Thursday, December 17, 2009

From Liz McGlinchey King

I was college buddies with Brian, we were in the Champlain Shakespeare Festival together for a few summers, and we were friends in New York in the early 80's. My husband, Ron King, and I have many happy memories of our friendship with Brian, but two stand out very clearly for me. One was when we performed Cabaret as a college production in 1979. I was the piano player and terrified because I was used to being behind the scenes, but in Cabaret the musicians are characters in the show. Each night Brian escorted me to the piano, staying in his character. When I put my arm in his, he sensed my nervousness. He'd tell me it's going to be OK, you're going to be great. Another memory I have thought about hundreds of times in the past 30 years was something he said after my brother died during our college years. When I returned to college after the funeral I told Brian that everyone seemed to be going about their lives as if this awful thing hadn't just happened to me. He said, "Liz, people with laugh with you a hundred times, but they will only cry with you once." It was his way of saying that when we are faced with adversity we have to go on, we have no choice in the matter. What he said gave me strength at a time that I really needed it. He was dearly loved. Liz McGlinchey King

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