And one last Hoozah.

Expressing emotions doesn't come easy to me. I've lived one of those lives where you are taught not to be sad or fearful about death, but to celebrate living life to it's fullest. It doesn't mean that I (and several thousand of his old students) don't miss the Old Man, but Gordy would have been pissed if we don't get to living life to its fullest. With that said, I'll leave us with two things today: the speech I gave at his memorial service, and a tidbit of knowledge that I've learned down the years.

Good afternoon. My name is Damian Miller for those of you who don't know me, one of the Old Man's numerous students that he's taught over his forty some years of academic career.
I am here to speak for each student whose life Gordy has changed in some way. I am here to be the reminder that Gordy was great because he was a teacher. Gordy never lectured 'at' his students, never trying to cram this or that fact down their throats to be spit out at a later date on command. Gordy 'taught,' challenging his students to think past particular date, or location, or time.
Gordy taught us to think for ourselves, to look at the collective story that we like to construe as our "history" and to question what happened. The Old Man was a storyteller, much like Plato or Socrates, and he could ramble on for hours if we let him. . .or until he needed more coffee or a cigarette break kicked in. All the while slipping into and out of his point in that long rambling style which was uniquely Gordy's.
He unashamedly challenged each and every student to throw their presumptions out the window, to look past "cause and effect" or "theory," and ask "so what?"
So in honor of the Old Man, I can without hesitation stand up here and ask "so what? Why should we remember this great man?"
And I can answer that question with the same confidence.
We remember him because of how he touched each and every one of our lives.
We remember him because he challenged us to be better.
We remember him for showing us the world.
Taking us to the places that he loved and sharing them with us.
Sharing not only his memories, but the memories of all that have come before us.
We remember him because he was a mentor.
A confidant.
More than a bit of a rogue at times.
A storyteller.
Sage.
Bard.
Friend.
Father.
He would bring us into a close knit family of former and current students, forming more than a community of students connected through the Old Man. He created more, he created a family that each and every one of us somehow belonged.
Gordy took me into his life, like he did many of us, and made us a part of his family. Those who are here are just a small part of that massive family that were able to attend today. I've heard the tears behind every phone call that I've received since his passing, felt the sadness in each email that's come since last Thursday.
So to answer Gordy's favorite question of "so what" one last time, I hope to be forgiven for the presumption to speak for all of his former students.
"So what was important about Gordy's life?"
"Because we all loved him for being the one thing we all needed the most: Our teacher. Our mentor. Our friend."

It has been a strange trip, but as the Doc always reminded me, we only live once so we need to make the best of every situation, every travel, every smile, and every tear. To you, Dr. Gordon Young, I will miss you, as will the nearly thirty-five thousand students you taught during your career as an educator. We are your legacy, passing along what we've learned to the next generation, living up to what you have taught us to be. Rest well, and we shall all miss you. 

Bien Camino.