Ron Drogo, (spnited), RIP

That was very nice.

It occurs to me that one perk of being a newspaper man is that not only do you get your obit in the paper, but you get them written by people who know you best and can really write.

 

Mike, thanks for posting that.

I still feel empty today. Not sure I ever won't.

And Ron's ass was ridiculous for a 61-year-old who didn't work out. Sorry, Bubs.

 

Met Ron and friends for one extended drinking session, back in the day. Agreed on some things, disagreed on others. But he would entertain an opposing point of view so long as it was legitimately reasoned, and we got along well. Understand thoroughly why people who knew him much better than I did liked him as much as they did. RIP.

 

We once agreed on our favorite Lennon Sister. Fenian posted a picture or two. A memory that makes me smile.

Like James McMurtry says in the song, it's a damn short movie.

I'll raise a Heineken to you tonight, Ron.

RIP.

 

This moment was on my mind this morning: At Cleveland, we were making the tour of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which had a Springsteen exhibit. IJAG and the rest calmly waited for Ron to peruse each of the exhibits, and there were a lot. Springsteen isn't her thing, not nearly as much as it was for Ron, but she waited, because that's what you do for a loved one.

 

Just wanted to say that Ron was obviously the type of journalist I grew up with, the type which we're losing far too quickly. He was a credit to the business, and loved what he did.

I've been feeling badly that he and I didn't part on the best of terms, because we should have. I missed a lot of good times with him.

He made this a better place, and I'm sure he made wherever he was a better place.

RIP to a good man.

Jay Rotz
(shotglass)

 

I didn't know he was a Springsteen fan until I read this thread, even tho I probably should have figured thazt, Spnited being a Jersey guy.

Today I was thinking, Spnited's hopefully reading this right now, smiling wryly at all the nice things being written about him, and thinking to himself,

"It's a town full of losers. I'm pullin' out of here to win."

Smiling, of course.

 

Spnited and shotglass together reminded me of that old movie with Walter Matthau and George Burns--The Sunshine Boys. Completely different but completely alike...in a great way. Nice to see you, shotglass.

 

Wow, sad news. RIP spnited.

 

Spnited was an interesting guy. It was often fun to push his buttons; he understood that more than some.

His blunt putdowns were especially enjoyable.

 

thanks for posting that link, vac. great read.

at the risk of ruining ron's rep, i don't believe for a second that he is peering down at these tributes and chiding us with, 'enough already! we're never the story.'

uh-uh. ron's thinking how lucky he was to have made so many friends here who saw right through, adored the tough-guy, hardened persona he worked so hard to cultivate, hung on every nugget of experience he graced us with, and loved him for who he was.

and ron's thinking, 'who had it better than me? god bless all of you...'

'JUST NOT THOSE FREAKIN' WILPONS!!'

by the by, if anyone could guide me through how to make ron's pic my avatar(?), i'd greatly appreciate it. my friend spnited would appreciate that another geezerly bud of his is lost when it comes to the tricks of these gosh-darn computees!! a pm would do just fine...

 

Thanks, Marty. I always called him Ronald, not Ron or Drogs or Drogo. I think I'm the only one who did.

Like a lot of desk people, he would talk to himself sometimes. He was a little different in that he would announce his itinerary.

"Gonna eat a liverwurst sandwich, take a shit, have a smoke."

"Gonna have a smoke, look at the photos."

"Gonna take a piss, have a smoke."

Everytime he pushed his chair away from his desk, you knew you were going to hear the schedule.