toot Tuba]

VIDEO MESSAGE (SCRIPT)

Script for Video Message

Hi! John Miller here.

Thanks to everyone who helped Organize the reunion! Nice job.

[Hold up the card.]
I sent a stack of these cards up to SPOKANE, so please take one home with you, wherever that may be.

The card has my contact info
and a LINK to a Web Page...
with this video, so Joe Roberts and others can play it.

The web page has memories of Dean Rowbotham, Al Snyder, and other teachers.
I mention Dennis - he and I took a programming class at Gonzaga in 1966.

And the web page lists my volunteer work, hobbies, and other videos and stuff you may enjoy.

My wife Cynthia Stowell and I live in Portland.
We have a son, 'August', now 27, who married his sweetie 'Savannah' on April 1.
My web page also Links to their stuff.

The web page is more fun than my Talk. Please bear with me.

[put card down]

OK, What's up? Let me tell you about events in 2010 and 2011, and fast forward to today.

In the Spring of 2010, I lost my job due to a budgetary shortfall.
I was OK with that... the RECESSION hurt a LOT of people.
By Summer, I had an iPad, and was learning how to develop Apps.

In the Spring of 2011, I published 'Geom-e-Tree' which was way cool!

[Hold up Geom-e-Tree card]

Cynthia & I took a trip to France! :^)

[Put Black Cap on]

Then, in July, my accordion-playing friend Dieter died.
I played Tuba with Dieter for ~35 years.
During the same week, Cynthia's folk-singing childhood friend Bill Morrisey died.
My sister Judy died in August, in Spokane.

I returned home from Judy's memorial after my birthday (September 13th).
The following Saturday morning, on Facebook, I saw these words:

Mark Bosworth has gone missing from Cycle Oregon!

I had 100's of lunches with Mark Bosworth during the 13 years I worked at Metro -- 13 years is like the K-12 years we spent together in school.

Mark had a lymphoma that went into his brain, but he beat that, and had a clean bill of health for a couple years.

So what could Gone Missing mean?

We learned later that summer, before Cycle Oregon 2011, Mark was sometimes confused, suggesting that the cancer might have returned. Very few people knew that. (He hid it very well.) He went ahead as a Rider Services volunteer, and unfortunately, he wandered off from camp the last night of the week-long ride, Friday, September 16, 2011. It's been six years, and Mark has not yet been found.

At Burning Man that same September, Tom Fowler rode a scooter into a wire fence and broke his back.
Steve Jobs died on October 5th.
Tom was taken off life support on December 17, 2011.
We were still looking for Mark.

Damn. That was a low point for me.

Cynthia & I have lost other classmates, brothers, and parents. We all have.

But Not Knowing what happened to a close friend really sucks.

In talking with others about Mark's disappearance I learned that everyone has one of these stories — everyone has lost someone, in some way.

[Put CO Yellow Cap on]

Through Mark's loss, I myself became a Cycle Oregon volunteer. I'm on the board of the Mark Bosworth Fund, which sponsors several first-time riders each year.

So, at the beginning of this year, 2017, I thought was going to be at a Cycle Oregon volunteer dinner in Bend, Oregon at the end of the ride (Saturday, September 16), but fires and smoke forced the cancellation of Cycle Oregon, for the first time ever. ELEVEN days of fun up in smoke.
I was shocked.
It was like someone died.

Prior to that, I joked with Nancy that if Cycle Oregon got smoked out, I'd come up for the reunion.

Then Cycle Oregon decided to have a Portland event for the unlucky riders — on the 16th. So as a Site Team volunteer, (salute) I'm helping put on that event, as we speak!

That's assuming the event happens.. as you know, the Columba Gorge caught on fire and I-84 is closed, but otherwise, no problems!

I hope you guys are actually HAVING the dinner at the Longhorn! Who knows?

So, Anyway, Things don't always go as planned.
Maybe Cycle Oregon # 30 will take place in 2018.
Maybe Mark will be found, tomorrow. Maybe not.

Don't worry about me - I am not hung up about Mark, and the state of the world.

I just wish I could retreat into research and art... and work on my Apps and more Stained Glass.

But it's hard to shut the world out when the Damn Internet is always knocking on your door!

In that regard, Don't forget...

[hold up card again.]

Check out my stained glass on the web page! Let me know if you enjoy anything.

Sorry I could not be here — Jim Lynn, Marcia, Anne, Bernie, Judy, .. and everyone! See you on-line!

OH .. I Love the DISHMAN HILLS! Please support the Conservancy if you can.

Back to You.

[Toot Tuba]