Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
David Rodgers
Thursday
May 13, 2004
Josh Tenisci called me today on my cell phone, around 5 PM while I was still at work. The tone of his voice hinted that something was wrong. And, yes, something was wrong.
The news was concise and difficult. David Rodgers, who graduated with us at Father Ryan High School in 1995, lost his battle with cancer, passing away last night in Nashville. He was 27.
The last time I was back in Nashville, I asked my Dad to get Ed Rodgers (David's father, who Dad is friends with) to get me David's phone number. But Dad is busy with a million things, as am I, and I didn't follow up on it. And I never got to tell David that I appreciated his friendship and that I respected him for being a stand-up guy and that I admired his courage for dealing with the horrid disease that he fought so bravely. And now David's gone, and I can't do that.
|  | | I found this picture of David on the Washington University website, from Fall 2000. |
I first met David in the summer of 1990, when we were teammates on the St. Edward's football team (I went to grade school at Overbrook, which was too small for its own team, so we were all free agents of sorts when it came to football). From the get-go I could tell that he was one of the good people in life. Funny, friendly and easy going, David is someone I was proud to have as a friend.
After graduation in 1995, David went to college at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. It was while at Georgia Tech that he was first diagnosed with melanoma, and he underwent treatment to fight the disease. David earned his undergraduate degree, then went on to begin his grad school work at Washington University in St. Louis.
When his battle with cancer became too much to handle along with grad school, David returned to Nashville, where he had the support of his friends and family.
I knew David Rodgers for nearly 14 years, and I cannot recall a single instance where anyone had anything bad to say about him. He leaves this world better for the 27 years he spent here. David Rodgers, friend, you will be missed...
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