Deceased September 16, 1979
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In Memory
In the early morning hours of Sept. 16, 1979, Reggie Durgin was killed when he was thrown from his car as it overturned. He was with his wife Nan and another friend, both of whom were injured but have since recovered.
It seems like yesterday, only 13 months before, when I stood by Reg at his wedding to Nan on Mount Desert Island. He had returned to Maine, to the sea, to build wooden boats. That decision was made after much painful soul searching, and even in the short time since that choice was made, Reg had found happiness and satisfaction in meeting his challenge.
I have tried in several attempts to speak for the people who knew and loved Reg at Amherst. Finding myself unable to do that, I can only speak for myself of the person, the spirit, who touched me for such a brief time, in a way that surely no one else ever will. While at Amherst and in the years after graduation, we had lived together, played and worked together, laughed together and dreamed together. One of the most memorable weeks of my life was spent with Reggie camping and climbing the seaside cliffs of Isle au Haut and speculating about today and tomorrow.
And now there can be no more tomorrows for us. It has taken time for me to try to come to grips with the frailty, the uncertainty, of human existence; to think of things that might have been and now never will be; to recover from the rage of senseless injustice; and to quiet the selfish pain of unfathomable loss. Much of my initial sorrow was for myself and my loss. It is much that all of us who were his friends have lost. Never to experience the fulfillment of what might have been is the most painful sorrow of all.
Reggie’s dream smoldered within him for years and finally burst into realization. He was pleased, and he was quietly proud. That is how I will always remember him.
To Nan, and to all of Reggie’s family, I offer the strength and love of all of us who were his friends. Reg, we will miss you—forever.
Bo Salem ’74