The statue is in place at the Rent! It went in witbout a glitcb and looks amazing. I want to take this time to thank all of you for the encouragement and support! It has been an interesting 14 months to be sure, and I think this monument is a fitting tribute to Jazz and his legacy. I hope it serves as a reminder of who we are and what we should aspire to. I cannot wait until Saturday, probably won't sleep!
I'd like to take a moment to publicly thank some people that helped to get this done. Mike Enright, Associate A.D has been a supporter from day one and was our point person in the A D's office all the way through this. I'm sure there's a part of him that's happy this is done so he can be done with my wife and me pestering him!! Also, within the department, Evan Feinglass, Dave Evan and Neal Eskin were great. Mike Morrison at the UConn Foundation was incredible when it came time to raise the money. I want to thank Warde Manuel for giving us the opportunity to sit down with him and explain why this is so important. He admitted that since he wasn't here, he couldn't fully understand, but after our meeting last June, he got it. His willingness to listen to us, just a couple of season ticket holders, was impressive. Also, I have to thank Susan Herbst. She is amazing and was an advocate for this and without her and her Cheif of Staff, Rachel Rubin, this doesn't happen. Susan just gets it, and I am so happy to have someone like her at the helm of the school I love. Rachel, in particular was and is amazing. A friend of ours said she is the best person at UConn, and he may just be right! There ae so many others I could and should thank, including everyone who contributed to this, but it would be impossible to name them all! Finally, I need to thank Randy Edsall directly. We reached out to him months ago and he has been incredible. Without going over everything again, I'd like to say that without him, this might not have gotten done and I for one will be eternally grateful.
And finally for real (this is straying into Carl post length territory) I want to publically thank K. G. Keena Memorials, the monument company that is as responsible as anyone for the statue being there this weekend. The Keena's, Kevin and his son Kris, reached out to my wife when we first went public with the idea of a monument last spring. To make a long story short, this is not just a job to them, it is family. They are season ticket holders since before the Rent was open. One of their locations is right on Silver Lane! They tailgate right near us in the blue lot, although we'd never met. Kris even has a dog named Jazz! These guys did the impossible, doing a twelve week job in six. They even drove up to Vermont last night to get the last piece of the statue here today. They are the best and will be personal friends forever.
Saturday is going to be incredibly special. Unfortunately, and it is killing him not to be here, Kashif Moore can't be here. He was just signed by the Toronto Argonauts and has a game this weekend. As much as he wants to be here, Jazz would be the first one to tell him to get his butt on the field and follow his dreams. In his place, Andre Dixon has graciously agreed to represent the 2009 team at the unveiling and say a few words. As of right now, over 30 members of the 2009 team will be here along with 25 members of Jasper's family!!!! Tonite on channel 30 during the eleven o'clock news will be a special piece Kevin Nathan has done on the memorial. He flew to Florida and interviewed Jazz's mother and fiance, and went to Maryland to interview Randy. It is a full five minute feature to be aired during the news portion of the broadcast, not the sports. To Kevin, like so many of us, this is personal.
So, see you all on Saturday! Let's cheer our Huskies to a great win and lets let Jazz lead us back to where we belong! Live 365!
At least, that's how they plugged it during the 6pm news yesterday. Saturday will be a day to celebrate Jazz, but we wouldn't have Saturday without your tireless efforts. Amazing stuff- way to HuskyUp!
