Thank you Sir!
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My Buddy Lewis Pruneau Part 04 & Final post.
- Thread starter bob letterman
- Start date
Thanks Bruce,
If I don't relate the story, there aren't many left who witnessed it all.
Bob
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
I received an email this morning from Dave Klaus who owns "Fine Art of Decals" in it he put a link to a "Rant" he wrote 15 years ago about keeping in touch with our fellow modelers. I felt a link would fit here as this thread is about Lewis and keeping in touch.
Here is the link: Dave Klaus' rant
and for those that can't be bothered to click the link and read the entire posting, here is just his rant. The entire posting has a number of other stories in it and is well worth reading.
NOTE: I wrote this nearly 15 years ago and had frankly forgotten about it. On re-reading, I think the subject is still relevant so I’m publishing it again.
DHK
Am I Guilty?
You know, modelers as a group are getting to be pretty old dudes, and, amazingly, none of us are getting any younger. The average age in our hobby is above 50, and there are fewer and fewer of us. Why in the hell don’t we take better care of each other?
A couple of days ago a fellow modeler died after fighting cancer for about a year.
You didn’t know him. His name was Edward J. Bolling, a former Marine and current Fairfax County Police Department officer in Virginia. Ed was an extremely avid 1/72 modeler and all-around nice guy, although he was a very private man. Ed loved his wife and very young son, and was only 42 when he passed, younger even than the average person in our hobby.
I first met Ed back in 1998 when he came into Meteor soon after I opened my first storefront. He was the beat cop for our area, and being the exceptionally conscientious man he was, he got his butt out of his squad car and physically checked to ensure the doors to the businesses under his watch were actually locked.
Ed had checked our doors the night before and noticed our tiny Meteor Productions logo on the door. As a modeler, he recognized our name and visited the next afternoon to introduce himself. Thereafter he visited us 2-3 times a week during his lunch hour.
A few years later Ed was transferred to a different police division and could no longer come by . . . we only saw him a few times a year after that. Luckily for him, there was a superb hobby shop called Piper Hobby in his new patrol area and he became a regular there.
So I kind of lost track of Ed. I heard he got married, then that he had a son. He came by Meteor a few weeks after he was returned to duty after having been forced to shoot a bad guy in the line of duty. It really bothered Ed, but the bad guy was trying to stab him to death.
Then, last Friday, a mutual friend sent a group email telling us Ed had passed.
First I was shocked.
Then, I was pissed.
How the hell did I let so much distance accumulate between me and a really good guy that I liked a lot? How did I fail to know he had cancer? I don’t know what I could have done to help him, but I sure as hell could have been there if he needed me. We weren’t necessarily the closest of friends, but he was a good guy that I liked and respected.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not angry none of his other friends mentioned this to me–if they even knew about it. Not specifically their responsibility.
I went to his wake (visitation) late in the six-hour long observance. No other modelers there (surely some went earlier or later than me), but there were at least 50 police officers present. When a cop falls, even due to illness, his brothers rally.
This issue bears some serious consideration. We’re all getting older, and some of us are fucking OLD. As modelers, it’s a definite fact that nobody in the world except another modeler has any clue how we’re wired—and it doesn’t matter most of the rest of the world just thinks we’re weird. I think we really need to take better care of each other.
Many of us have families to lean on, but some don’t. I can’t imagine a worse fate than to get sick and maybe even die alone. Some people want to keep sickness private, which is their prerogative. But even a person who wants to curl up and die and who rejects sympathy might well appreciate simple friendship during a time of need.
You’ll do what you want, and what you think is right. For myself, I’m paying a lot closer attention to my modeling friends—including the ones I’ve lost contact with—and working to rekindle dormant friendships.
If one of our brethren has problems, I’m going to make sure his other modeling friends know, as long as it’s consistent with his wishes. I’ve learned my lesson. I feel a responsiblity to help fellow modelers help mutual friends who are in trouble–and help before the trouble become terminal.
IMO, hanging together sure beats hanging separately.
So, am I guilty? Yes, but dear Lord, I’m tryin’.
Are you?
==============end of rant
This can be so true of all of us. Many years ago I met a wonderful person in the VW club I started. His name was Jack Foley and he was a navel aviator in WWII. He flew PBY's and hunted for submarines. Told many stories about his life and was genuinely a special guy. I lost track of him after my divorce and a number of years later read that he had passed. I have carried the regret that I didn't keep in touch ever since.
Here is the link: Dave Klaus' rant
and for those that can't be bothered to click the link and read the entire posting, here is just his rant. The entire posting has a number of other stories in it and is well worth reading.
Dave’s Rant About Our Fellow Modelers
(UPDATE NOTE: Holy smoke. This rant has generated a HUGE response.)NOTE: I wrote this nearly 15 years ago and had frankly forgotten about it. On re-reading, I think the subject is still relevant so I’m publishing it again.
DHK
Am I Guilty?
You know, modelers as a group are getting to be pretty old dudes, and, amazingly, none of us are getting any younger. The average age in our hobby is above 50, and there are fewer and fewer of us. Why in the hell don’t we take better care of each other?
A couple of days ago a fellow modeler died after fighting cancer for about a year.
