Tribute to Roger | mattmarkel.com

I’m sure we all remember where we were when we found out. For me, it was in my office when I received a page with a 911 suffix, which meant call back immediately. For others, it may have been from a coworker or friend. I’m sure many heard at Bo’s. For the family, I can’t imagine what it must have been like waiting to find out what was going on after the missed phone call to his dad. But no matter how you found out, the news was always the same - Roger was gone. We are here today for the dedication of this bench and plaque, and I would like to take a moment and tell a little bit of how we got from that horrible news to where we are today.

When Roger passed away, many people were in absolute shock. We knew that we wanted to do something, but didn’t know exactly what. It wasn’t that we needed something so that we would remember him - there is no chance any of us would ever be able to forget Roger - but there was this calling to do something. Then the idea came - maybe a bench, maybe a bench in a park, maybe a bench in a park by the water! So we started taking up collections - first at Bo’s memorial service, then as we saw friends and coworkers, and through the website many that were out of town contributed as well. It wasn’t that we wanted to do something so WE would remember him, we wanted to do something OTHERS would know about him as well.

That brought us to the plaque - how do you possibly convey the complexity of Roger, or of any human on a handful of lines? We decided that we would identify two of his passions, and his relationship to all of us. The plaque reads:

This is not necessarily a happy day - many are still feeling far too painfully the void in their lives that Roger has left. But it is a day to feel a little bit of honor and joy that this individual touched so many people so strongly that he inspired them to create something good for others to enjoy. Malcolm Gladwell, in his work The Tipping Point describes some people as “connectors.” These are the people bridge the gaps between different facets of society, like between Circuit City and regulars at a hotel club, or between an Air Force base and a Yacht Club (or two). Or between a wings restaurant and a condo association. Roger was a connector, and it is our hope that this bench helps many more connect with him.

We dedicate this bench to the memory of Roger Davis - through it may countless others know a little bit of the Roger we know so well. And with that, a toast: “TO ROGER!”