Merry Christmas from Brian

 

Yesterday at Christmas Eve mass I said a little prayer asking for Brian to give us a sign he is still with us.  Today, all four of us were in the VIP Lounge setting up a video game.  Out of nowhere we all heard a short blast of static from Patrick’s Blue Man Group drum machine.  This machine was given to Patrick from Brian and was not being used.   Susan and I looked at each other with surprise.  Patrick asked “what was that?”  Susan said “your Uncle Brian just said Merry Christmas.”

 

Some would say this is a weird coincidence.  I prefer to say “thank you Brian.  Miss and love you.”

You have to respect that!

Brian Dargin Gunnoe is our cousin and from Kansas City.  He was named for Brian and goes by Dargin.  He had his tonsils removed yesterday. From our understanding the surgery went well and he is fine.  Interestingly, Dargin absolutely refused to wear the hospital gown.  His parents and nurses did not know what to do.  Like the boss that he is, Dargin decided to walk to surgery – down the corridor – completely naked!  Talk about not letting “The MAN” get him down!  Dargin, you namesake would be proud.  Easy to see how they are related!

"With the help of your funds, I am able to pursue my academic goals so that one day I can give back to others."

Dear McCormick Family:

My name is ____ _____ and I am a Junior Environmental Sciences major here at Xavier University.  I would like to say a personal THANK YOU for awarding me funds from the Brian McCormick Fund.  I am very grateful.  These funds have allowed me to register for my classes for the spring semester and to remove the hold on my account.  Because of these funds, I am able to continue my education at Xavier University.  My experience at Xavier has been wonderful.  The faculty are very nice and they really care about our understanding as students.  Everyone here is very open and accepting.  I could not have chosen a better place for my undergraduate education.  With the help of your funds, I am able to pursue my academic goals so that one day I can give back to others. 

Thank you again!  Your help is very appreciated.

Sincerely,

Name withheld

The Lord of the Dance

I heard some of the “Lord of the Dance” music this week.  It made me remember the time Brian got us tickets for my mom’s birthday.  The event was after Christmas and my mom, Brian, Susan and I attended.  As usual, Brian got us great seats at the US Bank Arena.  We actually sat in the penalty box for the Cincinnati Cyclones and were only a few rows from the stage.  My mom enjoyed it and cried as usual.  We had a good time. 

The funniest thing in my memory was Brian coming back from the restroom and had one beer in each hand.  As I was taking a pull I noticed that we were the only people in the entire stadium drinking beer watching Lord of the Dance.  I mean, only Brian would find the one guy selling beer (or, did he steal it?) and have no problem brazeningly drinking it in front of the entire stadium.  He was famous (infamous?) for pulling these kinds of stunts. 

I also remembered Brian would occasionly dance like an Irish dancer.   He was absolutely terrible.   (I think there is even a picture out there of him wearing a kilt from a Xavier party!)  That did not stop him from doing the Irish jig at parties and once at our Cousin Jennifer’s wedding in New York to House of Pain’s “Jump Around.”  God, he was awful.  But, it did not stop him from getting his Irish on!

"...maybe someday I can impact someone as much as you did for me."

Mr. McCormick:

My name is ____ ____ and I was a recipient of your Brian McCormick fund.  I wanted to thank you, although I cannot thank you enough, for granting me the opportunity to follow up my studies here at Xavier University.

A little about myself, I am an Environmental Science major.  It is my third year here and I am the first in my entire family to come to a school as privileged as Xavier.  I only have one older sister, and she went to community college.  My sister finished two years and dedicated them to me with my single mother as a sitter, to work and help me pay for my studies.  Our family of three has made it far, and we continue to hold to our value; “the best and only inheritance we have is education.”  My mother came from Mexico and unfortunately did not finish more than high school.   Therefore, every day she encouraged me and is proud of me and my continuous education of myself in something that I am very passionate about.

I know that the second requirement of this grant is to give back when I have the chance.  I grew up in a culture of gratitude and self-sacrifice.  I have grown up with strong ethics and was taught that every day I have the ability to give back and to never forget to come back to where I came from.

Again, I cannot express how grateful I am for your gift.  Your self-giving not only helped me incredibly financially, but it made me feel great to know that someone, who I haven’t even met, believes that I am meaningful to them.  That good people are here and that is possible for me to keep holding to my values because maybe someday I can impact someone as much as you did for me. 

Thank you so much again and I wish you and your family many blessings.

Peace be with you,

Name withheld

 

** You are most welcome and God Bless.  Again, all gifts are from funds donated by Brian's friends, family and the XU community.**