R.I.P. George Grand aka Toasted Almond
- Thread starter luvvinvinyl
- Start date
Reel 2 Reel
Mad Dog Junkie
Goodbye ole friend ...we'll see you on the other side ..
toxcrusadr
Omelette au Fromage
Not to be a pest, but I would like to add +1 to the recommendation that the admins add George's dates and a RIP to his signature like you did with Zilch.
RIP George.
SuperLead100
"These go to 11"
A beautiful sentiment....
I have been extremely out of touch with AK over the last month, so seeing this thread, just before AK crashed, floored me. Being local in South Jersey, I had the pleasure of meeting George on multiple occasions. Members like George have been instrumental in my determination that AK, more than any other Internet site I know of, is family.
Like many, my first George interactions were purchasing records.
My first actual meeting was a result of a Pony Express delivery years ago. I was visiting family in CT and had posted I could drive items back to South Jersey. I was contacted by a CT AKer seeking to transport an amp, and didn't realize the buyer was George until I called him to coordinate delivery. We arranged to meet on my way to work, since he lived close to where I taught. Traffic was horrible and I was late (something, I learned quickly, you should never do to George). Somehow it seemed my 200+ mile door-to-door free delivery was more than offset by my 10 minute delay.
Turned out it was just a terrible day for George.
George, once he realized what happened, wanted to make amends, despite my repeated reassurances none were necessary. In later years we could even joke about that first face-to-face interaction.
I knew something was wrong last fall, when George called me with a local lead on a collection of records. He knew I liked obscure traditional and classical recordings. Normally he would have grabbed any and all records in a heartbeat to sell for his charity, but he explained he was tired and was closing down his record-selling. Of course, he had already picked up the blues and jazz albums from the collection, so I didn't realize his health problems were so critical.
Sadly, that was my last personal interaction with George. We traded a few e-mails this winter, and I got overwhelmed with other aspects of life. Just goes to show you have to make time for the things that are important.
Like many, my first George interactions were purchasing records.
My first actual meeting was a result of a Pony Express delivery years ago. I was visiting family in CT and had posted I could drive items back to South Jersey. I was contacted by a CT AKer seeking to transport an amp, and didn't realize the buyer was George until I called him to coordinate delivery. We arranged to meet on my way to work, since he lived close to where I taught. Traffic was horrible and I was late (something, I learned quickly, you should never do to George). Somehow it seemed my 200+ mile door-to-door free delivery was more than offset by my 10 minute delay.
Turned out it was just a terrible day for George.
George, once he realized what happened, wanted to make amends, despite my repeated reassurances none were necessary. In later years we could even joke about that first face-to-face interaction.
I knew something was wrong last fall, when George called me with a local lead on a collection of records. He knew I liked obscure traditional and classical recordings. Normally he would have grabbed any and all records in a heartbeat to sell for his charity, but he explained he was tired and was closing down his record-selling. Of course, he had already picked up the blues and jazz albums from the collection, so I didn't realize his health problems were so critical.
Sadly, that was my last personal interaction with George. We traded a few e-mails this winter, and I got overwhelmed with other aspects of life. Just goes to show you have to make time for the things that are important.
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Today I came home from work and had a card in the mail with all the junk. I knew it had to be from someone at AK because it had a Jimi Hendrix's stamp on it but I didn't have my reading glasses on so I was like who's sending me what. Got in the house, tossed the junk and got my glasses and opened the card, it was a thank you card and hand written note and memorial card from Teresa and Stephanie, and look a Pink flower.
It reminds me of these....
I am very very touched by getting this in the mail, although I wish it didn't take time money and energy from Teresa or Stephanie in their time of need and pain.
Thanks for the story hammr7
willhowl
Well-Known Member
I've been away for a long while....I used to be very active here, and I remember Toasted Almond only vaguely, sad to say....but I DO remember him as an outstanding poster/member.....I am very sad to hear of this loss to the AK community, and of course to the more private family members..... 2016 has been a very tough year to handle...................willhowl
.......willhowl
toxcrusadr
Omelette au Fromage
I got that thank-you card too. It was an unexpected and lovely touch. I think I might keep it by the record shelf for awhile.
The sending of the thank-you cards is part of the grieving process. The ladies were very touched by the outpouring of support from George's friends, both here and at Club Polk.
Wow, I just found out about George's passing a few days ago when I was talking to hammr7. Yesterday Hank and I spent quite a few hours together driving down to the AK meet up in MD and he told me about this thread.
