Guy Gilchrist Memorial letter

The world became a bit darker this week when Tyler Steen passed away. Heaven has one handsome, charming, wonderful kid who never met a stranger, made everyone happier and blessed for having known him, and was absolutely loved by all who knew him. Had I gotten a call telling me in 20 years that Tyler was President of The United States, or CEO of Disney, or Mayor of NYC...I would not be surprised. The call I got that he accidently died this week...that was the kind of surprise I never wanted, and will never get over. Having had the Cartooning Academy for so many years, I often feel like besides my two daughters and my son, and my granddaughter, I have hundreds of other grandchildren, nieces and nephews. But Tyler...was truly a piece of my heart. Tyler worked for me for almost three years, and I also taught him art, spent endless hours with him in and out of the classroom, and when he finally graduated High School, threw him a graduation party at the Academy with my daughter Julia who graduated the same day. Of course...Tyler helped organize his own graduation party. He was one slick operator. He was only 16 and he was running my summer camp, my winter camps, and the whole academy after being with me for only a month. When Tyler was getting ready to get into art school, he asked me to recommend him to Savannah. I wrote him the most glowing letter I ever wrote, and then gave him another personal letter telling him that I really wanted to write a terrible letter so no school would take him away from me. And now he is gone from this earth. But not in my heart. Not from anyone's. It will take some time for Tom and Tina and I to have that talk now. The last time I saw Tom and Tina, Tyler's folks, was before I moved to Nashville, and we were at the same pub and I just listened for an hour about how Tyler had taken Savannah, the school AND the city, and was running the works. Lord..........you must have needed a real charming, industrious loving Angel to run Heaven for you. You've got one. See you when I get there, Tyler. I know you'll have everything under control. love, Guy ~ Guy Gilchrist,

"What we have enjoyed
we can never lose ...
All that we love deeply
becomes a part of us"
--- Helen Keller  

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