Share it with the Trees

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Freshman year of college, while working at the student newspaper - THE GAMECOCK - I met someone who at the time, I did not know would become a lifelong friend. He worked in production back before computers ruled the editorial space - cutting and pasting up the daily read for our fellow gamecocks using "stat" paper and wax. I worked taking classified ads. Edwin (I'm the only one he lets call him that) Schwambliss was an instigator - he and I got in trouble for sucking helium and saying in munchkin voices "follow the yellow brick road" during work hours at the Gamecock. For the next 4.5 years, Ed and I would take advertising courses together, ride home from school to/through Atlanta singing loudly to Led Zeppelin, rolling the windows down and screaming "share it with the trees" on the way home. Many a late night at Group Therapy with Ed (and Shrews) dot my memory of good times - eating pizza we had bought with our meal cards for the late night munchies. 
Later in life I would sing "Rainbow Connection" in Ed and Laina's wedding in San Antonio Texas - one of my better wedding singer moments. Back then, Ed and I dreamed of becoming Creative Directors in Ad Agencies. Ed made it, I did not. I made it to Art Director before I changed career paths. In college, I never thought we would be friends this long, or that Ed would eventually blow past CD and be a CEO. One thing is for sure - ED and his family (Gene, Martha, Carwin, Laina, Olive, Piper) have all impacted my life in so many ways by just knowing them. We only see each other maybe once a year now when they come back to visit Martha, or I'm out in Cali visiting Christy. Ed and I weathered many job hurdles, bad relationships and life altering moments - he believed in me when I didn't fully believe in myself and he always had STELLAR advice for me even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear. January 7th is Ed Schwambliss' birthday, but my gift is Ed's impact on my life.

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