Bigger Than I Thought*

I wrote last week about the death of Carroll "Lex" LeFon and what he meant to me. In that post I mentioned that the regulars were all sharing stories and remembering a remarkable man. I knew he had followers and fans, but I didn't think there were so many. I'm not sure any of us did.

As of now, there have been over 1,500 comments on the "Open Thread." There have been over 150 blogs who felt it worthy to mention his passing and to memorialize him. A rundown of some of these blogs can be found here. Some of the regular commenters have set up a... well... let me just say this; "the first rule of super-secret Neptunus Lex Facebook club is that you don't talk about super-secret Neptunus Lex Facebook club." The Secretary of the Navy saw fit to personally comment on his death. The U.S. Naval Institute has pledged to preserve Lex's writings and publish the manuscript he wrote a few years ago.

The local paper in Fallon has 2 wonderful articles about Lex, that I think give a terrific insight into the community he built.

Of Friday and Saturday of last week, there were no fewer than 25 remembrance events (most a the same time) all across the country, from Bath Maine to San Diego California. The Wife and I went to the one in Lex's hometown of Alexandria. It was like meeting old friends you've never met before, if that makes any sense. There was laughter, tears, and Guinness. For strength.


*I wanted to open with a "that's what she said" line, but thought better of it. Lex probably would have liked it, though.