On Saturday and Sunday, February 3 and 4th, Juli Betwee held an open house for everyone who wanted to come pay respects to Michael's cremains and to tell stories about his life. Meredith Beam took some pictures that she is sharing here, for those of you who weren't able to go. There were about 20 people each day and LOTS more stories than can be reported here.
SATURDAY
Juli greeting guests. Lots of feelings.
Close friends Doug and Rusty Schweickert
Ranny Riley and Karen Buckley
Lenny Lind and Juli have a laugh. There was a lot of that, and sadness too.
Juliet, Elliot, Karen and Meredith
SUNDAY
Yvonne, Michael's assistant for many years in the 1990s
Susan & David Sibbet and Juli
Juli's niece Lisa, whose daughter Izabella—the apple of Uncle Michael's eye—was a presence throughout the open house.
I have come back to this site many times over the past weeks with the intention of adding my own thoughts and feelings and stories about Michael. And, each time I have found myself without words or what I felt were the right words to honor the man that was Michael.
See, I first met Michael when I was just a 19 year old college student that had signed on to come to San Francisco to develop a university without walls program for Antioch College. After an article about this appeared in the paper, I was invited to share space in the loft on 9th Street with Michael & David at Interaction, David Sibbet at Coro and the Storek Brothers.
Our friendship continued for the next 36 years - off and on. But, as you know with Michael, always connected. We shared Thai dinners in my apartment on Telegraph Hill, some crazy nights on the town, and working together on a client or two. We made a couple of trips to Cuba together, highlighted by our 8-hour all-night 'conversation' with Fidel and the next day's drive through Havana in the back of El Presidente's Mercedes (with bullet proof doors and windows). Michael invited me to 'play' with him at ememes and I'll always remember the struggle - which I finally realized was futile - to constrain Michael to just a PowerPoint slide or two.
Michael was not a man to be constrained. Michael dreamed great dreams and made great things happen. When I think of the phrase 'bigger than life', I see Michael, I feel Michael. Michael inspired me. Michael touched me. Michael made me laugh. Michael taught me. Michael challenged me.
I miss Michael.
May he truly rest in peace.
Posted by: Lance Dublin | February 21, 2007 at 01:13 AM
Whats up? New here and just figured that I should post and say hello.
Posted by: UnfarfPah | June 05, 2010 at 08:55 AM