Happy 35th John

Over the weekend of John's 35th birthday, I thought a lot about John (not that I need a special occasion to do so) and at times pondering what life would be like if John were still with us. However, after reading Dad's posting about having "no need to refer to 'what would have been'. He did not live his life waiting to fulfill his potential, rather, for every year of life he celebrated, John made the most of what he was given".

So, instead of thinking about what life could've been, I shared great stories of what is was like to grow up with two big brothers. Although at the time (and my parents can attest to it), I thought my brothers made my life miserable, I would never trade a day back. I have been blessed to have two brothers that continuously look out for me, just in different ways.

Happy 35th birthday John!

"Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring- quite often the hard way."

~ Pamela Dugdale

A Toast to John

Happy Birthday John!!

It has been a long few years and looking back, it is amazing to see how much things have changed but also, how much is still the same. A John memory to share actually implicates myself into a small listener of country music. It was five years ago, and Gina and I were driving on the Beltway approaching the Wilson Bridge when the Kenney Chesney song "My Next 30 Years" came on the radio. I was quick to call you to rub in the fact that you were turning 30 that week, an age you had apprehensions of reaching. Going to voice mail, we were laughing our asses off while I left you a message with the song blaring in the background. (I am sure there is some country lyric out there that could describe the activities of that birthday party; beer, imported beach sand and a bar owner power washing the outdoor patio after we were asked to leave). As always, good times, good memories and the never ending story of how your last year on this Earth was truly your best; a standard that I as a father, husband, brother and son try to emulate everyday.

As for your 35th birthday, in keeping with tradition, we celebrated it at Levante's Restaurant in Dupont Circle last night. And we captured a great picture of the birthday toast between Dad and Ariana (and no, that is not wine in her sippy cup). Tradition also dictated that we come to the birthday dinner with Hokie Wine in hand, still at $6.99 a bottle. (Hokie wine is going to be the new gauge of American economic strength, so look forward to getting an update on the price of cheap wine at your 40th birthday to see if our economy has recovered any).

Another year has passed, which for us, is another chance to live life to the fullest, exactly how you left this world.

The Gift of the Son

Today is Fathers' Day -- tomorrow is JW's birthday. The two, of course, are forever linked.

I've found myself over the past several days referring to tomorrow as what would have been John's 35th birthday. I've come to realize that referring to it as such is inappropriate. There is nothing about the person JW became that "would have been."

Rather, JW is a tremendous man who enjoyed the gift of life for 30 years. There is no need to refer to "what would have been." He did not live his life waiting to fulfill his potential. Rather, for every year of life he celebrated, John made the most of what he was given. He lived his life to the fullest, in an extremely giving way.

Tomorrow we celebrate what JW was and continues to be -- a powerful force for making the world a better place because not only did he live, but he loved and was loved -- and continues as such.

Today, and everyday, I am thankful for the legacy my son has left for his father -- and for the continuing gift of John's brother and sister, his sister-in-law, and of course, his niece (none of whom would have been possible but for JW's mom).

5th Annual JW Kickball & Kegger Fest

For what would have been JW's 35th birthday, the big kickball and kegger fest was held this year on Saturday, June 11th. It took more than a violent thunderstorm to dampen the spirits of all those who came out to help commemorate! Pictures can be seen by clicking the photo below:

5th Annual JW Kickball & Kegger Fest

Special thanks to Barbara (the matriarch of John's "second" family) who took the bulk of the above pictures. Also, thanks to Gobbler's Knob who provided the fest's musical entertainment (here's hoping Dish's amplifier dries out after the big storm) and to Pete who served as a special guest opening act.

Also, John's newest memorial fund supporting the World Youth Movement for Democracy got off to a tremendous start of $1,102 dollars due to an extremely generous donation on the part of John's Aunt Ticia and Uncle Ken as well as Gobbler's Knob who donated half the proceeds from sales of their newest pre-release CD, a commemorative edition for this fest.

By the way, in the humble opinion of this transcriber, the defensive play of the day in the kickball game was accomplished by none other than John's dad. Pitching, JW's dad fielded a hard line drive straight back to the box off Stryker's foot. John's dad fielded the line drive mostly out of self-preservation but admirably held onto to his beer cup while doing so, only to have the force of the caught kickball propel his beer cup clear into the outfield. You had to be there to appreciate such a feat.

So as to not miss out on such doings in the future, mark you calendars now for next year's fest which will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2012 June 23, 2012.

JW's Memorial Fund Goes Global

Thanks to all who have given to JW's memorial fund over the past several years.

For the next several years, John's parents have decided to attempt to give a more global impact to JW's legacy while maintaining the heretofore twofold focus of the fund: youth and technology. This will be accomplished by creating a fund to support the World Movement for Democracy, a global network of democrats, including activists, practitioners, academics, policy makers, and funders, who have come together to cooperate in the promotion of democracy.

Specifically, the goal of JW's memorial fund for the next couple of years is to support the World Movement for Democracy’s Seventh Global Assembly, which will take place in the Latin America/Caribbean region in late 2012, as well as youth engagement in advancing democracy and human rights, particularly using new information and communication technologies (ICTs). To that end, JW's memorial fund will be used in the following ways:

· The World Youth Movement for Democracy, a global network affiliated with the World Movement for Democracy and coordinated by the World Movement Secretariat at the National Endowment for Democracy (a private 501(c)(3) not for profit organization), will conduct a competition and provide one or more awards to youth projects that use new technologies for democracy activism. Competition entrants will be asked to demonstrate the innovative use of technologies in their democracy work and submit project ideas to enhance that work. Using a portion of the contributed funds, the awardee(s) would be provided with round trip air travel and per diem expenses enabling their participation in the Seventh Assembly where they will be given opportunities, through workshops and technology training sessions, to share their project ideas with counterparts across borders within their regions and around the world.

· A portion of the contribution would be used following the Assembly to provide modest amounts of funds to the awardee(s) to implement their project ideas using new technologies.

· A portion of the contribution would be used to help underwrite the local costs of conducting approximately five hands-on technology training sessions conducted by youth activists experienced in using new ICTs in their work. The trainings would be provided for Assembly participants both younger and older.

To understand the potential impact of this aspect of JW's legacy, one needs to look no further than the Arab Spring, an unfolding revolutionary wave in the Arab world that is propelled, in large part, by both youth and technology.

For those interested in assisting in furthering John's legacy, contributions can be made to the National Endowment for Democracy and mailed to:

John William Leonard Memorial Fund
c/o World Movement for Democracy
National Endowment for Democracy
1025 F St., NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20004