R.I.P. David G. Town: Unheralded Yet Compelling Scribe Passes in Coatepec
David G. Town, born in Michigan, USA in 1945, has died in Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico. News of his passing arrived via email on Cinco de Mayo. Mr. Town was a gentle soul, a seeker, a caregiver (for his friend, the late Dorothy K. Sedgwick) a thinker, a writer and a ceaseless advocate for a host of eclectic yet compelling ideas. He frequently expounded on the importance of friendship, forgiveness, reflection, unconventional thinking and the consequence of ideas. He offered numerous ideas for improving the human condition.
Mr. Town was not enamored by the superficial trappings of modernity, yet availed himself of the Internet. For a time he ran a blog. Subsequently, he wrote a newsletter distributed via email. Later, he simply continued to send out emails containing his musings, to what he liked to call his “associates and allies.”
Mr. Town dealt with a myriad of health and economic challenges, aided by friends who no doubt saw him for the kind, authentic, intriguing human being he was. He faced his struggles with philosophical grace. David G. Town was an authentic, one of a kind person. He will be truly missed.
David was featured here, in Both Sides, in 2007. What follows is an excerpt from that piece. Mr. Town’s answers came by way of email:
Is it frustrating if you write something and do not get feedback?
“Writing is always frustrating without feedback, even when negative, genuinely! Ha!”
What brought you to Mexico in general and Xalapa in particular?
“I moved here in 1993 because of pleasant trips and short stays in 1968, 1981, 1986, and 1988. Why am I in Mexico? Difficult question. I like the tranquility. I love the people, the cuisine, the history, the culture, the semi-underground world of bohemianism, music, the arts, theatre …”
What do you hope to accomplish through your newsletter and blog?
“I hope to meet, challenge, and get to know new and different people through the Blog and my newsletter.”
And here is some more information on David that he sent in a previous email:
“I used to live in San Francisco. I worked for the San Francisco columnist, Charles McCabe, now deceased, managed the Coffee Gallery on Upper Grant Avenue, worked for Team Work Associates, Inc., the Intersection Theatre, and I personally know Eugene Ruggles, Janice Blue, Diana Perrone, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Johnathan B. North, Bob Kaufman. Allen Ginsberg, J.C. Burris, Norman Posner, Robert Barry, Diana Foldvary, Julia Winograd, and a number of other well-known Beats and Bohemians.”
“I also used to live in Michigan. Famous right-wingers such as Edward A. Meany, Jr., Kenneth Paul Shorey, Dr. Russell Kirk (the sage of Mecosta and a National Review columnist), and Lester Begick were friends of mine. I was a close confidante and drinking buddy of Hugh Lago, the legendary journalist and newspaperman.”
And these musings:
“The most over-rated virtue in my opinion: Honesty.”
“The most important virtues: Erudition, kindness, tolerance, humor, seriousness, forgiveness, generosity, graciousness, compassion, curiosity, having a love of the ethereal, the theoretical, the other-worldly, and the intangible, being a good listener, and a capacity to ignore typing errors.”
“Major personal Goals: 1. Never give up. 2. Never underestimate the stench of my own dung. 3. Never underestimate the tricks that the human ego can play on one. 4. Be creative, productive, imaginative, and long-sighted. 5. Be forgiving of others without expecting less of David G. Town. 6. Work hard and develop patience!”
Image courtesy of [Naypong] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
*Authors note: You might see this column pop up online in a newspaper, under the name Both Sides. I am publishing this column here first at CYInterview.com. For a bunch of years, I have been writing newspaper columns. Since my columns have received a good response on CYInterview, I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy.
You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.