Gary-Kevin-Heald-Junior

That's what his voice mail says, all as one long word.  

That's Gary with Osbelia at the Los Angeles Law Forum back in November.  What a great pair of smiles! (And notice how both of them are dressed to match their eyes!)  

No, Osbelia wasn't a client, and I hope she doesn't mind being included here. But you'll never find Gary by himself.  He's always managed to pick someone up along the way, and they're always both smiling -- or in my case, laughing out loud.   Whether it's getting members of the LSAC staff to chant "We Want Gary!" in the hotel bar after the Forum ended, or (after his prelaw advisor compared me favorably to Auntie Mame), coming to the play not only in drag, but as Mame herself -- and getting his roommate Kevin to accompany him, dressed as nephew Patrick! And Sim as Vera, and Jay as -- I don't remember; you should have seen the crowds they drew at intermission!), Gary will keep things happening.  

Gary and I are as kindred as two spirits can be; we're both Italian, gay, loud, and know that "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving" (to quote Mame)  He'll live with me for a few weeks after he returns from CLEO and before he heads off to law school.  Which one?  We don't know yet, but we'll be sure to share the news.  

Gary gets the Cliff-Hanger of the Year Award. He had been admitted to Cleveland State, but was on Ohio State's wait list. He spent his summer at CLEO, where his grades and inimitable interview style impressed the rep from Pittsburgh. On August 10 he called me in a panic, saying "What will I do? I don't even know where I'm going!" And since Gary lived here in Seattle, I told him, "Yes you do: east. Start driving and call me when you hit Chicago." The gods of the wait list smiled upon him, and somewhere near Madison Wisconsin his phone rang. Two days later he was apartment-hunting in Pittsburgh. When I went back east in January of 2009, Gary took a day's tour of the city with me. The picture we took of the Mussolini statuette was cute, but I think the one with the Liberty Bell is more appropriate.