From my sister Tina: "My favorite Gary story is being eight years old and sitting on the couch in the living room of their house on Center street with Heidi (also eight) and Gary watching Warner Brothers cartoons."
In 1993 I went to my first Gencon. During the course of the show I was "arrested" by Klingons who one of my co-workers had paid to have a warrant for my arrest made. I get dragged out of the booth and thrown in the jail to sit on a bench until one of two things happen: A.) I sit for 15 minutes and listen to Klingon poetry, Klingon opera or I get mauled by one of the female Klingons. B.) I make bail. (A cash donation to the charity the Klingons are working for.) As I sit on the bench I look to my right and it's some other hapless trade person. When I look to my left... It's Gary Gygax. I look at him and say, "How in the world did YOU wind up here?" Without missing a beat he looks at me and says, "My best guess is Loraine." We both roared with laughter. It's the only time I ever interacted with him. I saw him from a distance several times but never spoke with him again. Of all the things I regret it's that I never got him to sign my DM's guide, my Players Handbook or my Monster Manual. I only have the one memory of him but it's a damn good one and it is still as funny now as it was 22 years ago.
When I was in my mid-teens, I emailed Gary. I don't know remember now how I learned his email address. I didn't expect a response; it was like sending a letter to God. I can't remember what all I asked: something about the Mail Order Hobby Shop (I loved the MOHS), probably what he was up to at the time, how he felt about the WOTC purchase, etc. To my astonishment, he replied! That was around twenty years ago and I don't remember what he said, but I know that I was blown away by the mere fact that he took the time to answer my questions. What a mensch!
My only real contact with EGG was via the Enworld forums, and there he taught me how to drink scotch like a civilized man. A drop of water to open it up in a nice glass instead of the heathen savage I was prior, loading it down with tons of ice to water it down. Then I went to Scotland later and found out the Scots agreed with Mr. Gygax. So I have a touch more class than I did before. A small touch.
