Most of you do not know me, but Kevin and I were roommates at Yale as undergraduates in the mid- to late-70's. We used to say we were "heaven sent" since we could not tolerate living with any one else, and loved living together in St. Elmo's, an outlier "annex" to the main residential College, Timothy Dwight (or "TD") where "misfits" like us could live and study in peace. He had already re-located there alone (and was a year, maybe two, ahead of me as I recall) and, when I had the opportunity to move out of my dorm room living with 3 other guys, I was delighted to meet my new roommate, Kevin Thomas. I was originally a Math & Physics Major, and he a Computer Science geek. We were a perfect fit, but he certainly brought more into my life than I imagine I did to his. Man, we used to play some great music, and we loved Earth, Wind, & Fire! I turned him on to Led Zeppelin and he turned me on to Chaka Khan; it was like that-- symbiosis, not just in music, but in everything. He ran speaker cables to the hallway bathrooms, and installed speakers there, so we could hear music when showering, etc. It was heaven to be so compatible, and to live with someone so creative, and a genuinely and profoundly nice guy! He showed me how to record on reel-to-reel tapes (the state-of-the-art back then) and made some killer mixed tapes that he would play at the many parties we attended at Yale. No surprise that, many years later when we again finally reunited at a Yale Reunion in 2003 (where I first met his ex-wife and children, all grown up like mine would soon be), I found out he was a part-time DJ and held an annual party called the Ruckus every Fall in Brooklyn, his home.
But back then, I was both shocked and pleased when he said he was leaving Yale to pursue a career in NYC in computer programming without the need for a degree (just yet). Kindred spirits that we were, and like him, I also left Yale to pursue other adventures, and also obtained my degree many years later (I might not have, if I had not needed it to go to Law School in my 40's, LOL). The decades passed, and we were out of touch until that fateful reunion in '03 in New Haven (fateful, in that I was living abroad and had been ambivalent about the expense of coming to a Yale reunion weekend all the way from Europe). We were ecstatic to see each other again after so many years! Well, we had finally reconnected and we now stayed in touch and saw each other again for our 2013 Yale Reunion (I have posted some photos on FB), and I spent some time with him in Brooklyn before and after the reunion, and since. I repeatedly invited him to visit me in Miami Beach but he never did.
After years of instigating me (and my life's activities not permitting it before), I finally got to go to a Ruckus and had a blast, of course! I met Margie and some of his friends and felt that we now had a chance to stay connected and see each other more often; I so looked forward to the next Ruckus and reunion. We now stayed in touch often, calling each other spontaneously, and for birthdays, etc. We commiserated when needed, and shared many things friends do. I gave him a custom-made t-shirt I had made for his next-to-last birthday that combined "BK" (for Brooklyn) with the image of double record players DJ's used to use into an abstract skull shape; I also have one like it. He loved it and sent me a photo of him wearing it. He was my best friend. I miss you terribly, Kevin! I know that Heaven is dancing and listening to some kick-ass music now!