Patricia Bissonnet (Bissonnet)
I remember watching Joe debate. He would walk to the podium, an owlish boy with a mop of black hair, thick glasses, and crystal-clear blue eyes. When he began to speak, out came the deep throated voice of a much older person, and he would proceed with an analysis of the topic that belied his scant 17 years. Joe would destroy the arguments of his opponents before returning to his seat exactly 10 minutes later. I think he took the same pleasure out of winning as a wrestler might take in pinning his opponent. Joe loved foreign films, especially Fellini movies. I could never quite understand those films, and now I wonder if he and his friends actually understood them, or only liked the idea of them. I remember Joe’s sharp wit, and I can hear his unique laugh, often at his own joke.
I lost track of Joe after graduation, and ran into him only once, years later, at a high school reunion (25th?). He was a man “grown handsome by success.” His hair had been tamed by a good stylist the owlish glasses were gone, and the clear blue eyes were direct and confident. He spoke enthusiastically of Susan and his kids. His was a life well lived, and I am sad that he is gone.
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