I was sitting here working today and I was inspired, for some reason, by my friend, Randy Ringger's memory. Boy could that guy make me feel good. If you don't know who I am talking about, you can see him on the KMIR 6 interview on the right hand side of the page, with Angela Monroe. It was actually Randy that set that whole interview in motion. He wanted the two of us to do "something special". Diagnosed with a brain tumor, before we met, he told me that there was something that he wanted to do before he passed away. He wanted to "contribute to society" in some way that was meaningful. To me that was funny because Randy and I had spoken, at length, about what a terrific life he'd had. He was a Lutheran priest. Gay, like Christopher, he'd chosen to become a priest of the Lutheran faith because of their values that allowed him to be who he was and still preach Christianity. He found it incredibly funny that I loved someone that had done the same.
Randy was a gentle guy with the heart of a fighter. His story was long and beautiful but one thing he was most proud of was the time he'd spent with the two incredible people above. Jill St. John and Robert Wagner were two of his most treasured friends. He loved them very much and spoke so highly of them that he got choked up when he mentioned their names. He had a tough time talking about what this crime had done to his family and that teaching them that he'd been victimized by it was hard, but for some reason he knew that if he told Mr. Wagner and Ms. St. John, that they would believe him and they would help. He knew that these two were different. They knew him so well that there was nothing that he could say that he wouldn't be able to get across to the two of them. He told me that even his family had a hard time understanding what Ms. St. John would believe at his word. I can remember him telling me that if I ever needed their assistance, I should ask.
I don't think that either Robert Wagner or Jill St. John know just how much the Hollywood community has been affected by this crime. I would invite the pair of actors to simply give Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner a call and they can fill them in on what they know. It's tragic when you think of the story of Earl Greenberg and others. The sheer numbers of gay men that are involved in this crime would probably have staggered Randy to tears. Jeffrey Katzenberg has the power to make this go away. He literally could help me make Randy's legacy to make a difference happen with just a few phone calls. I have all the connections I need in all the right legal places to do what Randy and I set out to do. I want this so badly right now I can taste it. Like I said, I was told that if I ever needed help, that these would be the two that I should talk to. I think maybe that's why Randy came into my head today. Clearly, from the interview, you can see that he and I were friends. That was shot at his home and he insisted that I set the interview up there. He wouldn't do it without me. I loved him so much.
It's interesting now that we have the attention from Carey, Alicia and Willow Hart to Robert Wagner from "Hart to Hart" to all of you with such tremendous hearts that today we will honor the man with the biggest heart of all. He would have loved knowing that so many of you cared enough to help his life "mean something" and "make a difference in this world". I think Randy would love that! Talk to Jeffrey today. Make him understand.
If you know Randy and you know Jeffrey's mother, both in Heaven, can't you just see the two of them thinking...we can help. " We've got to get together and do something for these boys that nobody else can do." May be that's why I was thinking about Randy today? I just love it when my friends consult with each other here and in the great beyond, it just makes this entire project so much more special.
If you know Randy and you know Jeffrey's mother, both in Heaven, can't you just see the two of them thinking...we can help. " We've got to get together and do something for these boys that nobody else can do." May be that's why I was thinking about Randy today? I just love it when my friends consult with each other here and in the great beyond, it just makes this entire project so much more special.
