To the editor:

Wednesday’s Journal-World front page commemorating the 150th anniversary of Quantrill’s bloody raid of Lawrence was a worthy representation of the event. Many were lost, and the inspirations that grew from the happening helped make our town what it is today.

Sadly, the news on the next page meant even more to me. The death of Jim Brothers saddens me and surely does for a large part of a group many of us call “townies,” people who’ve grown up here and those who consider it home from the day we arrived. Unfortunately, as we’ve gotten older, our day to day involves less interaction with the many friends we’ve grown up with. The news that Jim has passed away is a strong awakening to that for me. I knew not of his illness, though he was someone I considered my close friend. Never once in 40 years of seeing him was there less than a smile and hearty hello!

We’re losing a lot of these friends these past few years, and more will join them. I for one will make a conscious effort to reconnect and stay in touch, for tomorrow may be too late to say “hello”… or “goodbye.” Rest in Peace Jim, your work and your wonderful smile shall not be forgotten