From The Montreal Gazette
Donald Alexander (Sandy) McLean
Published October 18, 2012
Peacefully at home, on October 12, 2012 at age 61. A fine musician, composer and dedicated youth worker, son of the late Donald McLean and Thérèse Bouthililer, Don is survived by his sister Anne, A private memorial will be held Sunday, October 21. For details, phone 514 918 1116
A fine turn-out is expected at the memorial on Sunday.
For those of you who may not know who Don was, he was a principal in the Goddesschess Partnership from its inception. Don also was the webmaster of the Goddesschess website for many years, until intractable technical problems and ill health (on both our parts) led to the decision to take Goddesschess offline in June, 2012. We had intended to resurrect Goddesschess at another internet service provider. Now, the guts of Goddesschess are locked up inside of one of Mr. Don's computers.
Goddess willing, I will get it back online, even if nothing new is ever added to it again. I'm no techy -- I don't understand things about computers and uploads and downloads and websites and such. Goddesschess was Don's baby for several years, including his wonderful weekly summary of interesting-news items, "Random Round-Up."
To Don McLean's extended family members, if you should ever read this, and if are interested in receiving a Family Tree that I prepared as a gift a few years back for Mr. Don, please contact me via this blog. If I find you on the tree or you can provide me with evidence that you are a relative (I have some names and some memories that Mr. Don passed on over the years), I'll be happy to mail you a printed copy. It's EXTENSIVE.
If we do not know where we came from, how do we know where we're going...
Showing posts with label Don McLean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Don McLean. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2012
Some Memories of Don McLean
I offer this photo montage of our last time together, which was December, 2011-January, 2012 when Don and I travelled to Spain after Christmas.
We re-visited many places in Madrid and also the beautiful ancient city of Toledo that we first visited in October, 2002, shortly after the death of our friend and mentor, IM Dr. Ricardo Calvo, who was a well-known player in Spain for many years and a noted chess historian.
This trip, we had a deeper appreciation for the beauty we'd seen the first time, examined more things in depth, and saw new things as, feeling more comfortable in this city we'd visited before, we ventured forth further away from known territory and saw many new things. Our only regret was that the Archaeological Museum was closed for renovations, something neither of us had foreseen and therefore hadn't thought to check ahead of time online!
After so many years together, we communicated in shorthand and often, we didn't even have to speak. We'd just look at each other and know what the other was feeling about what we were seeing, doing, feeling. Often, we shared dreams. I had no premonition, though, that Don was going to die. Now, all is emptiness. I did not realize that Madrid/Toledo would be the last trip I would ever take with Mr. Don.
I may put a few more of these together. There's a lot to review over the past 13 years. You'll just have to bear with me.
We re-visited many places in Madrid and also the beautiful ancient city of Toledo that we first visited in October, 2002, shortly after the death of our friend and mentor, IM Dr. Ricardo Calvo, who was a well-known player in Spain for many years and a noted chess historian.
This trip, we had a deeper appreciation for the beauty we'd seen the first time, examined more things in depth, and saw new things as, feeling more comfortable in this city we'd visited before, we ventured forth further away from known territory and saw many new things. Our only regret was that the Archaeological Museum was closed for renovations, something neither of us had foreseen and therefore hadn't thought to check ahead of time online!
After so many years together, we communicated in shorthand and often, we didn't even have to speak. We'd just look at each other and know what the other was feeling about what we were seeing, doing, feeling. Often, we shared dreams. I had no premonition, though, that Don was going to die. Now, all is emptiness. I did not realize that Madrid/Toledo would be the last trip I would ever take with Mr. Don.
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| This digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox |
I may put a few more of these together. There's a lot to review over the past 13 years. You'll just have to bear with me.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Don McLean of Goddesschess Passed Away
In his sleep, Thursday night/Friday morning. I received notification from his twin sister, Anne, earlier today. Don was 61.
Don (his Canadian friends and family knew him as Sandy) was the long-time webmaster and creative force behind Random Round-Up at the Goddesschess website. The website was taken off line earlier this summer when we started experiencing technical difficulties with our server and couldn't get them resolved. Then some serious health problems hit both of us around the same time, although Don had been sick for several months before with what he called "the flu." We shared atrial fibrillation together, both diagnosed around the same time in June. I thought we had both been on the path to recovery together. I was wrong. Way wrong.
Don and I first met in December, 1998 and became engaged in November, 2003. We were friends and fighters both and shared deep connections in ways words cannot describe. Although we decided not to marry in 2010, we remained deeply bonded. Our last adventure together was in January this year, our second trip to Madrid and Toledo, where Mr. Don wore me out with his go-go-go! I did many blog entries from Madrid and posted many photographs.
Mr. Don took this photo of our shadows way up a hill at Rentiro Park in Madrid. I am on the left, holding my ever-present tote bag. Mr. Don is on the right holding his videocam. The photo looks like we (or our shadows) are on bases, like chess pieces.
Don hard at work in the family room at the second laptop (my house) before we left for Madrid a few days later, in January. He was bundled up in a hoodie and an afghan. He was often cold here (I keep my heat at 64-65, but I'm used to it), and liked nothing better than snuggling in front of the fireplace in the front room.
This photo was taken with my very ancient browny camera in October 2002 during our first trip to Madrid, at the gift shop on the Royal Palace grounds while we were waiting for our tour to be called. There was a cache of swords and like all good swashbucklers, Mr. Don went straight for them.
Mr. Don, waiting at Milwaukee airport for our flight to Chicago en route to Madrid, January this year. We had to get there EARLY and had breakfast before going through security.
I am shutting down for awhile. The Summer from Hell has turned into the Autumn of my Worst Nightmares.
Don (his Canadian friends and family knew him as Sandy) was the long-time webmaster and creative force behind Random Round-Up at the Goddesschess website. The website was taken off line earlier this summer when we started experiencing technical difficulties with our server and couldn't get them resolved. Then some serious health problems hit both of us around the same time, although Don had been sick for several months before with what he called "the flu." We shared atrial fibrillation together, both diagnosed around the same time in June. I thought we had both been on the path to recovery together. I was wrong. Way wrong.
Don and I first met in December, 1998 and became engaged in November, 2003. We were friends and fighters both and shared deep connections in ways words cannot describe. Although we decided not to marry in 2010, we remained deeply bonded. Our last adventure together was in January this year, our second trip to Madrid and Toledo, where Mr. Don wore me out with his go-go-go! I did many blog entries from Madrid and posted many photographs.
Mr. Don took this photo of our shadows way up a hill at Rentiro Park in Madrid. I am on the left, holding my ever-present tote bag. Mr. Don is on the right holding his videocam. The photo looks like we (or our shadows) are on bases, like chess pieces.
Don hard at work in the family room at the second laptop (my house) before we left for Madrid a few days later, in January. He was bundled up in a hoodie and an afghan. He was often cold here (I keep my heat at 64-65, but I'm used to it), and liked nothing better than snuggling in front of the fireplace in the front room.
This photo was taken with my very ancient browny camera in October 2002 during our first trip to Madrid, at the gift shop on the Royal Palace grounds while we were waiting for our tour to be called. There was a cache of swords and like all good swashbucklers, Mr. Don went straight for them.
Mr. Don, waiting at Milwaukee airport for our flight to Chicago en route to Madrid, January this year. We had to get there EARLY and had breakfast before going through security.
I am shutting down for awhile. The Summer from Hell has turned into the Autumn of my Worst Nightmares.
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