Hello all,
I write to you all today with
a very heavy heart. It’s 5:30AM and I
have just risen from a few restless hours of sleep. I stepped into a cold shower to try and pull myself
together. To try and wake up to the
reality of it all. I am catching a flight
to pay my respects to a 29 year old man that has shaped my life in ways he will
never know.
Over a decade ago while at
Clemson University, I met Patrick Anderson.
We were teammates on Clemson Crew.
Rowing. The team was filled with
a lot of talented endurance athletes and most of us, myself included, thought we were
the best thing since sliced bread. In reality, ONE of us really was. Patrick.
Patrick would ride his bike
guided by passion and moonlight to 4:30AM practices. These were practices designed to break us, but
you couldn’t break Patrick. Pound for
pound, he was the most talented athlete I have ever seen. What was impossible to the rest of us, was
not only possible to Patrick, but he made it look effortless. While the rest of us would moan or complain
after these grueling training sessions, Patrick would jump to his feet and
tackle the day ahead of him. He could be
seen racing on his bike out of Clemson’s boathouse parking lot, grinning from
ear to ear, ready to tackle the day ahead.
The rest of us scrubs would drag ourselves to our feet and ride home IN
A CAR, to go back to bed for the next five hours. Patrick would go to the
library to study engineering. I should
have followed him one of those mornings.
I’d have found out where the library was.
Even though Patrick amassed
an incredible amount of accolades as an athlete and academic, you would never
know. Chances are many of you reading this
never did know. His humility will always
be an example to me. He was so
good. He was so damn good, but he would make the
rest of us feel like we were the ones that were special. That's special. I smile through the tears knowing how much of
a privilege it was to have him as a friend and teammate. We all ROW’d his coattails to some collegiate
glory while having plenty of fun along the way. Thanks Patrick!
Another thing I will always
remember is how Patrick looked when he was with Katie. He was the happiest guy
in the world. I remember being confused at first. I was fairly certain rowers didn’t get the girls
but here Patrick was with an absolute knockout. Rowers DO NOT get the girls. Awesome guys do. Patrick certainly met his match with Katie. She
is equally beautiful inside and out.
To Katie and the rest of Patrick’s
family I say this. You brought up one of
the finest men any of us have ever known.
He carried your family name with such pride and the rest of us were so
blessed to have him in our lives. You all
will forever be in my thoughts.
This week the world lost
someone that made it a much better place.
A wife lost her husband. A mother
and father lost a son. Brothers lost a
brother. I lost a dear friend. Patrick was taken far
before his number should have ever been called, but I will never forget the legend that was, is, and always
will be Patrick Anderson.
Rest In Peace brother,
Mark Jude McGilvery
Known to Patrick as Chops
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| BROTHERS FOR LIFE |
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| THE LEGEND ON THE RIGHT, PATRICK ANDERSON |
