A great friend and inspiration…

Posted by JoeVF on June 28th, 2007 filed in liberty

There are so many things I want to say, and I would’ve said them today if I felt I could’ve kept my composure. The sheer number and diversity of those in attendance today was a testament to the kind of man Liberty was. He has touched so many lives in his nearly 29 years here.

There are just a few things I’d like to add about Liberty that I don’t think people got a chance to hear today.

Liberty was definitely a great person all around, highly intelligent, completely selfless, compassionate, and socially and environmentally active. But he was also very mischievous, talented, and had a great sense of humor. I think one of the greatest things about our circle of friends was the endless laughter we shared throughout our most formative years.
Liberty’s style of humor was very subtle and it always resulted in hearty laughter from those who got it. He was absolutely admirable in so many ways.

You have to be a creative thinker to be successful in academia, and Liberty was just that. He always thought outside the box and went against “mainstream” thinking. “Artist” might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Liberty, but to me it was. He was extremely talented behind the lens of a camera, and I was privileged enough to have him lend me his talents as a friend on numerous occasions. Liberty followed me through the mountains of Angeles National Forest, to the parks of Diamond Bar, upon the shores of Laguna Beach, into the backyard of Pico Rivera all in search of that defining shot.

Lastly I wanted to thank Liberty’s family for the hospitality they’ve shown myself and all of our friends throughout the years. They gave us a place to play pool, swim, enjoy amazing Indian cuisine, and congregate till 3am when we had nowhere else to go. When I moved away from Diamond Bar it was Liberty’s house that I stayed at every weekend. There wouldn’t have been a “Diamond Bar Shower” otherwise. I’ll never forget all the good times we’ve shared. You all will be forever in my heart.

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