RIP Adam Dittman

Brian and I played Rugby with Adam Dittman (second row, dark hair, kneeling, fourth from right).  He was a 1995 graduate of Xavier and passed away at age 39 on March 28, 2012. 

He was a great guy, well liked by everybody and was fun to be around. Built like a Mack truck and could hit like a ton of bricks. Really fast too. Unlike most rugby players, Adam was very smart! Adam was always the guy who you missed seeing, wanted to catch up with and was everybody's friend. I never heard anyone say a bad word about him - ever.

My guess is he and my brother Brian are at the The Woods right now catching up, rehashing rugby stories and telling lies.  I also know we don't get a vote on the death of our loved ones or friends. Sometimes, there are no answers.

Please honor Adam and your loved ones by remembering the times they made you smile, laugh or proud that they considered you a friend.

Rest easy my friend and EAT DOUGHNUTS!

Beerwolf Lives!

This past weekend my friends and I hosted Logolympics IX on the piece of property where I live in Knoxville, TN. Logolympics is our semi-annual gathering where my friends and I compete to see who is best at drinking beer and playing woodsman games all day. This year Beerwolf had one of the best seats in the house and got to see me win the Log Splitting competition for the second year in a row.

I think Brian would be proud!

The Shocker

As we all know Brian loved to pull pranks on people, especially people he didn't know. The best example of this I can remember happened many times in many different locations.

To fully explain "The shocker" I have to start with Brian's love of the magic store in downtown cincy. Brian loved going and checking out all of the latest gadgets and tricks. Some of his favorites were cigarette loads, used to make cigarettes explode while someone was smoking it, the flash paper wrist shooter, and of course a bunch of things that shocked people.

Brian's favorite "shocker" was the slot machine. This was a tiny version of a slot machine that fit in your hand. It was fully functioning, meaning the lever worked and the dials spun. The catch was that when you pulled the lever it shocked the piss out of you. Brian loved taking it to the bars with us and seeing how many people he could get to fall for it.

The best display of Brian's "Shocker" happened in Mount Adams. We were all out having our usual beer and discussing the days pressing social issues, when Brian pulled out the shocker. He then proceeded to approach every girl in the bar and say that if they got all cherries he would pay for all of their drinks the rest of the night. It was one of the greatest nights. Watching Brian approach girls of the hotter variety and not hit on them but the opposite. The looks on those girls faces was priceless but the look on the faces of the people around the event that didn't know Brian was even better.

Miss you tons buddy. Happy Birthday, tell Jesus and Knute Rockne I said hello.

Go X! Beat Notre Dame!

Brian loved Notre Dame.  He considered himself 100% Irish and felt it his was his duty to root for ND. Brian especially loved Notre Dame football and would be in a foul mood if they lost (which, unfortunately was often). Few would be surprised to find out Brian would often tell people Notre Dame was his “safety” school!

However, Brian loved Xavier University even more. He loved XU will all his heart and was one of the team’s biggest fans.

Brian would be keyed up for today’s game. He would have agitated the ND fans on their message boards since “Selection Sunday” and they would really hate this “Pablo” guy from Xavier.

Like me – and all the McCormick’s - Brian is cheering for Xavier today to beat Notre Dame.

Go X and happy early St. Patrick’s Day!

Photo's from Brian's fundraiser

Special thanks to Xavier’s Greg Rust for the great photos!  As you can see in the shots below, everyone had a great time.  From all accounts, Dana’s was packed and rocking!  Thanks for yet another great fund raiser.  See you next year.

Thanks from Pablo’s family for your generosity

Thank you all for your generosity. We raised over $3,200 from the auctions and cup sales at Dana's. This money goes directly to the Brian McCormick Memorial fund that helps Xavier students in financial need stay in school. These funds really make a difference. Thanks to you, 60 students (so far) have been able to stay at X thanks to Brian's fund.

Special thanks to Brian Hicks, BJ Hayley (and everyone at Dana's), Chris Gogul for the facebook invite and Colin Willler. Also want to recognize the many of you how travelled so far to honor Brian. It was great seeing you, hearing stories and having a great time.

What a great day. The good guys won, we raised a ton of jack and many beers were consumed in honor of our victorious Muskies and Pablo.

