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July 25, 2006
To an Athlete Dying Young
A.E. Housman captured only a sliver of it in his poem, but he has a good title. So I borrow it to mark the passing of a huge figure from the pantheon of international rowing champions and generally noteworthy people.
On July 15, 2006, Andy Sudduth, age 44, died of pancreatic cancer. He had been diagnosed in September, 2005. I knew him for more than 20 years, trained alongside his very impressive rowing career, and had an inkling that he was a high-level geek as well. (The intellectual part of his life turns out to have been just as impressive as the athletic.) So I just want to take a moment, and direct any passersby to a few pages that remember and honor his life. May we all be so lucky to exit with such love and admiration.
It isn’t enough consolation for his daughters and others who love him, but he accomplished as much in his half an allotted lifespan as many do with the full three score and twenty. There is a big hole in the lives of those he leaves behind.
21:55 Posted in Community of Athletes , Rowing | Permalink | Email this