I think I may be the only guy to have worked for every 1980s HHI ad agency. Smelkinson, Cerrati which in turn was bought by Biggs-Gilmore. I accepted a job at Anderson Group only to stay at Biggs which eventually merged with Gardo, Doughtie and Rose. What a journey. It was during this last incarnation that I spent time with Tim although he was officially onto High Cotton, he remained working out of the GD&R office for a while. Although I’d known him fairly well during my years on the island, I can‘t tell you how valuable my time with him during those months was to me. The ability to wander into his office and gain perspective was heaven-sent. Like Jane Stouffer, he basically told me to go to the big city to seek my fame and fortune. And I did.

Seventeen years to the day I left, Tim left HHI to go to the eternal big city. Ironic that I was there that day for the HHI reunion. I saw many people that night who were familiar folks, but a lot of people I had wanted to see were not in attendance. I signed the oversized card for Tim. And we laughed like Hades about some of the stories we knew about him. In those light moments, someone told me it was possibly a matter of only a few hours. By Monday morning I knew I’d be returning, of course, my only choice was to return the following weekend from Atlanta to experience Tim’s memorial.

Many times I have had to explain to people how much Hilton Head means to me. What a community it really is. That my heart still calls it home. There are a lot of naysayers regarding this topic. It’s just a resort town. Growth, traffic, Bluffton! I couldn’t care less about these things people call progress. To me, this is still my community even though miles and years separate me from it.

Approaching the high school performing arts center I was met by John and Val Curry, then Barbara Clark, then this one, then that one. My head spinning with delight at seeing these wonderful people -- old friends, acquaintances, associates, neighbors, fellow Playhouse veterans, others who’d moved on years ago as I had. It was in this moment, that Tim’s spirit touched me again. He was the catalyst for my renewal with this town. This place made up of people who, like Tim, had made it a very special place on the earth due to hard work and holding steadfast to the tenets from the original vision. A heavenly place, in fact. It was Tim who made sure I got to hug all these folks, share these memories and listen to Porter give a one-of-a-kind speech that I know he was not really prepared emotionally to deliver. It was Tim who’d allowed me to listen to Stu tell the serious side of his life. Tim who’d invited me to hear John Miller preach once again. It was Tim who’d arranged for my reunion with my HHI life. It truly was Tim. How smart of him to know I needed to be there for this once-in-a-lifetime look back at a slice of life that I needed to touch, see, hear, smell, taste. How truly Tim. Even from the great beyond, Tim. How much like you.