on your MARK, get set, go!: PATRICK ANDERSON

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