Kickass remembers Bill Kraus
Kickass, the doorstop dog, defers to the keeper today who revisits the Ogden Nash poem about old men. The keeper says that in the case of some old men it is not only other old men who know when old men die, it is a wide range of people of all ages whose lives were touched by the deceased old man in positive, sensible and meaningful ways. Such a man was Bill Kraus.
The epitome of decency, intelligence and great analytical insight, Bill was the kind of friend that made you proud to be in his presence. He was the long-time facilitator and guru of what he called the “has beens,” a ragged blend of press people, lawyers and politicos that met for Friday lunch dating back some 50 years or so. It was Bill’s cheerful measured voice that brought what respectability was possible to this unruly group, and it will not be the same without him.
When someone like Bill checks out, the wobble of the planet becomes even more severe, and there is an urge to do something in the style of Bill Kraus to bring things back in balance. That’s a helluva legacy! Thank you, Bill.