You didn’t know him. His name was Edward J. Bolling, a former Marine and current Fairfax County Police Department officer in Virginia. Ed was an extremely avid 1/72 modeler and all-around nice guy, although he was a very private man. Ed loved his wife and very young son, and was only 42 when he passed, younger even than the average person in our hobby.
I first met Ed back in 1998 when he came into Meteor soon after I opened my first storefront. He was the beat cop for our area, and being the exceptionally conscientious man he was, he got his butt out of his squad car and physically checked to ensure the doors to the businesses under his watch were actually locked.
Ed had checked our doors the night before and noticed our tiny Meteor Productions logo on the door. As a modeler, he recognized our name and visited the next afternoon to introduce himself. Thereafter he visited us 2-3 times a week during his lunch hour.
A few years later Ed was transferred to a different police division and could no longer come by . . . we only saw him a few times a year after that. Luckily for him, there was a superb hobby shop called Piper Hobby in his new patrol area and he became a regular there.
So I kind of lost track of Ed. I heard he got married, then that he had a son. He came by Meteor a few weeks after he was returned to duty after having been forced to shoot a bad guy in the line of duty. It really bothered Ed, but the bad guy was trying to stab him to death.
Then, last Friday, a mutual friend sent a group email telling us Ed had passed.
First I was shocked.
Then, I was pissed.
How the hell did I let so much distance accumulate between me and a really good guy that I liked a lot? How did I fail to know he had cancer? I don’t know what I could have done to help him, but I sure as hell could have been there if he needed me. We weren’t necessarily the closest of friends, but he was a good guy that I liked and respected.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not angry none of his other friends mentioned this to me–if they even knew about it. Not specifically their responsibility.
I went to his wake (visitation) late in the six-hour long observance. No other modelers there (surely some went earlier or later than me), but there were at least 50 police officers present. When a cop falls, even due to illness, his brothers rally.
This issue bears some serious consideration. We’re all getting older, and some of us are fucking OLD. As modelers, it’s a definite fact that nobody in the world except another modeler has any clue how we’re wired—and it doesn’t matter most of the rest of the world just thinks we’re weird. I think we really need to take better care of each other.
Many of us have families to lean on, but some don’t. I can’t imagine a worse fate than to get sick and maybe even die alone. Some people want to keep sickness private, which is their prerogative. But even a person who wants to curl up and die and who rejects sympathy might well appreciate simple friendship during a time of need.
You’ll do what you want, and what you think is right. For myself, I’m paying a lot closer attention to my modeling friends—including the ones I’ve lost contact with—and working to rekindle dormant friendships.
If one of our brethren has problems, I’m going to make sure his other modeling friends know, as long as it’s consistent with his wishes. I’ve learned my lesson. I feel a responsiblity to help fellow modelers help mutual friends who are in trouble–and help before the trouble become terminal.
IMO, hanging together sure beats hanging separately.
So, am I guilty? Yes, but dear Lord, I’m tryin’.
Are you?
==============end of rant
This can be so true of all of us. Many years ago I met a wonderful person in the VW club I started. His name was Jack Foley and he was a navel aviator in WWII. He flew PBY's and hunted for submarines. Told many stories about his life and was genuinely a special guy. I lost track of him after my divorce and a number of years later read that he had passed. I have carried the regret that I didn't keep in touch ever since.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Thank you for that Paul. I can hope that I'd be allowed to pass that on to my IPMS club newsletter editor to publish in our club newsletter. It would be worth it to get the word out there and hopefully help everyone else to try and stay in touch or rekindle friendships in this hobby and elsewhere.
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
I doubt that you would have any trouble publishing it, just give credit to Dave Klaus of Fine Art Decals. It truly applies to all of us. I do try to keep in touch with my friends in an ongoing basis. Right now it is busy busy for me as I am arranging a house loan and all that crap.
It is amazing the differences between good and bad lenders and with some it is like slogging through a swamp to get any real info. I found a gem of a place online and another locally. Will be going with the local because we will be able to keep the closing costs down (probably a bunch!) Otherwise the online group did an outstanding job and I feel a little bad about that as other than the closing there wasn't really much difference. The only real difference was the connections my boss has that will keep the closing costs way down.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Thank you Paul and I will. Copngrats on finding a decent lender. I hope everything is smooth sailing now.
Paul, I actually have a story like that. You've likely noticed I have a plethora of stories! It comes from living so long! 
Back in 1980, when I first met Lewis and Wes Bradley, we would go to our monthly IPMS chapter meetings held in the basement of a bank. Afterward we would all go to this shop that took up three units of a strip mall. It was a German store that imported and sold everything imaginable from Germany. Clothing, novelties, food, drink, beer, liquor, everything imaginable. There was even a bakery that turned out German bread. It was owned and operated by this old guy named Alfred. He was a little guy and as we got to know him better, we learned he had immigrated here from Germany in 1947. Still further, he had been an 88 gunner in Russia in an anti-tank unit and barely managed to escape back to Germany at the end of the war. He could tell some stories. We would go there monthly, eat German brats and sandwiches, drink real German beer he imported directly, and listen to his tales of the Russian front . Lewis would always buy a loaf of German Pumpernickel that was so heavy he loved to hand it to us and talk about how you couldn't find American bread that heavy. At the time, almost all modelers were into German armor and aircraft. When Alfred learned that he became very interested in what we were doing.
