Condolences and comments from the MUD group

These are just some short comments shared on the MUD group list.  Most of these folks wrote more on Facebook or in other e-mails.

Donald Schwert:

Brian passed away yesterday, unexpectedly, of congestive heart failure. He will be cremated, and a remembrance service held later.

This is as much as I know. Rita is contacting family. Please respect her privacy, and keep this off social media in the meantime.

I feel I’ve lost a great friend and a true buddy.

Don

Shawn Johnston:

Wow, not a message I expected to see.

Thank you for letting the group know.

Scott Wood:

That is terrible news. Thanks for letting us know.

Marry, Andrew J:

Nem told me last night

Like Don, I too have lost a great friend

I last talked to Brian in January when he came over to my house to talk about the Nationalization process.

To Quote Brian on this: “Erm, this seems like a lot of ‘busywork’, Dr. Marry. I will go home and think some more”

Emily Hagemeister:

This is such sad news. Brian was one of the most authentic, interesting, and brilliant people I’ve ever known. My most positive and healing thoughts go out to his loved ones. I feel privileged to have known him.

Dan Reetz:

This is awful news.

My heart goes out to Rita and the whole Slator family.
Condolences to the WWWIC Group and all of Brian’s friends and colleagues.

Hard to believe it’s been 17 years since the WWWIC group and Brian Slator took a chance on me and changed the course of my life in such a positive way.

Thanks everyone, special thanks to Brian Slator, a great man and a great friend.

Mr. Reetz*

*(as Slator would say)

Very sad news. Brian was a mentor and a friend.

Nem Schlecht:

From the first paragraph of the “Acknowledgements” sections of my thesis:

“I would like to thank my advisor and friend, Dr. Brian Slator, for his constant encouragement, knowledge and patience. These many years he has been a guide, an inspiration, a mentor, and a confidant. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

And from an online definition of “abide”:

(of a feeling or memory) continue without fading or being lost.

The Dude abides. He definitely abides.

Pretty sure we started to get to know each other better around the time of the flood in ’97 when I first started hanging out with the MUD group, so it’s been about 23 years. I’m not sure if we were friends right away, but I don’t have a memory of him when we weren’t friends. I will miss him greatly, but he will abide.

Phil McClean:

A big loss, yes, for everyone in the WWWIC world.  His excitement for educational gaming engaged many.  He went to bat for everyone to see their lives were enriched and rewarding.  Will be missed forever.

Slator wrote a novel called Chapters. His bio from the book is illustrative:

Brian M. Slator was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The oldest of four, he broke a leg, had his tonsils out, and survived spinal meningitis, all before the age of five. He was raised in the Minneapolis area, educated in Catholic schools until the 8th grade, participated in track and field through high school, and was a hockey player until trying out for a high school play. He hitch-hiked through Europe, lived in London for a while, and hitch-hiked all over North America. After buying the first of a series of English motorcycles, he rode all over North America, including Sturgis for the Bicentennial . He worked various places through his 20s, attending the U. of M. in a desultory and part-time fashion, then got a job on the Soo Line Railroad as a linesman on a traveling crew living in a railroad car. After that he registered at the UW-L, where he met his future wife. He has remained married to the same woman since 1984, and participated in the raising of three children. He has owned the same motorcycle since 1973, which still starts on the first kick.

Bernhardt Eidukat:

I concur with Dan (change the 17 to about 23), and others, on how Brian recruited fellow travelers and changed their lives for the better. Don and Brian invited me to join the Planet X project and the rest was a wonderful wild ride. He was a great friend, always ready to help out with a professional or personal issue. He was prescient, scary smart, quick to share credit of people’s efforts, and a hoot to be around. Still can’t wrap my head around this. As Nem said, he will abide.

– Ernesto!*

*(as Slator would say)