Wildcats Forever - Honorary Inductee

[Bengalzona]

Induction into our Hall of Fame community is usually a happy occasion. However, this induction is bittersweet. As many of you may be aware by now, our member and friend Wildcats Forever (a.k.a. David Fleeman) passed away last week following open heart surgery. His family said he passed peacefully in his sleep.



After consideration from the other Mods and Admins, we decided that David's work on the board and, moreover, the presence and wisdom he brought to the board made him worthy of inclusion in this special group. Here are some reasons why we felt he was deserving of the honor.

Like many of us, David transferred here from the old board, where he had already established himself as a poster who was friendly, funny, and wise. He treated people with respect, sometimes when they did not appear to deserve it. And these were traits that David brought to our new board and shared with us. Those who knew him and interacted with him regularly had a high degree of respect and admiration for him.

When we needed a new Moderator at one point, David's name came up and he was immediately a top choice due to our regard for his enthusiasm and his ability to deal respectfully with people. He joined us and proved an excellent choice, constantly striving to make the boards a friendly and respectful community for all of its members.

David had three main passions in life: the Bengals, the Wildcats and playing the drums. He pursued all three with great vigor and zest, despite advancing age and increasing medical problems.

David cared about people. This was evident from his interactions with them. Sunset Bengal shared this story about David:

Quote:Dave reached out to me at a pivotal point in my life.  My old career as a tradesman had pretty much vanished from the great recession, I had taken the step of going back to school to learn the Surveying profession.  Being so many years removed from formal education, I was struggling to keep up with the curriculum, and keep the bill collectors at bay.
In our conversations, he gave me encouragement, guidance and advice, all while appearing to not be trying to do so.  He had a way about him where he could just speak with a person, and never let it show that he was speaking from a perspective.  It wasn't until years later that I even realized that he was 20 years older than I.

Before he went in for surgery, David posted one last post in the Mods forum. Here is a portion of what he said:

Quote:I don't know what age 69 sounds like to you guys, but I have been strong and active for the most part up until this summer. Playing drums and golf 3 - 4 times per week for years has been largely responsible for this. There are a few secrets to longevity, and one is to keep moving. I cannot stress the importance of that. Proper diet is as important. But here is one thing I was guilty of doing, and I suspect most would confess to doing the same which is ignoring signs your body gives you. Plus not getting regular tests and checkups.

I think the world of you guys, and want you to treat yourselves well every day of your life. It's your best chance of living a long life of high quality. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, someone will post my status there after my surgery. Let's hope it is me who will be posting that message.

For those of you who did not know David, I'm sorry to say that you missed out on meeting someone special. For those who did know him, you know why he his here in this select group far better than my simple words can convey. And you know that it is not a "pity vote". David is here due to the strength of his character and his passion for the team, the board and the board members.

Somewhere in the great beyond, Cam and David are shaking hands and hugging.

God speed, fellow MAS member!