I was stunned when Hank initially told me of his passing. You see, I had only met George about a year and a half ago, seems he was a regular at the same GoodWill that I hunted at for stereo gear. I would bump into him occasionally and we would chat about gear. I remember when I told him I was a big Bob Carver fan and had a few pieces of Carver gear he just smiled and told me about his system.
Years ago George worked out at the PX at the local AF base. He of course sold stereo gear and when they took on the Carver line George wanted a set of Amazings badly. He saved up a bunch of money and with his one time discount (as a Carver salesman, he could purchase I item at cost) he called out to WA to place his order. Already to place an order for the Silver Amazings when they took the order he said he blurted out he wanted the TOTL Platinum Amazings. He looked at me and said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life wondering what he was missing. He was totally in love with those speakers, he was going to keep them forever. When I would run into him I would jokingly tell him to let me know when he got tired of them. He would let me know that they weren't going anywhere.
Well when George had his big sell off in gear he called me out of the blue and offered me his Amazings. He gave me a good deal and threw in some great Carver items as well. A notebook with all the Carver literature and manuals that he had as well as a Carver dealer sign. I had a funny feeling about this but than he showed me to his "magic closet" that was filled with his collectible stereo treasures so I just went with his story about down sizing. I picked up a few other pieces of gear as well but I was delighted to have the Amazings, a more perfect pair could not be found.
George asked me to keep in touch and I had planned to. Life gets in the way and months later I ran into George on his way out of the GoodWill. He seemed annoyed at me at the time because I never called him. That wasn't that long ago so you can imagine how crushed I was to find that he had passed. A true friend and a gentleman that will truly be missed.
Along with the Carver stuff that George gave me was a wood plaque that was a gift to him from his fellow service men when he was still enlisted. It reads as follows
EAT MY FOOD
DRINK MY BEER
BUT, DON'T MESS WITH MY STEREO.
AND DON'T EVEN THINK
ABOUT MESSING WITH MY SPEAKERS!
That will find a prominent place in my stereo system
God speed George.
BillWojo
I was stunned when Hank initially told me of his passing. You see, I had only met George about a year and a half ago, seems he was a regular at the same GoodWill that I hunted at for stereo gear. I would bump into him occasionally and we would chat about gear. I remember when I told him I was a big Bob Carver fan and had a few pieces of Carver gear he just smiled and told me about his system.
Years ago George worked out at the PX at the local AF base. He of course sold stereo gear and when they took on the Carver line George wanted a set of Amazings badly. He saved up a bunch of money and with his one time discount (as a Carver salesman, he could purchase I item at cost) he called out to WA to place his order. Already to place an order for the Silver Amazings when they took the order he said he blurted out he wanted the TOTL Platinum Amazings. He looked at me and said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life wondering what he was missing. He was totally in love with those speakers, he was going to keep them forever. When I would run into him I would jokingly tell him to let me know when he got tired of them. He would let me know that they weren't going anywhere.
Well when George had his big sell off in gear he called me out of the blue and offered me his Amazings. He gave me a good deal and threw in some great Carver items as well. A notebook with all the Carver literature and manuals that he had as well as a Carver dealer sign. I had a funny feeling about this but than he showed me to his "magic closet" that was filled with his collectible stereo treasures so I just went with his story about down sizing. I picked up a few other pieces of gear as well but I was delighted to have the Amazings, a more perfect pair could not be found.
George asked me to keep in touch and I had planned to. Life gets in the way and months later I ran into George on his way out of the GoodWill. He seemed annoyed at me at the time because I never called him. That wasn't that long ago so you can imagine how crushed I was to find that he had passed. A true friend and a gentleman that will truly be missed.
Along with the Carver stuff that George gave me was a wood plaque that was a gift to him from his fellow service men when he was still enlisted. It reads as follows
EAT MY FOOD
DRINK MY BEER
BUT, DON'T MESS WITH MY STEREO.
AND DON'T EVEN THINK
ABOUT MESSING WITH MY SPEAKERS!
That will find a prominent place in my stereo system
God speed George.
BillWojo
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Beautiful.
I don't know what to say, but a touching story and I wish you where able to run into him again.
I haven't been here very long but I alway try and get AKers over to my house. I have met many and some have become friends and come by all the time. I don't look forwards to days that pass that we can't get back, at a lot of our ages everyday is important.