My brother is smiling and laughing at your hangovers.

God bless you all.

Link to Ebay store with XU auction items

AUCTION STARTS 2/9/12 AT 8:15 PM EST. ENDS 2/16/12 AT 8:20 PM EST.

http://stores.ebay.com/Brian-McCormick-Memorial-Fund

Xavier Auction Items ---- Cool Stuff for Your Man Cave, basement, office, mosque or basilica.

All proceeds benefit Xavier students in need.

Items up for auction include:

Autographed items (5)

Reds vs. Cubs in Chicago (4 sets of tix) THANKS COLIN WILLER!!

Bobbleheads (2)

Cintas Floor (1) Signed by Coach Mack

XU Gear (6)

Posters - framed and unframed (4)

Staggered auction ending times so you can compete for multiple items. No shipping charge if you pick up.

All proceeds benefit The Brian McCormick Memorial fund that helps Xavier students in financial need.

Please bid high and often!!!

Thanks!

4th annual “Have a drink with Brian (Pablo) & 300 of his closest friends" fund raiser.

Last year was a rousing success. UD was rightfully humbled as according to prophecy and we raised over $3,000 for Brian's memorial fund that kept many Xavier students in school. Plus, a massive amount of beer was consumed by all.

Pablo’s “feelings” towards UD have been well documented and will be dissected by historian’s/religious scholars for years to come. We thought it would be great to honor Brian by toasting him on this night of nights and drinking a beer or two (or eight) at Dana’s right before the XU/UD game on 2/18. The cost is $10 (plus $1 per beer domestic & $2 import after that) and you get a cup that magically replenishes itself with beer!

PLUS, BJ WILL HAVE A SHOT SPECIAL ($2 washington apples) for anyone who gets the magical “no watermelons” stamp!

All proceeds will go to “The Brian McCormick Memorial Fund” at Xavier. This fund helps keep financially strapped XU students in school regardless of their academic record. Brian always wanted to start a fund like this. Through your generosity, over 60 students are still in school/graduated thanks to Brian - and this is only just the beginning! Think of all the good things and how the world will benefit from these future Xavier graduates!

We will soon list some cool Xavier items/gear for auction on E-bay. All will have a buy it now price and make great gifts to those XU fanatics you love, or for the one you love most (you!)

Join us. You know Brian would be (and will be) there! I guarantee it will be a blast and no watermelons will be allowed on the premises!

When: Saturday, 2/18/2012

Where: Dana Gardens. 1832 Dana Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207, 513.631.BEER.

Time: 4:00 – 7:30 PM. Cups are still good after the game until Dana's closes!

What: A night of fun, laughter, and beer before XU defeats UD once again. Honoring Pablo and benefiting "The Brian McCormick Memorial Fund" at Xavier University.

Cost: $10 bucks (or more) gets you the commemorative collector's edition cup that will only increase in value. (Antique Road show recently appraised the 2009 cup at over $11.23!) $1 for each beer thereafter, plus shot specials.

Contact Matt McCormick mmccormick@bahl-gaynor.com at for more information or if you can’t make the party and want a cup/donate.

Special thanks to Brian Hicks at Xavier, Chris Gogul for the facebook invite, and BJ Hayley (and everyone at Dana's) for all of their help!

C'mon down! Get your drink on, toast Pablo and help out Xavier.

For those of you who can't make it and want to donate, gifts may be made to:

The Brian McCormick Memorial Fund

C/O Xavier University

3800 Victory Parkway

Cincinnati, Ohio 45207

Or call 513-745-3314

Thanks and God Bless, Matt McCormick ’92, ‘95

Merry Christmas!

Seems hard to believe this is our fourth Christmas without Brian.  It is amazing how life goes on.  How we are all busy, moving from point A to B and yet we always want more time.  We want more time to do the things we really want to do.  To spend more time with our family.  To say the things we want – and are supposed to say to our loved ones.  We want the experiences that you think back during tough times and say; “yeah, that was a great day.”  It has been my opinion  almost all these great memories are associated with family.  Sure, we may have a good day at work, but does anyone really want to think about completing another “TPS Report” on your deathbed?

