RE: Jimmy Disch
The neat thing about Jimmy is his astounding memory and just how amazingly nice he is.
He was the Master at Sid when I was at Rice, and I got to know him through intramurals (he was very active with Sid team).
Later, I was 'nabbed' in a jack on some friends' rooms at Sid, and I got called by Jimmy to 'talk about things'. (btw I was not Sid). I had had my annual visit with the provost and College Court already that year, and hoped that I wouldn't have to press my luck.
A 'sit down' with Jimmy and the 'victims' short circuited a lot of problems for me. And we became friends over that episode through the rest of my school days at Rice.
Later after graduation I would see Jimmy from time to time, and many times drinks were sent from table to table.
Later, I moved away from Texas, and didnt see Jimmy for about 25 years. I had to go to Houston to help a friend with chemo (a friend from California had pancreatic cancer, and we introduced him to some of my best friends who live south of Rice -- they kind of 'brought him into their family' so he could have a normal-ish time in Houston during his trials at MD Andersen). I was staying at the same house my Cali friend was at, and he was in bad shape. On top of that, that night I got a call that my father had passed away.
Instead of having dinner with my friends that night, I slipped out and went to the Rice mens basketball opener. I really wanted to do nothing be be left alone, and was sitting up in the rafters, not even really looking at the game.
Then, I felt a hand on shoulder -- Jimmy was there, right in back of me, with that big goofy grin of his and he was saying 'holy moses it has been *way* too long, tanq (he was using my real name, not tanq)'. We sat and talked, then went to his office at halftime and had a drink
(well, not 'a', but substitute a number higher than 2). He had the insight to know (even after thirty years absence) I wasnt in good shape, and he asked. And we talked.
And then he drug me over to meet James Harden who was sitting at the game.
I was floored that he had remembered not just me, but my name and most of the interactions we had had almost thirty years previous. And, he was the a massive emotional crutch for me that night.
Really glad to know he is doing better.
The world needs many, many more Jimmy Disches (attempt at a plural here).
(This post was last modified: 06-30-2021 04:45 PM by tanqtonic.)
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