Belden Johnson

I met George in 1971 in Madrid. As fellow English profs and novelists, we hit it right off. He invited Mei-yu (the lovely woman I'd married in Taiwan) and me to his apartment for a hash party. At that time Mei-yu and I were reading Art Janov's Primal Scream, a remarkable book that tends to bring one's feelings to the surface. Neither of us had smoked hashish before and Mei-yu responded by having a full-on primal episode. While I knew what was happening, having read the book, everyone else just assumed she was psychotic. Except George. Calmness itself, he wisely flushed the remaining Afghan black down the john. Only later did he gently inform me about the fascistic country we were then living in and that he was suprised the garda didn't come in. I said, "Is Franco still alive?"

With no hard feelings, George referred me to his literary agent, Elaine Markson, who was sure she'd get The Unconquered published. Sadly, through no fault of Elaine's, it was stolen, perverted, and made into the Hollywood extravaganza Red Dawn. But that's another story. The point for this one is that George stayed good friends with Mei-yu and me even though we'd spoiled his party and nearly gotten us all thrown into prison.

We remained good friends for many years through many incarnations, all of them delightful. I last saw George a couple years ago in South Bend, where he and Hye-Jin warmly hosted me and showed me the town where Pete Buttigieg got started in politics. Though a bit hard of hearing, George was still as sharp as a samurai's sword and would cheerfully discuss any topic under the sun. He could also run up the stairs in his house like a rabbit. I couldn't keep up with him.

I am very sad to lose him, but I know that, wherever he is, he still has that twinkle in his eye.

Happy Birthday, David! Sorry we shan't be with you on July 30.
Love, Belden & Yashi

Hope you got my Happy Birthday call message...
Love,
Belden

Posted on: Aug 10, 2016 at 1:48 PM

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Happy B-day and another year, old buddy! Yup, Col. Freddie Furchner couldn't separate us from our beards.

Happy Birth Day, old buddy! Lots of love.

Posted on: Dec 19, 2014 at 11:32 AM

And many more! Love, Belden