As Brian has always said; “family is everything.”  We look forward to spending the Christmas season with our family.  Sure everyone likes presents (especially the kids).  But, we all really enjoy the  shared experiences – the laughter, the unbelievable amounts of food my Mom prepares, and seeing how we all react to the many turns in our lives.  This is what I am the most sorrowful about.  That Brian cannot physically be with us.  To congratulate Justin & Jenny on their engagement.  To make Joanna puke again by drinking some noxious soda pop.  To see how beautiful Patrick and Caroline are.  To be with us period.  However, I feel like he knows.  That he helps us.  That Brian is doing everything he can to be apart of our lives.  We (especially me) are probably too obtuse to see his help occur in real time.  But, I have the cool comfort of knowing that he is – and will be – with us. 

Sometimes our closest friends help us more than they know.   Russ Newsom is a dear friend of the McCormick family.  I met him while he was a student at Xavier.  He went on to work in the West Wing of George W. Bush’s White House, graduated from Chicago Law School and now works as a lawyer for a prestigious Cincinnati law firm.  Russ is destined for great things.  The McCormick family treat Russ like he is one of own and frequently attend Xavier basketball games with him.  Brian was especially fond of him.  Recently, Russ unexpectedly sent us a large, beautiful photo of a tip off at the Cintas Center featuring past XU basketball standouts Derrick Brown, Stanley Burrell, BJ Raymond and Josh Duncan.  It is really cool and for some reason Susan will not let me hang it in our bedroom!   Susan and I were very excited and called Russ to thank him.  He said  “You have done more for me than you I can do for you.  I love you guys.”  After we hung up, Susan said “didn’t he sound exactly like Brian?  Didn’t you feel like Brian was talking directly to us? Wouldn’t he say those exact words?”  What is amazing, is Russ DID sound like Brian. His cadence, inflection and joyous speech pattern was extremely similar to our Brian.   This conversation made Susan and I smile.

I don’t know how (or if) Brian somehow pulled this conversation via Russ off, but I like to think he did.  I like thinking he is always with us even if we can’t see him.  I like thinking he is my “super” guardian angel that can pull a rabbit out of the hat for me and our family when we really need it.  I like him knowing how much we miss him, how much he is loved and how we look forward to being with him on the other side some day.  In my mind, these small signs are his way of communicating back to us, indicating he is with us and saying “I love you guys.” 

We can’t bring him back.  Yet, we will always have our memories, stories and love for Brian.  Our shared experiences will always be with us and discussed – because few people outside of those who knew Brian would actually believed they occurred!  They did.  For that, we are grateful.    

And yes, Brian, I will watch “The Christmas Story,” eat duck dip and say “Armand Assante” for you tonight! 

Merry Christmas to all and may 2012 exceed your expectations!

"Your brother must have been a special kind of person to make such a huge impact on the lives of so many people."

Dear Mr. Matthew McCormick:

I would like to say I am sorry for the loss of your brother. My name is ______ _____. This fall was my first semester at Xavier University. My parents are 250 miles away in northern Ohio. They are going through some serious medical conditions right now, which have caused financial hardships. With the help of your brother’s scholarship (given by Mr. Schiess), I will be able to continue my education at Xavier. Your brother must have been a special kind of person to make such a huge impact on the lives of so many people.  Just recently, I lost a few close family friends and relatives. I know it is hard and is not something you get over easily. I want to thank you, again, for keeping your brother’s memory alive at Xavier.  I will be forever grateful.

Thankfully,

Name withheld

Dear Mr. McCormick:

Because of your contribution and donation towards my schooling, I was able to stay enrolled at Xavier this semester. You are a great person for what you have done and I wanted to send a big THANK YOU your way.

Happy holidays!

Name withheld

** Brian certainly was a "special kind of person" and he did, indeed, make a big impact on almost everyone he met. Again, this is not "my" fund, nor are the contributions solely from me. They are also from Brian's family, friends, relatives, and the extended Xavier Nation. I just made the blog and post your thank you notes so we can all remember him and share a smile. Finally, this fund was always Brian's idea. We are proud that he has helped 60 Xavier students stay in school. Amazing! Thanks, Matt **