http://www.skatedaily.netTuesday August 11, 2009 : 03:47 AM
Things I Missed, Things I’ll Never Forget
When I stopped skateboarding for a number of years, I missed a lot of things and a lot of time with great people. To this day it is my only regret. The one thing I am grateful for, however, is that the associations I made outside of the skateboarding world proved to me that the choices I made at a young age were the right ones. The people I hung with, the places I went, the things I did were right from the beginning. Skateboarding was the best thing that ever happened to me and, once I resurfaced, I swore that I’d never miss another minute of it as long as I lived.
The passing of Andy Kessler is tough to handle, if you didn’t know Andy, you wanted to. I knew the stories, I saw the pictures and that’s why I was a skateboarder. I was not as close to Andy as a lot of my friends were, but that doesn’t take away from the impact of this moment. Andy may have been from New York and known as an East Coast skater but his impact was felt coast to coast and through generations of skateboarders.
I always thought it was rad that Andy seemed to be at every big skate event. He was iconic, but held a low profile. He was in the middle of some of the heaviest sessions and no matter what pros, bros, ams, boys or girls that were skating, when Andy dropped in there was a fluid calm..a respect.
People like Andy Kessler don’t come around too often, but when they do, they usually are skateboarders. There’s something about the mark people make on you and others that leaves a lasting impression. Maybe it was the fact that he always seemed to be laughing, always seemed to be skating, or always seemed to be enjoying the company of others as much as they enjoyed his. Sometimes it’s the little things that stand out the most. Those are the things I’ll never forget and I’ll never forget Andy Kessler.
Posted by Derek
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Monday August 10, 2009 : 09:47 PM
RIP Andy Kessler - NYC’s OG Skate Legend
We are saddened to report this evening that The Grandmaster of 108, Andy Kessler died today from an apparent allergic reaction to a sting from a hornet while on the Montauk peninsula. He was one of New York City’s legendary pioneers of its core skate scene in the 70s and in later years became a huge proponent of the skateboarding community and its culture in the Big Apple. He will be greatly missed.
The SKATEDAILY.net staff extends its deep condolences along with a profound celebration of his life to his entire family and friends worldwide.
Posted by bk
Topic: Andy Kessler died? (Read 7878 times)