I just got word from a mutual friend that Ron Winley has died. Many in the Zona Colonial may remember him as the Conde Social Critic. I met him when he showed up at Union Episcopal Church in full Kinta cloth Dashika and the rest of the congregation drew further away and I went and sat next to him.
Ron was trained as a community organizer and worked as a city planner. He had a masters in divinity, I belive and came down here to retire.. his father had had an orphanage in Haiti.
'
He was really smart and well educated, He could start talked academia and I could not understand a word he said. Then the next minute he could go right down to Harlem Jazz club.
We could not have looked more different on the outside but he was the closest thing that I had found to a like minded brother in my years here. It never took us long to be talking like homeboys.
He had moved out to Villa Mella in the last few years and was very happy with a Haitian lady he had met over the earthquake relief effort. I saw him a few months ago and he looked great and seemed very happy. If I look back now, perhaps I could see death hovering in the nicest way because he really did look happy... and wow.. that is the best that we can all hope for, ain't it? to die happy?
He studied with Saul Alinsky and trained out of Riverside Church and I started helping run rent strikes in Harlem so we sorta went to the same school and could easily get nostalgic. He was about 10 or 15 years older than me. Last year he had let his passport expire or something and wrote me a long note and I called special services at the Embassy and went on and on about how we had this NATIONAL TREASURE here.. this SENIR\OR of the Civil Rights Movement and would they please help him out so that he could get his social security check and go on living in peace.
I promised him.. when I met him.. that I would help send him off. .. and that is what I am doin here.
A very impressive man.. that Dr Winley
at the end he was gettin a thousand pesos an hour teachin english
he had juan luils guerra's kid in school
and he was teaching permaculture up in villa mella
guess that is where i get to go to for the country place!
Ron never stopped trying to make a difference in the lives of the people that were around him.
I was blessed to have had him in my life and I will miss him.
But I was really happy to have seen him so happy the last time.. up in the almost country side.. living in love.
looked like a happy ending...
bye friend!
Ron was trained as a community organizer and worked as a city planner. He had a masters in divinity, I belive and came down here to retire.. his father had had an orphanage in Haiti.
'
He was really smart and well educated, He could start talked academia and I could not understand a word he said. Then the next minute he could go right down to Harlem Jazz club.
We could not have looked more different on the outside but he was the closest thing that I had found to a like minded brother in my years here. It never took us long to be talking like homeboys.
He had moved out to Villa Mella in the last few years and was very happy with a Haitian lady he had met over the earthquake relief effort. I saw him a few months ago and he looked great and seemed very happy. If I look back now, perhaps I could see death hovering in the nicest way because he really did look happy... and wow.. that is the best that we can all hope for, ain't it? to die happy?
He studied with Saul Alinsky and trained out of Riverside Church and I started helping run rent strikes in Harlem so we sorta went to the same school and could easily get nostalgic. He was about 10 or 15 years older than me. Last year he had let his passport expire or something and wrote me a long note and I called special services at the Embassy and went on and on about how we had this NATIONAL TREASURE here.. this SENIR\OR of the Civil Rights Movement and would they please help him out so that he could get his social security check and go on living in peace.
I promised him.. when I met him.. that I would help send him off. .. and that is what I am doin here.
A very impressive man.. that Dr Winley
at the end he was gettin a thousand pesos an hour teachin english
he had juan luils guerra's kid in school
and he was teaching permaculture up in villa mella
guess that is where i get to go to for the country place!
Ron never stopped trying to make a difference in the lives of the people that were around him.
I was blessed to have had him in my life and I will miss him.
But I was really happy to have seen him so happy the last time.. up in the almost country side.. living in love.
looked like a happy ending...
bye friend!
