Friends

Friends

Over the years I have been blessed to have met some truly quality people. A few of which I have established a good acquaintanceship with while others I am lucky enough to be friends with. All of which though, have helped enrich my life. Here is a partial listing of them. Not everyone on this list has his or her own website but a number of them do nor are all of them even on-line. Also, this is also a list in process as I am nowhere near done in meeting good people and making friends.

This is another page which I started "back in the day" and has since not only gotten dated but is now listing too many of my friends who are no longer. I miss them and am trying to not get depressed at how many have accumulated on this page. Instead, I'm happy to have been lucky enough to have had them in my life for the time they shared with me.

Adam Adams	I first met Adam on one of my trips down to Atlanta to attend the Hotlanta River Expo. A man of many talents and interests, he is also good person to have as a friend. He and his partner, David, have been making a fine go of it back there in Atlanta for many a year now.
Sarah (a.k.a. - Bailey)	Bailey, as she is known by some in SF, Back East, and elsewhere, is a fun and vivacious woman who I am very pleased to enjoy the company of. That is, when she is not jetting off to this or that national leather event or volunteering to help some local SF event or "sacrificing" herself to be the "demoee" at various workshops. She also has a nifty website with some more photos on it of her in some "interesting" situations.
Guy Baldwin	I met Guy when I was living in Atlanta and he was there to MC a contest. It was he who inspired me to move out to California, and to broaden my horizons with what I could better find here than in Atlanta. Guy has remained a good friend and mentor ever since.
Joseph Bean	I met Joseph through some of the various leather events and contests I have been to. I first came to know him however, when he was the editor of Drummer and I sent him my first story, "The Bowl" which he later published in his anthology "Horsemen." I always enjoy what he has to say and find his guidance on what it is to not only be a worthy leatherman but also to be a worthy person, period, to be very inspiring.
Terry Bishop	Terry is a fine lady who I first met when she used to pour some awesome coffee at The Big Kitchen, now she is working her wonders for San Diego Pride.
Michael Blue	A guy I know up in SF. Has Big Blue Eyes or something like that. ;P Seriously though, I've known Michael for several years now and always enjoy his company and his intellect.
Travis Curley	I've known Travis for about as long as I've been out here in California and consider myself the better for the experience.
Boss	I first met Boss at my first LeatherFest back in '91. By befriending him and his partner, Jeff, I was introduced to a wonderful circle of friends many of whom I am still in contact with and are also listed here on this page. Boss & Jeff have remained among my close friends over the past decade and I cherish the time I have with them both.
Maria Hecht	My high school day's best friend's younger sister (got all that?) Maria was also my very first girlfriend and I her very first boyfriend. All this was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Maria has since become a good friend and confidant over the years. Sadly, Maria has since become too deep in the Leftist mindset that pervades her world there Back East in Boston and has since chosen politics over friendship.
Bill Hecht	Billy (a.k.a. Hechto, or Hechtobrain - but never Jr.) is my best friend from when I was in High School and is Maria's brother. We were very close during those years and have tried to remain so ever since. He was the first friend of mine who I came out to back in the Summer of '83, and as a true friend he stuck by me. He did however, tell me that if he found out that my coming out to him was some sort of joke on my part, then he would have to kill me for it. I understood that perfectly as I would expect no less from a friend.
David Janisch	I have known David for almost as long as I have been here in San Diego. He is a very warm and giving man as well as being enormously creative. Halloween is his favorite holiday and the way he and Scott have done their place up is fantastic. I'm glad that David is both my friend and is still carrying on after Scott.
Mark Malan	Mark is another one of the those guys who I am glad to have in my life. An intelligent and funny man (of the comedic type) with a delightfully perverse streak to him, I always enjoy his company and his views of the leather world. You can ask him about these yourself, he'll be glad to share them with you. You can also inquire as to his availability for events and whatnot - just drop him a line!
Michael McKeon	Intelligent, creative, giving and dependable. Also happily married. That sounds about perfect and is one of the reasons I enjoy his company as well.
Mark O'Keefe	Mark is a longtime friend of mine who has now returned to San Diego from Eugene, Oregon and who looks equally handsome in one of his fine suits as he does in one of his fine uniforms. That plus his ability to wear a corset better than most women I know makes for a great package. Aside from being sexy as Hell, he is also a good man to talk to and have at your side. Oh, and there's also those fine boots he wears too!
Kevin Roche	I met Kevin at IMsL 97 and we hit it off very well from the start. We also fit together very well to. Were he not living in San Jose then we might have made more of things. As it is, his partner Andy now has that job and he seems very well up to the task. As these years have passed, I've fallen out of touch with Kevin. I think this is mainly due to the politics which Andy steered him toward.
Frank Strona	Frank has become a good friend of mine and someone who I really enjoy just being in the company of. Sometimes though I feel as if I should bring along a tape recorder to keep up with all the insights he provides as they come so fast and frequent. His intellect, insight, complexities, humor, honor and deviousness are among the things I like most about him.
Graylin Thornton (Sigma)	I've known Graylin for several years now. Ever since I met him when he invited my ex, Kim, and I up for her to judge a leather contest in San Jose. Graylin and I hit it off then and have enjoyed each other's company ever since.
John Weis	I don't know John as well as I do some of the other folks here. His living in the Big Apple and my living here in America's Finest City(tm) may have a little to do with that. However, I like what I have seen so far and truly admire his community work and dedication.

