I didn't get a chance to meet Laura, though I'm sure I was in the same room with her more than once -- maybe when Claude Young played Motor a while back. I knew her from her 313 posts only, and anyone who wants to comb thru the archives can get an idea of the sort of person she was. I'm sure many of us can remember that one or two line private reply to a 313 post from Laura that put a smile on our faces with it's humor and enthusiasm. Early on, before most of us, Laura knew the techno was more than just party music, and her professional and personal efforts to promote it to the world are beyond measure.
Her death made me think of what the far flung community we comprise means to me, and it's something that I can't even begin to put into words. The producers, the fans, the promoters, the writers who get it right -- this is a precious thing. I make my jokes when I come to DEMF about it being the techno equivalent of a beanie baby convention, but it's more than that to me. It's family. So thanks be to Laura Gavoor, and James Stinson, for enriching all of our lives, and thanks be to all of you for letting the music pull you into the circle. And thanks for the thousand kindnesses done to me by all the 313'ers I won't mention by name, lest I forget someone. We need to be thinking about how precious each of is full time, not just when we lose someone.
