As Brian Partidge does not have a memory shared here on our homepage I felt compelled to write my brief experiences with one of our classmates lost in the youth of his journey later in the summer following our graduation in 1991. As with all of our fallen brothers the gap, or memory, is not lost but rather filled through our shared experiences together for four years, and I remember Brian well as a fellow walk-on of the Citadel Basketball team. He had a boisterous, infectious laugh and in the beginning days of our knob year really loosened up my spirit and perhaps yours as well when we were unsure of things to come.
In particular, I remember being crammed together on the upper level of Mark Clark Hall as knobs one early afternoon and Brian laughing and carrying on with hilarious recall of some of the funnier moments his company classmates and himself were experiencing such as things to do and not to do, and the hilarious repercussions of...shall we stepping on one's ....well you get the idea. In short, his spirit was infectious and he seemed to capture what we were all experiencing in similar moments where either ourselves or a classmate would say or do the completely wrong thing and express something completely the wrong way with Hell to pay from the upper classmen. The observations Brian made, if you can call them observations while staring straight ahead, and experiences he recalled were just plain hysterical at times even though we were not permitted to laugh during those immediate moments. Brian was, in effect, loosening several of us up in that rare, but cool (A/C upper level of MC Hall) down period away from the barracks. Perhaps some of you remember Brian and several of these occassions that, for me anyway, was a brief reprieve from the nervousness and tension early on during our knob year.
He was a teetotaler by faith and his infectious laugh, lively spirit and enthusiasm I shall not forget in this lifetime. I wish we could meet again to share a laugh and life experiences but not to be. Brian was a sharpshooter on the ballcourt and we shared similar experiences trying to compete as knobs and walk-ons in the game we loved through our high school and knob year days. I remember many nights, cold and dark, slipping around campus from the barracks or from the old field house where we practiced, and we would begin our journey to the classrooms for a study session directly across the parade deck. I remember following Brian in the gutter, double quick time in the hopes of arriving at our destination without any trouble.
During a few occassions when we had leave as knobs Brian Partridge, Robert Dalley and few other friends (classmates) would cram into a hotel room my parents had set up for us just off campus to sleep for a few hours, eat, cajole one another and laugh at our early experiences. We were recharging and readying ourselves for next phase of the gauntlet. Does this sound familiar? It's funny the moments you remember as knobs.
I am glad and thankful we had a chance to pass each other in this life if only for a few moments but Brian and many of our brothers have gone on to join the Long Grey Line and they will be missed this 25th reunion, but will not be forgotten. If I'm not mistaken Brian and David Cooke (Class of '91 Classmate) may have been together in a small, single-engine plane that went down over the state of Georgia later in the year following our graduation? Please correct me if anyone should recall the particular circumstances.
Finally, a pause of silence, prayers and thanksgiving for the friendships, and on behalf of our classmates that have gone before us, and in memory of a great friend Brian Partridge, and our classmate David Cooke, who have left us but will not be forgotten!
Well done sir. Like another fallen Tango classmate, Brian and Russell Powell, were entrepreneuers before I knew how to spell the word. In addition to teaching me how to have an underclassmen pay for my pizza with the two for one coupon scam, I'll never forget walking into Brian's room one day and discovering he and Russell had basically opened a t-shirt printing company in the barracks. That was before we even had the internet to pull it off. (think about that one)
We mentioned Cookie yesterday while golfing too. Would love to see the 47 year-old version of all three.
Gantt Folline (D Company)
Dear Classmates:
As Brian Partidge does not have a memory shared here on our homepage I felt compelled to write my brief experiences with one of our classmates lost in the youth of his journey later in the summer following our graduation in 1991. As with all of our fallen brothers the gap, or memory, is not lost but rather filled through our shared experiences together for four years, and I remember Brian well as a fellow walk-on of the Citadel Basketball team. He had a boisterous, infectious laugh and in the beginning days of our knob year really loosened up my spirit and perhaps yours as well when we were unsure of things to come.
In particular, I remember being crammed together on the upper level of Mark Clark Hall as knobs one early afternoon and Brian laughing and carrying on with hilarious recall of some of the funnier moments his company classmates and himself were experiencing such as things to do and not to do, and the hilarious repercussions of...shall we stepping on one's ....well you get the idea. In short, his spirit was infectious and he seemed to capture what we were all experiencing in similar moments where either ourselves or a classmate would say or do the completely wrong thing and express something completely the wrong way with Hell to pay from the upper classmen. The observations Brian made, if you can call them observations while staring straight ahead, and experiences he recalled were just plain hysterical at times even though we were not permitted to laugh during those immediate moments. Brian was, in effect, loosening several of us up in that rare, but cool (A/C upper level of MC Hall) down period away from the barracks. Perhaps some of you remember Brian and several of these occassions that, for me anyway, was a brief reprieve from the nervousness and tension early on during our knob year.
He was a teetotaler by faith and his infectious laugh, lively spirit and enthusiasm I shall not forget in this lifetime. I wish we could meet again to share a laugh and life experiences but not to be. Brian was a sharpshooter on the ballcourt and we shared similar experiences trying to compete as knobs and walk-ons in the game we loved through our high school and knob year days. I remember many nights, cold and dark, slipping around campus from the barracks or from the old field house where we practiced, and we would begin our journey to the classrooms for a study session directly across the parade deck. I remember following Brian in the gutter, double quick time in the hopes of arriving at our destination without any trouble.
During a few occassions when we had leave as knobs Brian Partridge, Robert Dalley and few other friends (classmates) would cram into a hotel room my parents had set up for us just off campus to sleep for a few hours, eat, cajole one another and laugh at our early experiences. We were recharging and readying ourselves for next phase of the gauntlet. Does this sound familiar? It's funny the moments you remember as knobs.
I am glad and thankful we had a chance to pass each other in this life if only for a few moments but Brian and many of our brothers have gone on to join the Long Grey Line and they will be missed this 25th reunion, but will not be forgotten. If I'm not mistaken Brian and David Cooke (Class of '91 Classmate) may have been together in a small, single-engine plane that went down over the state of Georgia later in the year following our graduation? Please correct me if anyone should recall the particular circumstances.
Finally, a pause of silence, prayers and thanksgiving for the friendships, and on behalf of our classmates that have gone before us, and in memory of a great friend Brian Partridge, and our classmate David Cooke, who have left us but will not be forgotten!
Your humble classmate,
Gantt Folline
Howard Barnard (T Company)
Well done sir. Like another fallen Tango classmate, Brian and Russell Powell, were entrepreneuers before I knew how to spell the word. In addition to teaching me how to have an underclassmen pay for my pizza with the two for one coupon scam, I'll never forget walking into Brian's room one day and discovering he and Russell had basically opened a t-shirt printing company in the barracks. That was before we even had the internet to pull it off. (think about that one)
We mentioned Cookie yesterday while golfing too. Would love to see the 47 year-old version of all three.
On & On,
HB
Byron Bennett (M Company)
Thanks, Gantt.