	Moved On...
Victor Arimondi	I met Victor at a Tom of Finland Erotic Art Weekend back in '97 and we struck it off from that point onward. Victor was a very creative man with a unique view of the world. The three black & white photos of me back in August of 2000 are just a small example of that view. In the late summer of 2001 I learned that Victor had died. I didn't know him as well as others but I will miss him all the same.
Jeff Burnam	I met Jeff within a few months of pulling into town and always considered him a good friend and a joy to have in my life. He and his partner, Boss, were inseparable and a major plus in my years out here. Jeff always made me smile and I enjoyed his laughter. Jeff died in January of '07 and that fact still doesn't seem real to me as I keep thinking he'll come around the corner any time I'm up in Orange County or that it'll be him who picks up first when I call Boss. He's very much missed in my life.
Bill Choisser	One of my first friends I have made through the on-line Longhair community. Bill lives up in San Francisco with his partner Larry. A very interesting man with a very healthy world view, Bill is also a sharp web designer and hyperboard operator. You should check out his site and see of their travels and his skills with HTML and Perl. Bill died in May of '16. He and Larry had a very rich life together and Larry is keeping on with that, fortunately.
	THE Bunnie and Paige are two great folks from Los Angeles. Longtime community supporters I always enjoy their company and am glad to have them around. At times over the top but always sincere and supportive, I'm glad to have them in my life.
Scott Greene	Another friend I lost in 07. Scott was a unique spirit and a good man to have around. He delighted in doing the unusual and his zest for life was always infectious. He and David were well made for each other and seemed perpetually joined at the hip. I knew Scott was down and out with something come the winter of '06 but I'd no idea how serious it was. Scott's death was very much a surprise and very much a deep loss. We'll miss him and will be doing what ever we can to help his partner, David Janisch, cope with this.
Kelly Lynden	A longtime friend of mine from DC. Kelly lived up in LA and was making a go of it there. We lost touch with each other when I moved down to Atlanta but then found each other again at a LA Gay Pride Festival. We had both seen each other, liked what we saw, took a quick picture of each other, and then realized who the other guy actually was. We remained in touch for a while and then things slid apart for some while. Kelly always was an independent spirit. So it was with some sadness that I learned he had finally succumbed to the cancer he had so long been fighting. When he last spoke of it, which was a pretty rare thing to start with, he was rather upbeat and told me that he was in full remission. And then he was dead. Another friend to note as passed.
John McConnell	John was one my San Diego friends I had known for about as long as I'd been in California. I first met him when he was at one of the leather title contests we both were at back in the early '90s. John was very distinctive then as he had a long braided topknot. I like his with and his personality. Over the years I found myself welcomed into his home for both dinners and play parties. I also got to see, firsthand, how John earned his nickname of "Roadkill" at an Inferno we both were at. John very much gave back to the leather community through his practice and through his personal time. I learned of his death second or third hand as I had moved up to Los Angeles by the time he passed in December of 2020. I tried contacting his partner about the service but never heard back. Thus John's end disappeared like a lot of others during the pandemic.
Amy Meek	A twisted, clever, hardworking, and dedicated woman with a delightful sense of humor. And, as of November 2016, she too is no longer with us.
Tom Rinas	Tom was one of the first men I befriended upon touching down here in San Diego. He was a good guy and a loving soul. I helped him move from his house into his condo in Mission Valley. For my efforts, he took me to dinner as a thank you. Along with us he also took John Atherton, who had helped Tom set up his stereo system and who also worked at the same company (General Atomics) as I did. John and I also became fast friends. They are both gone now but I treasure the time I had with them.
George Wong	A fun and wonderfully twisted man up in LA. A longtime member of Avatar and very active in the LA scene, George is another man to turn to when you want to get things done. That and he has some very nice boots. Another man gone, unfortunately. George died in 2011. Apparently, he either wasn't out to his family or they just didn't want to deal with his gayness upon his death. Thus they completely excluded all of his gay friends and his community connections upon his death. He essentially just vanished.

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This page was last updated on: 24 October 2023