In praise of Dick Dorr

It's been a few years since Dick passed away, yet he still keeps giving me gifts to treasure. This forum is surely one of them, an ongoing source of joy and camraderie. Another is his book Paris Demystified, which he and wife Sally wrote together twelve years ago. I'm reading a copy of the first edition (2007) which Dick gave to me back then as I prepare for a trip to Paris this September, and I'm giving a copy I bought on Amazon to my gal. It is brimming with personal anecdotes from Dick and Sally and really brings Dick back to life for me. Even if you are not planning a trip to Paris (for which this book is absolutely essential) Paris Demystified is a worthy and enjoyable read, especially if you once knew Dick. May he rest in peace.

I have two copies of this book one of which was also from "Sam" and he signed for me. I collect books and this is one of my most prized possessions.

Worcester two days ago my wife asked us doing a long weekend trip to Paris either later this year or early next and my mind immediately went to this book. And I smiled as I thought about rereading it once more.

For anyone on the board who has not read this book, even if you think you would hate going to Paris, I'd still recommend getting it, and then sitting back and listening (reading) to an old freind tell you about someplace that is very near and dear to his heart.

Ditto, Matty, ditto.

Love this.  And Dick.  RIP my friend.

Thank you so very much for remembering my father. He spoke of this forum so much -- he was always so thrilled to support the Celts and the fans on this forum. I still miss him tremendously. You are like our close family. Thank you all. Bonnie Dorr

Hi Bonnie,

It's good to hear from you. I miss him as well.

Every once in a while I go back and read old threads from when we started this forum. We had a lot of fun doing it.

gyso

Hi Bonnie,

I think about your dad every day.

gyso, I do the same thing. When I read the old posts going back to when we were setting up the forum, the excitement and memories come flooding back.

Pete

Hi Bonnie,

What a huge influence your dad had upon so many people! His effortless, well thought out yet directed style of writing you just can't find anywhere and may never find again. Dboss comes the closest.

His kind, warming nature I have seen only in my own father. And for me, Dick was able to do that only through the written word. One of my Top 5 regrets in my life is that I never got out of my North Carolina seat and went to one of the now few Forum weekend gatherings to meet him in person. I didn't take into account how fleeting life can be. Very sad.

His attitude of trying to converse intelligently with the unarmed bozos at BDC finally reached its boiling point and its inevitable demise. From all that angst, he produced this great convivial site for all of us. I took enough Latin to know that when you break that word down, it means "with life and vitality". That may describe him to a "t".

His desire to keep the main thing the main thing has been transferred and accelerated here and is alive and well. There have been a couple of scuff ups along the way, but this site is watched and hawked 24/7/365 and we lively and respectfully discuss Celtic basketball 'til the cows come home without fear of anything. It is nothing like from which we came. Free, respectful speech for all.

It is a testament to your dad that this site is still very alive and going stronger after the years have passed since his death. Our board leadership is a testament to him as well by continuing the forum in the vein that he had hoped this site would be. They have not wavered in honoring your father day in and day out. I know them and they are too modest to say it and take credit, but I will.

Our lives are forever greatly improved and we are indebted to him and you for this incredible God given gift of a human being. May God continue to bless you and your family.

db

Dear Bonnie, My girlfriend and I went to Paris in September, 2019, and even though I'd been to Paris several times before, this time we were 100% guided by Dick and Sally's book, Paris Demystified. What a difference it made at enriching our experience. We stayed at the beautiful, elegant Hotel de l'Abbaye as they suggested, and we went for numerous delicious meals only at restaurants they recommended. Every aspect of our trip was guided by their book which certainly Made the Most of Our Paris Visit. Please let your mom know what a gift it was to us to be able to read Paris Demystified. Moreover, it has been such a gift to know both of them.
Harvey

bonniejdorr wrote:Thank you so very much for remembering my father. He spoke of this forum so much -- he was always so thrilled to support the Celts and the fans on this forum. I still miss him tremendously.  You are like our close family. Thank you all.  Bonnie Dorr

Hi Bonnie, thanks for stopping by.

We do everything we can to preserve the convivial spirit your father fostered here.  In point of fact, whenever things get a little high-handed around here all we have to do is mention how Sam wouldn't have liked this and that shuts that tempest-in-a-teapot down like nothing else can.  That's the level of respect your father still engenders here.  It is the line nobody dare steps across.

I live in the San Francisco bay area.  As you know San Francisco was one of his and your mom's favorite places to visit (Paris being the other).  Whenever he came out here we'd meet for dinner and spend some time together.  I miss those times even more than I miss his prose, and when I write my posts I aspire to achieve his level of prose.  It's a bit like a limerick author trying to become Hemingway, but there's nothing wrong with setting goals that will always be beyond your reach, what matters is that you continue to work towards them.  I miss my friend, as do others here.  If you look at the avatar of the person who started this thread you'll see your father when he attended one of our off-the-board meetings.  Our ability to remain convivial, even with fans of teams other than the Celtics, is what made those meetings possible and makes this board different and better than every other sports board I am aware of.  We have upgraded the experience with technology that was not available when he was still with us, using Zoom, allowing us to have quasi-in person get-togethers that were difficult due to our geographic disparity.  The underlying reason for it working however is not the technology, but rather the conviviality.  In the end we have to want to meet each other and that won't happen if we disrespect each other.

Please stop by again.  It helps remind us how and why we came here in the first place.  We came here because your father gave us a safe harbor that let us gather to discuss basketball and the Boston Celtics without having to weather storms of immaturity, and testosterone-fueled trolls, to do it.


Bob


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Bonnie,

I'm happy you stopped in to pay us a visit, and hope all is well.

We haven't talked in a long while (check your messages), but I'm sure you've seen things are still moving along nicely here.

Incredibly, it's been two summers now that we've failed to make it to the Cape, so we haven't visited with Sally. My wife has been keeping up with her through the usual routes though.

Regards

Bonnie

Great to see you here, your Dad was a great man, was always such a pleasure to talk to him about anything, and was such a pleasure to hear his outlooks on the Celtics and the game and real life....Miss him dearly and thanks again for stopping by.

Cow

Bonnie

You dad continues to be a point of reference for everything that is good in this world.

Hi Bonnie, it was such a warm moment to open up this thread and see that you had dropped a note to all. The guys knew your Father in a different way than I did. We all met on line, but, somehow have become "digital" buddies. They tolerate me as your Dad did!!! We had many long conversations over the years, not always about basketball. He was extremely kind to me and my husband when we both went thru some rough times health wise. He always checked in on me, no matter what was going on with me. His friendship was and is something I will treasure forever. The guys have kept this forum going, all in your Dad's memory. They are just great, I have told many people over the years how important this place is to me. I will never forget the kindness I have been shown here.

It was so wonderful to see your name, hope this finds you well. I am sure you miss him, I lost my Dad in 1999 and I talk to him every day. Take care and keep in touch. You were blessed with an angel for a Dad.

Rosalie