Bart O' will be added to my attendance list this year...
but just 1 request:
I don't think that I met him.
Bart O' that is,
Although, with my 34 year career,
its possible,
but you guys can tell me some good stories,
to give me some insight on his personality traits.
late,
horton
Bart O'Hearn was a good man, he would drop what he was doing anytime to help anyone out at a drop of the hat. He loved this little game called foosball. Bart started playing in Houston during the 70's. You may not have ever met him, most of his touring was in Texas. Bart was a high rated Semi-pro that loved to play goalie, his favorite shot were bank shots. He had a great attitude on and off of the table and always had a smile on his face even win losing a game of foosball. He never complained about anything, not even about playing on a table that was crap, he was just happy to get to play.
He moved to Austin sometime during the 80's after he was diagnosed with AIDS, I met him in '87 at a local DYP when I moved to Austin from West Texas. You would have never known about his decease because he was always happy and positive. We became close friends throughout the years and he never told me about having AIDS until about 1994, and no, he wasn't gay, he had a tough battle with drugs.
We became a foos team during the last 6 years or so of his life, we would travel to Worlds every year and room together and play together in every event we could. 1999 Worlds was the last time we would ever play together, he partied pretty hard that weekend. On the way back home from Dallas to Austin he sleep the whole way. I tried to call him the next day to make sure he was okay and couldn't get a hold of him, later that day his sister Heather O'Hearn, another fooser, (by the way, Bart has 8 siblings and they are all great people) she told me that she had to take Bart to the hospital and that he was in ICU. He never left ICU and passed away September 27, 1999, just 5 days before his 40th birthday.
Bart was one of a kind, he lived with his decease for over 15 years knowing he was going to die and it never showed. He didn't want anyone knowing because he didn't want any sympathy. He made an impact on my life and everyone's life around him, he defiantly made me a better person.
Joe Koonce
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