It's been quite a while since I've been on the Board. Its been a tough year with our cat who's fighting oral squamous cell carcinoma :( However, my wife wrote a tribute to Gatsby for our holiday newsletter that I wanted to share:
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 16, 2011, demolition crews descended upon the once elegant Long Island mansion that inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, and tore the bulk of the mansion to the ground. Twelve hours later and 700 miles away in our little home in Indiana, our beloved 17 year-old dog, Jay Gatsby, sat up from a deep sleep a few hours before dawn, and took several labored breaths. Minutes later, with Derek’s hand on his chest, the dog who brought love and joy to our family for so many years, who had defied the odds so many times, who was so strong that it seemed he might live forever, quietly slipped away into eternity.
The Great Gatsby house in New York, and our beloved Jay Gatsby here in Indiana. Both grand in their heyday. Both faded by time. Gone within 12 hours of one another.
April 18th and 19th found the final melancholy stages of the Great Gatsby house demolition winding down. Across the country, on the Midwestern prairie, a steady stream of family and friends were paying their respects to our Jay Gatsby, remembering happier days, when youth and good health were on our side, and we had years of life and love still stretching out ahead of us.
On April 20th, Long Island workers bulldozed the last two chimneys of the Great Gatsby house, completing the farewell passage of the once magnificent relic. Meanwhile, in sleepy Shelbyville, Indiana, our family and friends were gathered at a 140 year-old funeral home, celebrating and remembering our Jay Gatsby, as he was cremated and prepared for his final journey home. A journey made with the reflections of a beautiful life that was lived long, and lived well, fading sweetly in the rearview mirror.
The property where the Great Gatsby house stood from 1902 until this Spring will now be divided into five lots for the construction of modern “McMansions.” The shadow of the once-magical Gatsby estate will surely dwarf the characterless structures built in its place. In the same way, the love our Jay Gatsby brought into our lives eclipses even the brightest treasures. Of the many blessings we’ve received over the years, none has been greater than the privilege of loving him. In the end, it was an unassuming hound dog who spent his first two years of life in a shelter who showed us just how much we could love someone.
Through its lyrical descriptions, The Great Gatsby still transports readers back to the house that inspired the great American novel, with the moon out, music wafting through the air, and people dancing. Back to better days. And here, in our little corner of the world, beautiful memories still carry us back to our beloved Jay Gatsby, and the lessons he taught us about unconditional love, about life’s endless possibilities, and about what it means to be a family. Back to better days.
Wrecking crews cannot destroy inspiration. And death cannot dismantle love.
We’ve created a short movie of Gatsby’s friends across the country – from Indiana to Australia – celebrating his remarkable life. To watch the video, just type this into your computer browser: http://tinyurl.com/jaygatsby
