High school friend of Andy

I knew Andy in high school.  He went to Clayton and I went to Eureka.  We would see each other at speech tournaments.  I got picked on and bullied because I scored well at the tournaments but I was from a high school that most kids considered garbage.  I was basically the only person who placed on my team so going to the meets was tough.  I was hoping scoring well could help me get scholarships for college.  Andy and I would sometimes directly compete against each other but we were usually in different categories.  Andy did comedic interpretation and I did dramatic.  I was in awe of his talent.  He was one of a handful of students who was kind to me.  It meant so much to me at the time as it’s hard enough being a teenager it’s even harder when others look down on you due to your socioeconomic class.  Andy didn’t care.  He was kind and supportive.  I was so fond of him as a person I made my mother drive me to his high school production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”  We reconnected on Facebook years later and traded pie crust recipes.  His heart was a big as the moon.  I don’t think he had any idea how much his simple kindness in high school meant to me.   RIP Andy you were one in a million the world is less bright without you in it.