Below are a few Howard Brandston memories shared by Mark Roush:
Leaving an IES evening at Le Cafe aux Folles (George Hern and Van Johnson!) and walking out of the theater doors.
Me: “Howard, why did you leave theater lighting?”
Howard: “To solve every lighting problem with 7 instruments is just too confining.”
In the office as a young pup, I was searching the library for a fixture. He passed me on the way to a meeting and passed me again just minutes later after the meeting.
Howard: “What are you doing?”
Me: “Searching for a luminaire.”.
Howard: “Do you know what you want?”
Me: “Absolutely”
Classic Howard: ” If it takes more than 10 minutes to find it, stop. We’ll make a custom! We don’t get paid to search, we get paid to know what we want!”
At an event he was to give student Brandston award, I was backstage as an emcee and someone else was introducing him, he wasn’t there! So I came out and impersonated him… Folded glasses, aloof on stage, soft spoken, and throwing out a few ‘hehe’s.’
Howard: “I hear you do me better than me, hehe…. Keep it up, it’s all good as long as you make me look good.”
It’s the hehe we’ll all miss. On the outside he was crazy, aloof, challenging, frustrating, acting…. On the inside he is warm, gentle as a kitten, never serious, fun and was having the time of his life… We’ll earned.
I loved him. And I took several moments in these later years to make sure he knew it. Lesson to all. When people impact you’re life, take the moments to make sure they know it. Give em a big hug, a kiss on the cheek or forehead, and tell them the impact they have made on you. Don’t let them leave this earth without them knowing just what they mean to you. True warmth, fondness, and love is always mutual, and mustn’t stay silent.