Hi my name is Bill White and I was lucky enough to have Alan as my brother for 50 years. I want to thank you all for coming tonight. This isn't supposed to be a somber occasion . This is a celebration of Alan and his life.
Alan knew from the time he was about twelve what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to make TV. And he did. He went to Algonquin College, and had a brief stint at CKO all news radio but got his real start at Rogers Cable. Then 25 years at CorVideoCom. It was a hell of a ride. He made a lot of shows and he took pride in the craft of making video.
Alan and I played alot of sandlot baseball and football when we were kids . This is not organized sports so you had to pick new teams every time we played. We were amateurs so the rules were flexible and there was no adult supervision. All his life Alan had a knack for picking teams. It was one of his gifts, recognizing the talent in people. Alan could see what people could do.
Most of you at some time or another were on an adventure with Al. You may have thought that you were working for CorVideoCom on a real project but I have bad news for you. Alan was making most of it up as he went along. But what a glorious game it was. If he were still here today I would sign up for his next project no matter how ridiculous it was. No matter what a a long shot it was.
Alan had a generosity of spirit. If he didn't have an adventure underway and you had one going he was happy to join in and play your game. And he helped a lot of people in this room get their adventures underway.
I think that Alan lived his whole life as an amateur with no adult supervision. He was an adventurer in the video production business. When he started CorVideoCom there were no rules or models on how to run a video production business in Ottawa. Same thing with General Assembly, same thing with Apprentice Records.
Alan's genius is that he recognized that we are all connected and he made the effort to stay in our lives. Where I am ashamed to admit that I have half a dozen good friends Alan had a hundred. He knows your wife, your kids and who you slept with in high school. He always worried that you aren't raising your kids very well and he knew that he could do a better job. Then he would call me up and worry. On the other hand some of you were brilliant at raising your kids. Of course it is easy to be a great parent if the kid is a genius / ridiculously talented / beautiful / cornered the market on cute. I heard Alan gush about your kids so much . God , he loved all your kids.
He was a proud Uncle. My kids are here tonight. If they are not as beautiful/ smart and talented as he told you that they were cut them a little slack . Nobody could live up to their Uncle Al's promotion.
Ottawa is a village. I couldn't go out to a restaurant with Al without him meeting someone he knew. Alan could have worked in Toronto or Los Angeles but he chose to stay in Ottawa. He liked the pace of life here. He liked this village. He had a place in it. And you, collectively, made him a somebody.
Alan had a cottage here that he loved. It was 90 minutes from his front door to the office. Some of you made it up there to parties that he held up there. Some of you can even remember them.
Alan was larger than life. He was touched by some special magic. Everything was an adventure. He grabbed everything he loved with both hands. There was an infectious quality about him. You just had to suspend your better judgment and go along for the ride. There were scrapes. He knew where the line was but he had no problems with going off side for a while as long as he could get safely back on side. Al was from the Bart Simpson / Dennis the Menace school of justice. Deny everything “I didn't do it.” If that fails, challenge the evidence, “ You didn't see me do it”. And if that fails go the Warren Zevon route. “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money.”
In the last couple of years some of you have gone way beyond generosity to Alan and are now approaching Sainthood. If you need a Saint in your life I suggest you introduce yourself to Kate Mensour , Robert Marinier , Jim Alexander or Stewart Dudley. Alan Pressman and Al McKay are working on their turning water into wine trick. I can't list everyone, but I want to say thanks to each of you who came together and made Alan's last days better.You have such enormous hearts. You are amazing.
I want to close with a little bit of advice that I know that Alan would give you if he could. Look after each other. You were so special to him that he could not bear to see you in pain. Give some time to someone in this room with the same generosity with which you gave it to my brother Al. You gave Alan your greatest gift, your friendship, and he treasured it. Now it is time to call someone up and invite them out to lunch. As Al would say, “Everybody's got to eat.'
Tomorrow would have been Al's 51 birthday. Grab a glass and join me in wishing “Happy Birthday Al”.
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