Below are my thoughts and memories of Ed.

Ed was incredibly smart. In school he barely studied and could ace anything.

After CATO, he worked at the Hard Times Cafe in Alexandria. I remember he sent me a t-shirt from there my freshman year at college. I visited him there in the summer of 1987 and he seemed really happy.

Ed and his friend Kray,

Mount Washington, 1970's

He started off in college in Computer Science. He soon found out he wasn't interested, dropped out, and cleaned pools for a while. I found these photos from that time period, around the early 80's. I guess he wanted to be an actor?

He then went to community college and started reading a lot of Ayn Rand. This led him eventually to get a degree in Philosophy from Umass, Amherst.

After school, he traveled down to D.C. and got a job at the CATO Institute in D.C.

I don't remember how long he was there but he eventually moved from Alexandria back to NYC. I think it was around this time that he found out he could draw and write creatively with his left hand. He was born left handed but was taught from an early age to do everything with his right hand. Now everything changed, and he started living the New York artist lifestyle, writing novels, poems and working on his friend's films.

At Umass, 1985ish

Still from 'The Adventures of El Frenetico and Go Girl' (1993)

Ed & Owen

Summer in Long Island, mid 90's

Around 1997, he decided to give some structure to his creative pursuits and attended San Diego State University to get an MFA in poetry. He also started playing guitar which he did consistently for years.

At SDSU is where he finally started dealing with his past traumas, and expressed them in two sets of Poems. New York is about the pain and suffering he was feeling, and San Diego is about hope and redemption of a new life.

Ocean Beach, 2002

Because of his eyesight he was unable to drive, so after school he moved back to NYC. I don't think he wanted to leave San Diego, as Gray Sidewalks paints a dreary portrait of New York City.

Andrew and Ed, c. 2010

Eventually he became a college professor teaching Freshman English and ESL during the summers.

Life wasn't remotely easy for him. But I don't remember all the tormented times. I remember the intensely smart, creative, quick and funny brother I had. He always made fun of me from an early age and he was the only one who could do it and cheer me up.

I will never forget him.