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       And then Bob is gone ...   
       Ward Dossche - 2:292/854   
      
       December 1st 2018 ... It was a cold and gloomy day in Belgium   
       although it was announced as sunny and nice, then the news hit   
       ...  my good friend Robert "Bob" Bashe of 2:2448/44 had passed   
       away.   
      
       We may have seen it coming from afar because his health was not   
       good, but then again "No, Bob can't die just like that".   
      
       I've known Bob for more than 20 years and we often touched base   
       above and beyond Fidonet-stuff.   
      
       Although living in Germany and holding a German passport, he   
       was a native from Texas.  He came to Europe in the 1960-ies on   
       a scholarship, he was a young scientist with an education at a   
       renowned US institute, and settled in Germany.  He had a wife   
       and a single son.   
      
       Him and I often debated real-life political matters, like for   
       example the WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) case which was the   
       justification for the US's invasion in Iraq.  At such moments   
       although being a nationalized German citizen, he could suddenly   
       become American again ...  for a short time at least.  Then he   
       remembered his last visit there to his parents and the way how   
       he was treated by US border officials.  Especially after he was   
       blocked in Florida due to the 9/11 events and airplane   
       groundings.   
      
       When his parents passed a while ago, the USA for him became   
       something of the past.   
      
       He entered my life in an unusual way on December 29th 1998.   
       Suddenly the phone rang and an unfamiliar voice said "This is   
       Bob Bashe.  Is this Ward?"   
      
       The next day he was going to have a visitor, David Moufarrege,   
       the then current ZC1.  David's ancestry was German and I think   
       he went to visit grandparents or so.  Bob thought it would be a   
       great idea to bring the ZCs of both zone-1 and zone-2 together   
       for an evening.  I instantly liked the idea and then it hit me   
       "Where the hell is Datteln?" ...  Hmmm ...  220km   
       ...  no GPS in those days and I didn't have a map of Germany.   
      
       We had a very friendly meeting and I got to meet 3 really   
       interesting people...  Gisbert Rudolph being the third (Gisbert   
       in the meantime also has passed away).  Talking about Fido   
       chitchat, acknowledging there are more important things in life   
       than Fido, a few good beers and dinner at a Chinese place.   
       Everybody went home with a good feeling.   
      
       Life continued, Bob and I were on the phone often, I still   
       worked for the phone company and did not have to worry about   
       international dialing.  I can remember he slammed the door 2-3   
       times and left "for good", but there was too much Fido in him   
       and the feeling of camaraderie.   
      
       So he calls me again "Guess what? David Moufarrege is coming on   
       another visit..." ...  so I was Datteln-bound again.  No Chinese   
       restaurant this time, but one with its origins in the Balkan.   
       According to Bob there were only 2 decent eateries in Datteln.   
      
       Several years later, we had again another meeting, and I began   
       to call them DattelnCon.  The drive from my place really wasn't   
       that bad and eventually GPS entered the scene.  I don't recall   
       what the occasion was but we got together with a group of German   
       sysops in the Chinese eatery ...  I was delayed driving but   
       nobody left and I think that everybody was able to interact.  I   
       think that my German friends realized there's way less politics   
       involved than I'm being accused of (even these days).  It was a   
       pleasure meeting Alex Woick who was the RC24 then, Sven Dueker   
       and the others.  The interaction with Uli Schroeter went well, a   
       guy you cannot help but like.  And when the time came for   
       everybody to start the homeward bound journey, it was with a   
       bittersweet feeling ...  having met some very interesting people   
       for the very first time away from the comfort zone of the   
       keyboard, maybe also for the last time ...  It tasted for more.   
      
       And a next meeting happened in 2007. Present were Uli Schroeter,   
       Kees Van Eeten, Michiel van der Vlist, Alex Woick, Steven Leeman,   
       Vladimir Donskoi, myself and Bjorn Felten via video-link.  And   
       of thisone video footage has survived, taken by Steven Leeman.   
       That meeting lasted until late in the night after which I agreed   
       to take Vladimir to Cologne on the way back, which was a serious   
       detour.  When I arrived home and Steven still had to drive close   
       to 2 hours, sun was already up.   
      