Later, when VLS had became a large concern, we had dioramas on display in the lobby from me, Lewis and others. I had started my collection of dioramas that would eventually lead to The Miniature World museum. He would visit and always said it brought back so many memories as it seemed he was familiar with even the most exotic German vehicles and aircraft. We even sold him German kits that he retailed in his store. There were about a dozen of us that made our monthly sojourn to Alfred's store, and that went on for 20 years or more. Then I got busy with running VLS and shuttling back and forth to Europe monthly. Wes did the same at VLS, and Lewis started up his own model business, Pruneau Dynamics, and he was swamped with collectors commissioning dioramas. Finally, after I sold VLS and retired, I was in that part of town, drove by and the store was no longer there. Later I learned that Alfred had passed away.
He was such an interesting man. We never knew it at the time, but he had organized a German Oompa band and had a weekly radio show as well as his store. One of the rare people back then I could speak German with and it delighted him that I could. He's been gone now for around 20 years. Life is like that. You get to know people and enjoy their company, become good friends and drift away simply because life does that. Sometimes until it's too late.
Back in 1980, when I first met Lewis and Wes Bradley, we would go to our monthly IPMS chapter meetings held in the basement of a bank. Afterward we would all go to this shop that took up three units of a strip mall. It was a German store that imported and sold everything imaginable from Germany. Clothing, novelties, food, drink, beer, liquor, everything imaginable. There was even a bakery that turned out German bread. It was owned and operated by this old guy named Alfred. He was a little guy and as we got to know him better, we learned he had immigrated here from Germany in 1947. Still further, he had been an 88 gunner in Russia in an anti-tank unit and barely managed to escape back to Germany at the end of the war. He could tell some stories. We would go there monthly, eat German brats and sandwiches, drink real German beer he imported directly, and listen to his tales of the Russian front . Lewis would always buy a loaf of German Pumpernickel that was so heavy he loved to hand it to us and talk about how you couldn't find American bread that heavy. At the time, almost all modelers were into German armor and aircraft. When Alfred learned that he became very interested in what we were doing.
Later, when VLS had became a large concern, we had dioramas on display in the lobby from me, Lewis and others. I had started my collection of dioramas that would eventually lead to The Miniature World museum. He would visit and always said it brought back so many memories as it seemed he was familiar with even the most exotic German vehicles and aircraft. We even sold him German kits that he retailed in his store. There were about a dozen of us that made our monthly sojourn to Alfred's store, and that went on for 20 years or more. Then I got busy with running VLS and shuttling back and forth to Europe monthly. Wes did the same at VLS, and Lewis started up his own model business, Pruneau Dynamics, and he was swamped with collectors commissioning dioramas. Finally, after I sold VLS and retired, I was in that part of town, drove by and the store was no longer there. Later I learned that Alfred had passed away.
He was such an interesting man. We never knew it at the time, but he had organized a German Oompa band and had a weekly radio show as well as his store. One of the rare people back then I could speak German with and it delighted him that I could. He's been gone now for around 20 years. Life is like that. You get to know people and enjoy their company, become good friends and drift away simply because life does that. Sometimes until it's too late.
Brokeneagle
Master at Arms
A great tribute to Lewis, Bob. Thank you for taking the time to write and post this wonderful account. I am sure he is watching and really appreciates it.
Ian.
Ian.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Wow Bob! That is awesome to hear about Alfred. Interestingly enough; I also met an old German named Alfred as well who used to come into the hobby shop I worked at. He was always there to buy wooden ship kits and accessories. He too fought in WWII in the German army. He was a tank driver for Panzer III's and later Ferdinands. I didn't get to hear too many of his stories to my everlasting regret; there was never enough time during his short visits to the shop. Still he did tell me a few stories; one that I remember well was his escape from Stalingrad. I was always glad to see him when he came in.
mustang1989
Well-known member
I can tell this man was a very good friend of yours. The story.....incredible.......... and is a fine tribute to a good friend. Good friends are hard to find and sounds like this fella sure left his mark. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us Bob and I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thanks Ian,
I hope he is watching! I know he would do the same for me. But, nothing is ever enough. Words in these cases are so pathetically meaningless.
They sound like very similar guys!
He was a very good friend of mine. And friends like him are hard to come by.
Thanks for your kind words!
Bob
Lewis' Pruneau's daughter, Laura, emailed me and asked me to post this link to text and photo to thank all the members of modelersalliance.org for all their kind words on the four threads I posted about her father.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:1e7ae4ac-db85-41fb-b1eb-46a52f7fcc70
https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:1e7ae4ac-db85-41fb-b1eb-46a52f7fcc70
Thanks for sharing this Dad and thank Laura for taking time to say hi to us. It's we who should be thanking her for sharing her Dad.
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
I just left a message as well.
Although I posted the original, I went ahead and posted her a note too.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
I left a comment too. Thank you Bob for the link.
