Tom Defore in Memoriam
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Tom was a free-spirit. He started working here (Lighting Services) right out of school I think; and he just had this great attitude, not just about work, but about everything. He was always looking for different ways to do things. — Ken Seagren
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Famba zvakanaka shamwari |
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Cosmas Magaya, mbira master, writes from Zimbabwe. I write this message to you still in shock at the sudden loss of Tom Defore, my student, but most importantly, my dear friend. I met Tom during my first visit to Colorado in the year 2000 when he hosted me in his own home. From that point on, I began developing a strong bond with Tom. He later visited me in Zimbabwe and lived with me and my family and I have many fond memories of the time we spent with Tom. One of such memory is when my car got stuck in the mud after some heavy rains in rural Mhondoro. Tom tried to drive it out of the mud but failed. After numerous unsuccessful attempts, Tom got six cows and had them pull my car out. I remember how impressed everyone was. This is a good example of the kind of person Tom was. He was determined to pull the car out of the mud as much as he was determined to succeed in whatever he did in life. He had a huge commitment to help the Zimbabwean mbira players and the under-privileged people in Zimbabwe. On several occasions he sent a significant amount of money to help me as well as to help other musicians. Tom was very keen and dedicated to improving the lives of mbira musicians. We were planning on working on a joint project related to mbira music and he was contemplating to visit Zimbabwe in 2006 so that we could start working on the project. He might not be physically here but I know he will help in spirit to make this happen. I can never find enough words to express the kind of man Tom was, but in short, he was a spirit. He touched the lives of those that he met and brought good to them. He always wished well for everyone. In all the conversations that I had with him, I never heard him say anything negative about anyone. All I want to say to him today is Famba zvakanaka shamwari (go well my friend) and thank you for the wonderful times we had together. Go well my friend . May your spirit guide us in achieving our goals. You will be greatly missed. Shamwari yako (Your Friend), — Cosmas Magaya
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