In Rachel's words: I remember Eric; I remember all of the things that he taught me.  I would not be half the person I am today without his omnipresent influence on my life. He was an extraordinary man and I am the one person who can say that I knew him for the entirety of my life. 

 

I think the most important part of our relationship was how complementary we were to each other; me, the introvert, and him, the textbook definition of an extrovert.

 

He would always make sure that everyone was included in any situation that he happened to be a part of. He used that outgoing personality to bring people together. There was always an extremely welcoming presence to Eric that instantly made anyone feel at ease in any situation. 

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Eric was fearless. He never felt self-conscious in any situation. If he could do something completely ridiculous AND get some embarrassment out of me, that was the perfect moment for him. This is best characterized in his creation of the word “SLOLO.”  Eric was visiting me during my senior year of college (when YOLO was a big thing) and after going out and having an adult beverage, or many, he came up with what he thought was the best thing in the world: SLOLO.

 

I will never forget the pride on his face when he had the realization “Rachel, you only live once in SLO… so it’s SLOLO!”  He then proceeded to yell SLOLO anywhere we went for the rest of the night.  In a bar? SLOLO!  Walking around downtown San Luis Obispo? SLOLO!  In the middle of Taco Bell? SLOLO! 

 

I was not blessed with Eric’s fearlessness, so I would turn bright red every time that he would yell it anywhere. But he would always give me that Eric smile because he now had this catchphrase that he could share with me. This one thing that was entirely ours. At this point I should add, as much as he wanted it to be our thing, it was actually trending on Twitter for a while. I have no idea how he pulled that off.  But that’s who he was. He created something ridiculous to share with one person and managed to get people everywhere to participate in the moment. 

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He knew how much of an effect it had on me, so no trip to SLO was ever complete without him saying it. Picture this beautiful moment: It is my graduation day, the day to celebrate my hard work at the college that was always my dream to attend. I am surrounded by peers I have worked with on countless papers and presentations, and this might be the last time we see each other, a truly sentimental moment. They call my name to get my diploma, and as I am gracefully walking across the steps of the library, I hear "SLOLOOOOO” from the audience as loud as he could yell it. I could not help but turn and make the grumpiest face in his direction. But looking back now, my graduation would not have been complete without the phrase that was to become a recurring theme in our adult relationship. 

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He gave everyone the feeling of inclusion; when you spent time with him, you knew that he was treasuring the moment and that there was no other place he would rather be. If I have learned anything from Eric, it’s that it is okay to embrace the extroverted side of me, to be fearless, and to make moments for people that are so great that everyone else can’t help but want be a part of them. 

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“And to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”

Albus Dumbledore

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