Charlie's talk - Thanks Charlie

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Good Afternoon,
My name is Charles Beale and it was my absolute privilege to be Joe chow’s friend. Upon hearing about his death, I immediately replied with 3 words, the first I cannot say in churh, the second is bull and the third I can not say.
I could stand here all day and tell you that he was one hell of man. I could go little by little telling of the loyalty of his friendship and the love he shared with everyone. I could mention, he was a starry eyed kid, with a passion to know. He wasn’t much of a risk taker, then again, he spent his last days on earth teaching people half way around the world who were less fortunate then everyone in this room, teaching chemistry, math, and physics. To do that he had to leave behind everything and go on the last adventure of his life. I will not attempt to address the rumors that in Africa he became an expert spear fisherman or that he spent time in markets bargaining for owls. And the selflessness of the last two year of his life are something I know little about, separated by too many miles and too much time.
But I will say we like people for what they are good at and we love them for their flaws. So I will tell of some things that I loved joe for.
The first is fairly simple, he wasn’t a good troublemaker. For one simple reason, a good trouble maker upon narrowly escaping, being caught by the police for having some 40 illegally obtained election signs in the back seat of a car, illegal possession alcohol, while his friend is driving at about one in the morning with a license that only allows him to drive till 9. A good trouble maker, does not under any circumstance tells his Mom of the actions that had transpired the night before no matter how entertaining the story. But that was just how joe was. He was honest and pure. He was always at first reluctant to partake in the a crazy scheme but once he a succumbed to peer pressure , he would then think of way to make the scheme better and more thought out.
He wasn’t a bad singer, but he wasn’t a loud enough singer … One time we found ourselves serenading the girls on Sarah Lawrence campus to only be chased away by a campus van. Later to be accused of some bogus claim of sexual harassment and trespassing. I to this day attribute us getting in trouble because he voice was drowned out by jp’s and mine. He wasn’t the all time great, ladies man, but he did know that in no way would this help us with the ladies. ( I spoke briefly hear how I would make him reluctantly take his shirt off to show off to the ladies)
He was a pretty good swimmer; however that same level of athleticism was lost in other sports. (His method in shooting hoops was based on the law of averages. If you keep shooting you are bound to make one in.) If I were to tell you that our annual game of tackle football that Joe Chow was a force to be reckoned with, I would be telling you a blatant lie. At 5’7, 145 pounds soaking wet, it would be a little difficult. And Our version of tackle football is nothing like seen on television. Joe Chow’s method of tackling someone was pretty simple, jump on the opposing player and hope they get tired of running with a 145 pound weight on their back and just fall. But he played with everything he had like he did with everything in life. He wanted to win but never let that ruin the fun of the game.
He had a manner of standing, like an exhausted pregnant woman. ( Here I showed them how he did it) Almost as if he could not carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Here are a few more things about Joe. He was an excellent piano player, an excellent ping pong player, he has kill count in halo in the millions against me, and he has taken enough money off me in poker to buy himself an owl.
I once traveled to Greece with Joe. He laughed that I really had no idea the difference between the Parthenon and the Panthenon. I still don’t.
He was however an excellent friend. Upon hearing of my father’s death, rumor has it he walked some 20 miles in an attempt to call me. It was a shame that he got my phone number off facebook. The number I had posted on facebook was The new york rejection hotline, but he thought he got my voice mail so he made the walk twice before he realized. I imagined that he kinda whispered under his breath like he sometimes did when he had been dooped , “ son of a bitch.”
I will forever cherish his friendship. He was always willing to listen or lend the helping hand, or quickly tell me how stupid an idea might be.
And his leaving kinda puts us in a rough spot. I am left to wonder the possibilities of what was yet to come in Joe Chow’s life, but in knowing the possibilities, we must fill the void he left and that is what scares me the most. The world could use a few more Joe Chows. I miss my friend.