up your architecture.

Dan (on the left) rocking out with Jesse

I wasn't here when Dan Sherman left the first time, but I was here when he came back. Some people say that he was different when he came back from his trip to the Phillipenes. I'm sure he was. But this was like the second coming. On the board of work at Hands On, there are the usual chores such as cooking and cleaning and then there are three spots and three spots alone which are named for former volunteers.

One is the Ira named for a young man who had just gotten his drivers license and volunteered to drive people around. To this day it symbolizes the person that can run people and resources out to crews, pick volunteers up from various locations and be the go-to person for Hands On that day. The second is Tuff Stuff named for Amy DeHuff a longterm volunteer who was an amazingly strong woman that was essential to the spirit and accomplishments of the organization early on. The job is symbolically signed up for each day in order to have someone which will encourage the attitude that we will be tough and take no guff from anyone. The final spot is named for Dan Sherman. Each day, someone will sign up to be The Dan. The position represents a person who has a bottomless well of encouragement for everyone around him.

I was at base during my thesis semester down here when Dan came back. We had all been signing up for the position as we felt particularly happy or encouraging that day. I always took a great pleasure signing up for the job of keeping the spirits of my mates up throughout the next day even before Dan came back to Biloxi. I don't think that I could have thought of someone who deserved to embody the supportive sense of community that Hands On has been than Dan Sherman.

When he returned he reintegrated himself into the fiber of the place so quickly and seamlessly you would have thought he never left. He was kind, helpful, and so accepting of our group of misfit architects that we quickly struck up a friendship that I can't underscore the value of. We had a wonderful time cooking up meals for the hundreds of volunteers that came through Hands On that are some of the fondest memories I have of living on base. He provided invaluable insight when Sam and I agreed to run the music tournament and was always, as referenced there to just be Dan when you needed an encouraging word.

The spirit of the last night for Dan Sherman in Biloxi embodied what he meant to Hands On. It featured the return of the formerly great tradition of the No-Talent Talent Show and it was one of my favorite shows we've ever had. Not only did Dan team up with Jesse for a couple of songs on guitar, but there were a couple songs by Callie, a reading of two Charles Bukowski poems by Doug, an amazing harmonized verson of Leaving on a Jet Plane by Shannon and Peggy, the ever-talented Arielle doing some of her famous slam poetry, a reading of a couple of chapters of memoirs of his time in Biloxi spent with Dan by Guillermo and after being urged after my standing up and remembering my favorite times with Dan a rendition of "Shh" by Atmosphere by yours truly.

We followed it up by a great night on the beach at which I got a chance to catch up with Dan as we reminisced about all our times together down here on the Gulf. So with that as a back drop, all I can say is that I will miss Dan a great deal. Safe journey and hopefully I'll see you in September.