I just want to say this, Sunday I lost a friend. I layed in his bed with him on Saturday and spoke to him knowing somehow there would be a call from Joe the next morning. Yes, I know how brilliant he was, he was a great talent. He was also a great friend and pulled me out of more messes than I could count. He called me everyday when I had my hystrectomy and of course we know what he was going though. I still hear his voice in my head. I remember him telling me all about this great guy he meet named Joe. Craig touched so many people's lives by his work and I thank a Higher Power that his work will live forever. But you see my friend didn't last long enough to see 40. All these posts about Gay rights would mean the world to Craig I can hear him saying write people write! He was a boy when I first meet him. Hidding from the straight world of the mid-west  In NYC he became what he always was a proud gay man. Some of us here are putting thier hands on the keyboard and writing about Craig or gay rights. And Then shut off the machine and just forget it. How do I shut off my feelings of loss? how does Joe? or Craig's mother who lost a child as a mom myself I can't think of a greater pain.


I get into bed and talk to Craig. My child is 10 she may have memories of him there is video now. But he can't hold her.  You see people. to me Craig isn't a post he was my strenght when I was ill which I am right now. He made me laugh at myself, he made me brave, proud and grateful. I know somewhere near Joe is griefing for his partner also a pain I can't even think of. I am leaving him to that pain to work though for right now. For 4 years I held my breathe when Craig had to have yet another operation. If I called and heard Joe's voice I choked up for a monent.


There are people on this board who are morning a great loss that is to be respected. Without those people right now I would be out of control right now. So please remember Craig isn't just a post he was a proud gay man and I have to explain to my 10 year old what happened to him and where he is. So to people like Connie remember that when my phone rings it will never be Craig again. I cry, I laugh, I ask questions of God, but most of all I remember that boy that came off that plane 13 years ago and I smile. One day I will smile again when I think of the man he became here in my city, our city. My daughter will know who he was what he stood for 20 years from now. Connie, will you remember your post that long from now? Craig was about words, beautiful words of love and friendship. Love to my friends who have gotten me though this

John, did I mention that I love you! 

There is alot of passion on this subject. It comes down to the fact the man was well loved by many people. In the end it does not really matter what other people think of you. The people who love you,care for you when you are sick and make you feel good about yourself are the ones that count.
Not mentioning someone's live partner was in poor taste but in the end when we all go it is not the obituary that tells about us, it is the friends,family and loved ones who share their memories of us, cry and laugh together. No piece of paper,publication or newspapter can put in words our true worth or the value of a relationship.

Yes, it is sad when anyone has to pretend to be something else he or she is not for the sake of a career or, in some parts of the country and world, just to not get beaten up or killed.  In any obituary the family should be mentioned and certainly in the case of a homosexual couple, the surviving partner.  This strays a bit from DS but does anyone remember the All in the Family episode where Edith and Archie travelled somewhere to visit a cousin's home - the cousin had recently died.  Anyway, the cousin had a "special friend" and Edith and Archie soon found out that the "special friend" was in fact the cousin's longtime lover.  Archie wigged out, of course, Edith reminded him that "you ain't God" and a special family heirloom Edith was planning on taking home with her was instead given to the girfrlend of the cousin. "I think you should have this instead," Edith said, something like this.  As  a teenager watching the show, it was a lesson to me as I had not much exposure to what gays have to endure at times and it taught me something.  It's that lesson that causes me to be sad Joe was not mentioned in the obit.   I learn other lessons from my friends and my brother who have had many trials to face because of their sexuality.

If someone has a problem with homosexuality, DS fandom is a really bad place for him or her to be.

**** SG pays tribute to CRAIG HAMRICK, DS fan, author, and researcher, who passed away on Sept. 24 after a long battle with colon cancer. Craig was born on Oct. 9, 1966, in the same year as DS. He actually discovered the show through the Marilyn Ross paperback novels years after DS had ended production. Growing up in Coffeyville, KS, he did not have access to DS reruns, but when the revival series aired on NBC in 1991, he took notice. Soon he became involved with fandom and lent a hand to the DS Festivals. He also began exploring creative ways of his own to harness his interest in DS. Craig was an accomplished writer, photographer, computer expert, and animal lover. After moving to NYC in the mid-1990s, Craig helped promote DS on the Internet by establishing the excellent DarkShadowsOnline website. He guided several DS actors onto the web, designing and operating their sites. He also befriended a number of the NYC-based personnel, such as Nancy Barrett, Diana Millay, Marie Wallace, and the late Louis Edmonds. He wrote Louis' biography "Big Lou," his own compilation "Barnabas & Company," and a DS novel among others, and advised on a number of other DS-related books.

Perhaps Craig's greatest gift to DS was his strong will and upbeat determination as he fought the cancer for 4 years. He was able to attend and assist at the 40th Anniversary Fest in Brooklyn exactly a month ago. Craig leaves behind many wonderful memories and contributions that will not be forgotten. Those who wish to remember Craig may do so to the ASPCA - American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NYC office: 424 E. 92nd St., NYC, NY 10128-6804), or to your local animal shelter.