[Consim-l] A really good guy passes away

[John Best]

Dear Consimmers,
I know this list goes out to the whole world, and what I have to report is 
rather local, but neverthess I was saddened to find out today that Charlie 
from Prosek's Garden and Military Model Shop in Winfield passed away in May 
of this year.  If you knew him, you don't need me to tell you what a great 
guy he was, and what tremendous support he provided for wargaming with 
miniatures.  If you didn't know him, trust me when I say he was one of a 
kind.  They say everybody can be replaced, but not in his case.  I spoke 
with his wife today and she told me that their family is going to continue 
with the garden business, but the military shop was Charlie's and they have 
no idea of how to continue with it.  Eventually, although there are no 
actually dates set, the entire stock will be sold.  If you have never been 
there, the Model Shop was much more than that, carrying books, hex'n'counter 
games, figs, paint, dice, and yes, tons of models, the whole nine yards, 
right down to the Marine flag flying on the front lawn.  The shop itself was 
sort of ramshackle, and the organization of the merchandise was, let's say, 
idiosyncratic.  But that only added to the charm of poring through wargame 
materials that were in the original wrapping for the last 10, 15, or more 
years.  You never knew what you were going to find.  Today (one day after 
what used to be called "Armistice Day" in the US) I bought a cool little set 
of WWI trench warfare rules ("Trench", published by Tabletop Games in 1975), 
apparently still in its original ziplock baggie.  I don't know that I'll 
ever play them, but I'm glad to have them anyway.  The whole store was a 
unique wargaming experience.  So guys, let's host a glass to Charlie: We're 
not going to get any more guys like him.  Thanks for reading.
John Best
jlbest at advancenet.net
Currently playing:  Battles for the Ardennes