A DEAR FRIEND PASSES

WE BECAME FRIENDS THE VERY DAY WE MET--AND REMAINED FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS.  She's the smartest person I've ever known---and she gave me a gift you will find hard to believe, but I will show you.

meet Joyce Glauser--my mentor, friend and The wind beneath my wings

She is the author  of this wonderful  novel: I'll BE SEEING YOU. and a host of scientific papers and articles on a wide range of topics.  I have heard her speak to large audiences on subjects as varied as philosophy, physics, anthropology, metaphysics, religion.  

THE GIFT SHE GAVE ME THAT YOU MIGHT FIND HARD TO BELIEVE?

SHE GAVE ME 15 MINUTES OF FAME.   

 She organized a discussion group of  ten that met weekly for many years bonding us into an action committee for a bold experiment. We decided to hold the world's first Unitarian Universalist Revival. We pulled it off to a packed house for 5 nights running.  It made national news in our denomination.

This publicity gave me entree to almost all Unitarian groups nationwide,

So we whipped up a full scale "show" and took it on the road.  Joyce played old time revival music and I delivered  a fiery sermon,  Often we would get a full page spread in major Newspapers like the Tampa Tribune and the St Petersburg Times.

We printed up copies and sold them for a dollar.
I traveled around the US delivering this Unholy sermon.  At the height of my speech, I would yell in a loud voice:  "UNBELIEVE---UNBELIEVE---UNDO IT , DUMP IT, SHUCK IT  AND BE BORN
AGAIN AS AN HONEST HUMAN BEING WHO DOES NOT CLAIM TO KNOW MORE THAN HE REALLY KNOWS."
(you can read the full text here )

When that had run its course, Joyce helped me prepare another performance: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO WALT WHITMAN .  And because I now had "creds", I traced the US doing this speech.

And selling its dollar booklet.

As the years rolled by we kept in contact and she along with my editor Kim Raines critiqued my poems for my recent book: 40 YEARS A NOMAD---Poems from the Road.

And when I needed someone of substance to say something nice about my new book, she praised me to the heavens.  That's her writing on the back of it.
As recently as 2 months ago I sent her a poem and asked her:  Is this anything?  She said that it was---so I kept it for the next book.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES:  I often told her that I loved her--that I congratulate myself on having and keeping so worthy a friend.  She saw the best in me---overlooked my dark spots--shared the best of herself with me--and  as I've demonstrated was the wind beneath my wings.  I pledge to her memory to pay forward the support and inspiration and wisdom she gave to me.