BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
Off Topic and Technical Support => Off Topic => Topic started by: JadeHellbringer on 19 March 2022, 10:53:24
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Hi all,
It is with indescribable sadness that I write to you on behalf of the admin and moderator team today. To be honest, I'd hoped to write this yesterday and just couldn't find the words- I'm still struggling with it now, really.
Craig 'Gooseman' Gulledge passed away on March 17. We don't know any details at this time beyond a brief Facebook post from his wife, and really the details aren't important- the person we lost is. Craig was a member of the moderator staff here for several years, and in that role was a boundless source of wisdom and... well, moderation, dumb as that sounds, and his absence will be sorely missed in that regard.
It's the man himself though that we'll really be missing. Craig was a pillar of the Battletech community, and in that role is how I and so many others here on the forums came to know him. What appeared at a glance to be a larger-than-life, foreboding giant was in fact one of the kindest, wisest, and clever people one could ever hope to meet, and as with so many of you it was a pleasure to get to know him away from gaming as well as being a part of that aspect of his life. We met at a couple of conventions, and I know he was at many that I didn't make it to- it's likely that many of you have had the pleasure of joining him at a gaming table (or bar afterwards!) during an Origins or GenCon, and we should all feel lucky to have had our lives enriched in such a way. Many are the stories of a large, braided-beard man making it his personal mission at a convention to make sure everyone was drinking enough water, for example. (He had a fixation on that, more than a few people have a good bottle-of-water story about him, myself included!)
Craig meant a lot to me outside of gaming- on a personal level, he was instrumental in helping me through some very difficult times several years ago. It's very odd to literally feel like you owe your life to someone, but if not for his stepping in when he did I'm not sure how things would have gone for me at that point. We have a wonderful community, gamers in-general and Battletech in particular, and he embodied the best of us in that regard- he dropped everything to reach out to someone half a continent away, no questions asked, and I'm forever grateful for it.
I know this post is very jumbled and nonsensical, and honestly that's kind of how my head is right now about all this. I'm incredibly sad to have lost one of my absolute favorite people in this world, Battletech fan or not. And at the same time, I know that he touched so many lives here, enriched us with his very being. To lose someone like this is beyond words- to have had him in our lives in the first place is equally indescribable.
I'll leave you with this. During my tough stretch years ago, Craig made it clear that he didn't want me to repay his kindness to him- what he wanted was, and I quote, to "pay it forward, and be as good of a person to someone else someday". I'm not half the good soul that he was, but those are good words to live by. If you, like me, really want to remember Craig Gulledge the way he deserves, step out and do something good for someone else today. Do it again tomorrow. Live the way he did- with no limits on how much you're willing to give of yourself to make the people around you happier.
Godspeed, brother. You're dearly missed.
Brian 'JadeHellbringer' Bunch
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He was an absolute rock. A pillar. He meant so much to so many. I don’t have the words to express the void he leaves behind.
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It has been a devastating loss. His family, his friends, his colleagues, everybody who shared his passions and met him has a hole now. He was that nice and a host of forum members would be able to tell anecdotes about his deeds. He made his ancestors proud.
Abú!
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My sincerest condolences to his family and friends, those here and in a broader sphere.
It could be said that the measure of a person can be grasped by the words they have left behind, and the impact they have had on the people who have beheld them.
While I never met him nor really interacted directly, I noticed his presence and am glad that others remember him so strongly and fondly. May he be at peace, and may his family and friends find their own in good time.
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Condolences to all.
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I went back through my communication with him. It was all in good fun. Even if he was annoyed by something, he was still making it sound like he had a good time. Craig was a bright light, that should not have stopped shining.
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Met him at my First GenCon for BATTLETECH as an Agent (Had been to GenCon a few times before that for other things) a few years ago. Was a great fellow, over a few times at FenCon had dinners with him and was a nice guy, always ensuring the Agent were well Hydrated with H2O during the day.
He will be missed by many.
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Craig and I were promoted to mods at just about the same time (only a couple of weeks difference, if memory serves). He had been a member of the site for much longer than me, but it was always nice to know that there was someone else learning the ropes. I’ve never met anyone from the forums in-person, but I never had anything other than positive interaction with him here.
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Its always hard to see these forum posts, when we lose one of ours.
Then again when it's been running for 3 decades or so I guess that's the hazard.
I don't recall seeing him personally during the one Gencon I managed to attend (It was the one where the Jihad Secrets was released, more like torn up and around the rooms).
Still I do recall him on these forums and he was always a solid guy, fair, caring, decent.
It is always heart breaking to see that name, real name or username, and just go "Ah hell, no" because now we won't be able to share new stuff with him, from our lives, our games, or those "So there I was..." stories.
All we can do is follow the example his footsteps made: pay it forward, be decent folks to not only this community but all those around us. At the very least, if we do that then the world seems less cold with his passing because we're sharing the light.
I know this sounds like a bad joke, but it's not I swear, somehow we need to have his name in Battletech as the owner of a water bottling plant, Baron of a water world, or something. If that made you crack a smile or laugh, good. I'd like to think he would get a chuckle from it.
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The mods are a fairly tight bunch. It's hard to work with one of your own for this long and not experience unspeakable loss at a colleague's sudden passing like this. I didn't get to meet Craig in person, but I know him as a great moderator and all round sensible person. We'd shoot the bull on FB as well as anyone and I always thought he had a good head on his shoulders, besides being a phenomenal scotsman, veteran, and adorer of children. A well-played life Craig. Slante.
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What a shame and it's really sad (and devastating) that he's now gone. He'll always be credit to this community. :( I don't have anything else to say about this sad moment. It's a huge bummer. :(
(I can't believe I missed this post)
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damn.
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Wow, come back to check on the old stomping grounds and find out one of my old co-Mods is gone. Heartbreaking and devastating news. I hope his family well being.
:(
Kevin "Joskney" Roof
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Condolences.
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Thank you to whoever made Craig one of the notable pilots for the Northwind Highlanders' Highlander.