Mr. Brown

It would appear I'm NACT's new poet laureate. Go figure.

Mr. Brown
...Dan Iroz,25Jul05,vA5

Mr. Brown, where did you get your grit?
Just who’s genes flow through your veins?
Some old cowboy, one hundred years ago,
And before that… proud pioneer or patriot?

And what of nurture… not nature,
Where were your ethics forged?
On how many Father’s knees
And Mother’s gentle pleas

Were the virtues you defend, refined…
Character traits so rare today, like
Decency, honesty, and reverence…
Like faith, courage, and contentment?

Another good man, I know, once said:
A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness,
An expression of humility... a foundation.
Gary, where did your gratitude come from?

***

And how in Heaven’s name did you raise sons
And a daughter, for Heaven’s sake,
In the middle of debugging someone else’s code
All night? I know it wasn’t always fun.

Betty can account for much of it…sure!
But that remaining thirty percent… how did you do it?
Nights on end waking up under newspapers
With Scott on Lincoln Square’s lab floor?

Even then, you found... and kept her.
How did you manage that?
What’s taking years for me, through more than one,
You’ve had for years, down pat.

And work explains much of it, I know.
It didn’t just come easy,
Like that laugh of yours does,
All fancy free and breezy.

***

I remember you arriving at NACT,
Us reminiscing about the Osmonds,
Who joined us on Sundays
When they were in town with Andy Williams.

Briefly we recalled
A few things in common...
Clark High School, the 28th Ward
And my sister, Marijeanne.

Then you closed your office door,
Presumably, knowing little telecomm,
And emerged a few months later,
Loaded for bear and then some.

And with Scott and a faith determined,
Paying no mind to skeptical engineers,
Found horsepower where there were no horses
LCX, Phase 2, kept us alive a few more years.

You know, I’ve heard no one’s indispensable,
And I believe that it’s always true,
Except in this case, Gary.
NACT wouldn’t even be, without you!

With focused fingers flying
Over a keyboard hard pressed to keep up,
And documentation skills honed at Nellis,
You explained, for all of us, dial-ups.

Oh… I admire your skill set, Gary,
And the brilliant mind, it’s source.
Your analytical prowess astounds me.
You’ve worked hard for it, of course.

Taking classes at night,
Keeping abreast of our industry,
When you might rest on your laurels,
You invest in us, the company.

We’re lucky to have you,
And all of us know it.
Hope there aren’t more bluffs to call,
No more reasons to quit.

Did they know you were from Vegas,
Those gamblers down South?
They should have known you mean
What comes out of your mouth!

***

Yes… I envy it all
In a good way, of course,
But what I admire most is...
You have little remorse.

With no reason to have it
And nothing to hide,
You live life on the level,
No ghosts deep inside.

Up front and honest,
Candidly cool,
What the world sees,
Is the real you.

No reason to remember
Lies you’ve not told.
Your virtue’s intact,
You’ve free reign to be bold.

Like a prophet of old
With a courage defined,
A lifetime to learn
And a laugh to refine. ............

Did I include “reverence”
With “fancy free breeze”?
It’s more majestic and piercing…
Can bring men to their knees.

You should take comfort in knowing
That a century and more ago,
Around some cowboy campfire
With deep coals all aglow,

Are a few great, great grandfathers,
Proud, happy and pleased,
That posterity has preserved
Their long laugh, so at ease.

***

I’m honored to have shared this 20 year journey with you Gary, and I look forward to another 15 or 20 years on your team. Maybe by then, I’ll know what a dial-up is. :)


Dedicated to Duane Brown