For Terry Yocum- All members- PLEASE READ!!!

Members and readers of this board:
 
As you all know by now, Terry (Crip) Yocum passed away, and left a huge void on this board, our fishery, and the hearts of all who were touched by him. I will fully admit, I did not know him nearly as well as others on this board. Our conversations were oftentimes contentious, and sometimes I found being his friend difficult. But despite all of that, I can say, without hesitation, that Terry was, and remains, the most inspiring person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
It's easy to feel sorry for oneself; I do it all of the time. Tough day at work; the kids are being difficult; your spouse is nagging you; your car breaks down; the list can be literally endless. But the truth is, I never once heard Terry complain. Not a word. Not one time did he act as if life was unfair, or cruel, or too hard. He endured hardships that I cannot fathom, and was dealt a hand in life that was harder by a magnitude of ten than anything I have ever encountered in my short life. And yet, despite all of that, he comported himself with dignity, and honor, and left nothing on this great Earth to be ashamed of. It's one thing to act strong, and tough; it's another thing entirely to be so. I can't imagine anyone being stronger than Terry, and his life, his family, and his words and actions, are true testaments to his strength.
I'm suprised, as many of you have also acknowledged, of how hard Terry's death has hit me. Some of that may be guilt- perhaps I wasn't as good a friend to him as I should have been. Some of it may be a realization of my own mortality- life is tenuous, and there but for the grace of God go I. But mostly, it's knowing that such a good and honorable man has left us. I will miss him, as I know that all of you will as well.
Regardless, I've been pondering what I can do for him. I've waited awhile before posting this, to give myself time to come up with something appropriate. I've decided upon the following:
I am building a 10' 7wt fly rod, built on a Loomis blank. Everything on it will be top-end componenets. TiCh snake guides, Fuji SIC strippers, AAAA full wells grip, and a Struble reel seat with 1 1/2" fighting butt. The inscription on the rod will read, "Terry Yocum Special- 2007" and I will also enscribe the name of the person who gets it, should they desire.
I will accept NO MONEY for this. I want to ensure everyone that this rod is for Terry. What I will do, is accept bids, e-mailed to the address below. The bidding can start now, and will end on Aug. 31st. The highest bid wins- it's that simple. The winning bidder is to write a check, payable to whatever memorial the good members of this board decide upon by the deadline. If no memorial is settled upon by then, the winning bidder should make the check out to the Yocum family. Upon comfirmation that the check was received, the winner will receive the rod.
If you're curious as to the quality of my rods, I built one for the Katrina aid fund, which Bughawk (Dave F) won- I also taught a rod-building class that Smalliekiller (Chris) took part in. The rod will be nice- I'm not the world's best rod builder, but I do a nice job.
Anyway, while it's not a lot, and probably not enough, this is what I can do for Terry. Again, I will accept nothing for this- I am in essence, donating my time, and the components, for this. Any questions and all bids should be sent to knicktoys@gmail.com - I will try and answer all questions in a timely fashion. Please do not ask what the current bid is; please do not ask to "buy" the rod. Also, if no memorial is decided upon (though I hope one is) I will need the Yocum's address- I only have the Hershey Hospital.
It's funny- I don't often do much that could be deemed as charitable. I have a family, a busy life, and a lot on my plate. But in all honesty, this is the best I've felt in ages, just doing some thing good for someone who deserves it. God bless guys.
Sincerely-
Dan Knickerbocker

Dan,
 I wish I had some of your talent and your desire to give back to honor someone that deserves it.  I too have been silent and feel the loss of Terry very deeply.  I hope you get a million. 
The Youcm family (wife Lori and sons)
504 Princeton street
Lewistown, Pa  17044

See Daniel .. you're nice...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
sometimes.
 
 
I will partake in the bidding.

Such a great endeavor.  I hope you get ten times the money you hope for. 

Doc,
 
I know you two had your moments in the past....but this is the best idea of all.  It would be a way to carry on his spirit.  He was by no means perfect, none of us are, but this is something he would encourage. 
Money to the family would be a nice thing, but they will keep on keepin on.  Ya know?  Maybe it could be done in a fashion where Queenie and the boys are involved in the check presentation?
 
Great idea Doc!
 
MO

Thanks Dan.  Good job!  My rod works great for the steelies.  Whoever gets this rod will be very pleased.

Sounds to me that we are heading down the same path.  Life and age begin to temper and calm rocky waters.  Thanks for the input and representation at the meeting. 
 
Kovacs, glad to see you thought the same.  You know him prolly better than all so your endorsement means a lot.
 
MO

mo you know the place I showed him in my neck of the woods. I carved his name in a tree last fall when we were down there. now I have him lookin over my shoulder every time im there
 

Yeah, it's the same Mike.  Give me a ring.
 
MO

formerguide: I talked to Terry almost every day and I have just got to say this. You and another well known member on this board directly told Terry that he was just looking for sympathy. You have no idea of how bad this hurt him!!!! So you can say what you want but this is the truth and you all can sleep with that memory!!!! I will not discuss this any further but I just had to let the rest of the members know the truth. I really miss talking to Terry.

walcat01

I really wish you had talked with Dan privately.  Dan said he and Terry had differences and wanted to do something good in Terry's memory.  I believe Dan is sincere.  We all make mistakes and say and do things that hurt each other.  Hopefully we will realize our error and make amends.  I believe Dan is trying to do that.

Walcat,
 
I talked to him quite frequently.  One of the las times I did he mentioned about life being short.  He mentioned the riffs he had with certains members here and how he regretted them and wish they would've turned out different.  Let's be frank....he was insecure due to his disability and sometimes that got the best of him.  I understood that.  That's why when he went off on me I just let him cool.  When he cooled down a different, clearer perspective prevailed for him. 
 
Doc, may want to chime in on this, but he an Terry had some major issues.  That came from Terry.  I've never discussed it with Doc.  All I can say is that I look at Doc A LOT differently after what he posted here.  Nobody captured the truest sense of Crip and what he'd want like Doc did.  I see that as a man that has learned a little.  Maybe Formerguide is learning the same (and no, I don't know what their riff was over).
 
So, let's keep this focused.  The last thing his legacy and memory needs is for us, his internet family, to begin tearing each other apart. 
 
MO

The right thing to do now is band together and honor/memorialize this man.  The wrong course of action would be to engage in he said/she said.  What good could possibly come out of that?
 
I am in total agreement with MO!
 
Doc

I want my first pay check from gander mtn to go to what ever we are doing for terry! please let me know 

Thank you Brian for your words.  We can all learn something.  When we have a disagreement with someone, we need to get over it and move on.  Your brother taught us a lot about life, how to stay strong in the face of challenges, and now he can teach us to forgive each other when we hurt each other.