Roland "Commander" Sykes
June 1st, 1953 - March 10th, 2008
Wizard, Bit Twiddler, Philosopher, Teacher, and most fun of
all...
The Bus Driver for ADAPT
From: Andrew Cooper
With his special brand of Zen riddles, wry humor and encyclopedic knowledge of disability rights, Roland was a force to be reckoned with. He was an activist and organizer. He was a kind and compassionate teacher. He was my friend.
I've had the pleasure of spending the past five years learning at the Commander's feet when he visited TRIPIL—which was often. When he couldn't be around, he was always there on email, on the phone…he was seemingly always ready to lead and to teach. Lord knows, I took advantage.
Roland told me he didn't do anything special, he just "gave you what you needed." And sometimes the truth isn't always pleasant. But, Roland was there to tell you the truth and give you the tools you needed to vanquish any problem. He put things into perspective for me and always found the patience to do so. I know I'm not the only one he did this for.
I can't express the thanks I owe him.
I love you Roland
Andy
