No matter how lucky you’ve been in your family and
friendship circles, you can’t avoid having lost loved ones to the evil of
cancer. It strikes me as so very fitting that the same month in which we
celebrate Thanksgiving is the month that we now draw attention to battling that
pernicious disease in men. I say this contradiction because I’m
incredibly grateful for so many close friends who have fought off their cancers
and are again healthy today; and also for the men who made an indelible impact
on my life, fought the great fight and ultimately left us, including my dad who
died in 1999.
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Kent Dorrell
(1961-2013)
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This month, I’m thinking especially of Kent Dorrell, our
LA-based wholesale rep and one of our most popular colleagues. Kent and I
started at Allen Edmonds within a few months of each other. He had an
incredible eye for style, quality and new product direction, and I learned a
great deal from him. Kent passed away on September 30th, having
miraculously survived a brutal bout with leukemia several years ago but then
battling liver cancer since 2011. He definitely fought a strong and
courageous fight all the way to the end, as valiant as anyone can. He
even did a trunk show at a customer’s store just a few days before his passing.
Kent’s perspective from his previous victory over leukemia,
and his naturally gregarious and positive personality, gave him a lovably
upbeat approach to life and to all who knew him. It was infectious -- a
gift he gave freely and unsparingly. Whenever I traveled with him to
visit customers, the affection between them was inspiring. Kent taught
all of us how to live, how to treat friends and strangers alike, and how to see
the best in everything and everyone around him. We will truly miss Kent
Dorrell.
Here’s to Kent Dorrell and to all the Kent Dorrells in your
lives.
Be healthy, wear sunscreen and have a good Mo-vember.
Best wishes,
