Dr. Richard Zvonar, RIP

["loop.pool" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

My brother just brought me the very sad news that one of our best and 
brightest,
Richard Zvonar, Phd.  just passed on.

For years,  and amongst many, many other things too numerous to mention, 
Richard has held up the standards of researching at this website.   He 
performed at looping festivals; gave detailed lectures on the history of 
looping
and I always looked forward to his stimulating and always incredibly well 
informed and intelligent analysis
at ever loopers luncheon or breakfast from NAMM to the live loop festivals.
He has always been someone that I could run a probem by...........someone 
to 
double check my facts against.
If anyone had a problem on the list, more likely than not,  Richard would 
quickly write in with several URLS that
he had generously researched.     If there has ever been and authority 
about 
anything in this community, he was one.

I did my first gig with Dr. Zvonar with my then electronic music teacher, 
Bob Beede (one of Richard's lifetime friends)
in 1982.   It was my very first exposure to the world of academic avante 
garde electronics and Richard and Bob were
my mentors.  It was a very heady and exciting time. I remember being 
initially really intimidated by his formidable intelligence and dry 
countenance but came to realize that he possessed a wonderful humanity and 
a 
gentle spirit.

Over the years, I have really been blown away by Richard's generosity of 
spirit and have considered him one of my good
friends.     We talked recently of the Y2K5 Festival,   and he told me 
he'd 
play if he felt well enough to do so.

I hope someday to hear him do the solo guitar performance that I know he 
always wanted to play.
I know it will be brilliant.

I'm so infinitely sad tonight that he has passed on.    We will all miss 
him 
greatly.