07/15/2020
“I met Ron on the Houston spring trip as my uber driver— what began as a 30 minute ride turned into nearly 3 hours of conversation, Dairy Queen, and an unexpected friendship. After our van got towed in Houston, my co-leader Liam, Marie, and I forfeited a group dinner to uber to the nearby tow yard & repossess our beloved Dodge Caravan. As soon as we stepped into Ron’s car, I felt a change in our attitudes. He offered us chargers, snacks, stories and conversation. He asked about our studies, about MARDI GRAS, and about what music we liked. He spoke of his family, of Houston history, and told stories from his youth.
Upon arriving at the tow yard and finding its office empty and it’s phone operator unavailable, Ron logged off the uber app and stuck by our side until we retrieved the car 2 hours later. He kept our spirits up with his stories, jokes, Beatles sing-alongs, and even took us to get ice cream at one of our low-points.
I have never experienced such embodiment of MARDI GRAS values and energy in one moment, let alone one person. We kept in contact with Ron over quarantine, organized to donate to the American Lung Association on his behalf (per his preference) as a thank you, and received a mountain of encouraging quotes and posts from him as we completed our online coursework. I always assumed we would rekindle this friendship in person on our next Houston trip, maybe even coordinate an activity so other members could meet Ron (who has become a type of awesome MARDI GRAS-legend:). Marie, Liam, and I will miss that opportunity, but I am confident that this organization can maintain our relationship with Ron and follow his example by sharing this story with each other. Much love for our man Ron!!”
by shelia fogarty
