Posted by jerryinidaho [64.234.49.226] on Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 17:32:38 :
I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Joe to bring forum 450 to an end. The forum started on June 13 and lasted until June 26, 2014. In that brief time the Dodge truck world lose two great men, advocates of the preservation of some of the greatest trucks made, and men generous with their knowledge of the trucks and of mechanics in general.
Don Bunn may have been less well known to most of us; perhaps our only knowledge of him being attached to the books about Dodge trucks that we have in our libraries. But clearly there were many who knew him personally. My acquaintance with him happens to be limited to reading his books and looking over and over again at the great pictures of Dodge trucks, especially Power Wagons, included in them.
Gordon Maney was likely known to more of us, due to the Power Wagon Advertiser magazine that we all enjoy so much. And many had the opportunity to meet Gordon personally or communicate with him by phone or by email. For me, the beginning of my interest in Dodge trucks came in the early 1990s with a friend loaning me a copy of the Power Wagon Advertiser. My acquaintance with Gordon was through his magazine and the privilege of having him print a story about winches that I wrote. But I really learned what kind of man he was after I experienced some very serious health issues beginning last August. Gordon, although he was dealing with serious issues himself, emailed me several times during my ordeal.
The most recent communication I had with him was to write him and thank him for all the encouragement and concern he had offered to me through the past several months, despite the severe suffering he himself had been living with. Of course I had no idea how soon after receiving this that his life would end. Had I known, I would have tried to have more communication with him.
Here is his reply:
“Thank you, Jerry, for your kind and caring words. Sometimes the best way to deal with one's own fears is to reach out to others and help them with theirs. Thank you for sharing your feelings.
Gordon”
The loss of these men should teach us about the frailty of life, and the importance of trying to contribute something positive at each opportunity. Who of us knows when the last chance to do a good deed, to offer encouragement to a discouraged or an ill friend, might be?
Jerry Henry
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