       And then we converged for the very last meeting, I fail to   
       remember when it was, but this time it was at Michiel's place in   
       Driebergen (the Netherlands).  I think 2nd half of 2010.   
       Happened to be the first time we got to meet Joe Delahaye back   
       in the lowlands to visit relatives.   
      
       Except Bob and Joe, we also had Wilfred Van Velzen there, and I   
       think Jan Vermeulen, former RC28, that would also be the last   
       meeting with Jan.  We simply lost track of him.   
      
       When my father passed away last July, he had this to say about   
       son/father relationships ...  it was going to be our final   
       contact August 5th ...   
      
       ******************************   
       I was lucky. My dad took me along on some of his trips to oil   
       well drilling sites (which I regretted, since I managed to get   
       stickers in my feet), and we did some hunting on the farm.  He   
       also bought my first guns (410 shotgun and .22 rifle).   
      
       I think the only thing he really regretted was that he didn't   
       have more time to spend with me, as he was frequently "in the   
       patch" (on an oil well drilling site) and so we didn't see each   
       other much.  I was closer to my mother, who was nearly always at   
       home, and only regretted being closer to my dad later in life,   
       when I would understand him better.  I might add that my mother   
       was the "boss" of the house, and my dad even had a good   
       relationship to my grandmother.  That isn't often the case, but   
       they got on very well.   
       ******************************   
      
       Over the years there have been discussions in Fidonet about the   
       fact it is a technical network.  However there also was an   
       important shift towards the social aspect of things.  For me,   
       once technology had been covered, the 'people behind the   
       keyboard' have always been so much more important and   
       interesting ...   
      
       And that's what Bob did ... he built bridges based on the social   
       aspects of Fidonet.  He could be strongly opinionated and draw   
       blood from under your fingernails.  At the same time he could   
       also be one of the gentlest people I have ever known.   
      
       A true friend, or as close as one could be in Fidonet.   
      
       Bob and cats were synonymous. He used to have a nice one called   
       'Fang' and when we met at Michiel's place in Driebergen; there   
       was Michiel's cat which just had a litter and Bob looked at them   
       as if it were a love-affair ...  These are his own words about   
       his cats ...   
      
       **************************   
       WD> Is the cat still there?   
      
       Unfortunately, no. He died of feline leukemia not too long   
       afterward.  Was only around 6 years old, poor guy, he was one of   
       the friendliest cats I've ever owned.   
      
       We now have two pure white (deaf) cats, brother and sister,   
       inherited from Michiel van der Vlist.  I brought them here when   
       they were only 6 weeks old, and now they're close to 8 years old   
       (end of June).  How time passes.  They are nice "people" and   
       I've never regretted taking them both, although they had serious   
       problems as long as we let them outdoors - many injuries.  I   
       once spent 6 weeks caring for Wendy, the female, who had broken   
       her hind leg somehow.  It was touch and go for a while, but we   
       saved her leg, and now she's in good shape.  Peter (the brother)   
       later slept under a car and got his tail run over when the car   
       backed out (he didn't hear it).  So he has a short tail (the   
       rest had to be amputated).  Since they've been purely house cats   
       - no going outdoors - there have been no further problems.   
      
       Cheers, Bob   
       **************************   
      
       Maybe Bob was not the grandest of sysops, but in his own way he   
       has made Fidonet more enjoyable for some for a short while.  He   
       introduced me to a lot of people and I had fun, I learned.   
      
       He will not be forgotten by me nor by many others for whom he   
       meant a difference.   
      
       Don't forget to pay the ferryman, Bob !   
      
       Ward Dossche   
       Your friend   
      
       ===   
      
       And then Bob is gone ... Addendum   
       Ward Dossche - 2:292/854   
      
         "And a next meeting happened in 2007. Present were Uli Schroeter,   
          Kees Van Eeten, Michiel van der Vlist, Alex Woick, Steven Leeman,   
          Vladimir Donskoi, myself and Bjorn Felten via video-link. And of   
          thisone video footage has survived, taken by Steven Leeman."   
      
       For people interested in the actual video, here's a URL:   
      
         http://eljaco.se/FILES/DATTELN.avi  (58 MB)   
      
       It may load a bit slow, at least here it does.   
      
       Have fun watching.   
      
       Ward Dossche   
      
       FIDOGAZETTE  Vol 12 No 50    Page  4         December 12, 2018   
      
      
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