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Date Posted: 05:13:57 10/27/12 Sat
Author: Eric Williams / EKW (Sad News and a final Closure)
Author Host/IP: 110.32.142.75
Subject: Re: Lynn Brennan (Spector)
In reply to: Deb Collett 's message, "Lynn Brennan (Spector)" on 03:49:09 06/21/12 Thu

Classmates!

It has been a while since I've checked in here. Years in fact. This news gives me closure to the news of Lynn's death. Lemme explain......

Earlier this year, in February, and for the first time in many years, Lynn Brennan Spector reached out to me on Face Book, and I had 'friended' her there on that site, straight away. At Franconia college, we were NOT close, but I do (and did) remember her, as this red-headed lady from New Jersey, who was also a friend of another classmate, named Geri. (Girl Friend of Bob Estren, colleague at WOMB Radio.)

Anyway, well, for what it is worth, she was a friend of Wayne Norman's, and Pauline Aiello, two close friends of mine, who were a couple, back during my time there. We hit it off right away from February, and exchanged telephone numbers.... even did several skype exchanges, as well.

Most of you may not know that I am now living in Melbourne, Australia. Been here since late 2008 long term, and so, to be in regular contact with an old Franconia classmate who I could 'let my hair down' with, was rather special. We would do the skype conversations like two, even three times a week, during some stretches.

In May of this year, I began production work on a weekly television show here, connected to the Aussie Grid Iron Victoria (Football) league, an amateur version of American Football. NO kidding!!! This work was very time consuming, yet satisfying, on a lot of fronts. Thus, I could not spend as much time chatting with Lynn, but I sure did try. We did connect, though. And we had talked about meeting up in Berkerley, on one of my next visits to NYC. Meeting up at the San Francisco Airport, and hanging out for a few days with her, and her mother there was discussed. SERIOUSLY.

Most of you may not know, but Lynn was involved in a rather nasty automobile accident, and seriously injured her back, while attending Franconia. That accident had left her dependent on pain killing drugs ever since. Plus, she was also caring for her mother, who suffers from some form of dementia. They were both living in a house just outside of Berkerley in the town of Richmond.

I would dispute the actual time of death here, no offense to the classmate who posted it here. Just for the record. But my last conversation with Lynn, was over the telephone around Mid-July. Like around the 15th of that month. She was using a form of steroid her doctor had given her, that had actually helped her cope. But that drug, she said, also had a number of nasty side effects. She did not give me much detail on it. Our last conversation in Mid-July, thereabouts, was short. I was swamped with my television production work, and was also buried in other matters that needed attention. (Living as an ex-pat may sound glamorous to some folks, but it also includes visa matters and so forth.)

I had not spoken to her since. We had exchanged phone numbers, and I had called and left her messages from that day forward. After about a month, I had made calls to local officials, looked on The Net, and other places, newspaper obit columns,and didn't read or find anything. On Face Book, I had posted my own concerns to our classmates on both of the WALLS there, as to what had happened, or if anyone had heard anything from her. NOTHING.

It was odd, in that Lynn was an active poster on both of the Franconia College Face Book sites. But she was silent from July onward.... THAT got me VERY concerned.

Finally, in Mid-September I got our classmate, and one of my Face Book friends, Anita Perez, to make contact with the same sources I had used.... including mutual friends and classmates out on the West Coast. Another friend of Lynn's who had contacted me following my Face Book WALL postings also made inquiries. It was through the efforts of Anita that the news of Lynn's passing finally came to light.

Today, the 27th of October, I received a note from another fellow classmate and friend on Face Book, Jonathan Stern, to take a look at this page.

Now, I know what happened.

Lynn was a cool chick, what can I say? RE-connecting with her this year was one of the highlights of the year for me, outside of my own professional work. While I do have issues with The Internet on matters of privacy, on the upside, is the ability to re-connect with folks you have lost touch with for years... and in Lynn's case, more than 3 decades. I am glad that I had that opportunity with her this year. It was wonderful, what can I say?

I know that some of you have had issues with me while I was a student there in the 1970's. I had even gotten into some silly exchanges with a couple of cats on the Franconia College Face Book pages, over a post about a Jimi Hendrix book, some months ago.

Yet, events like this puts everything into perspective for me. There were some things that were pretty shitty for me during my time there at Franconia, but, there were also some pretty wonderful people, and experiences I had there, too. Reconnecting with Lynn Brennan Spector this year was a needed smack upside my head, to remind me about that, as well.

Again, thanks for posting and sharing this news. For me it brings much needed closure.

At the end of the day, I am grateful of my time at Franconia college, and the truly wonderful people I met, encountered, and became friends with. It did shape my life in a lot of positively good ways that remain with me even now.

I just wanted to share this with you all here.

Thanks!


-Eric K. Williams

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