Thursday, March 11, 2010

Studies in Self Reliance - Anonymity Edition

A gentleman by the name of Roger George recently died in a Tampa Bay area hospital.  He was ninety-three (93) years old, possibly, as no one has been able to establish Roger’s age with any degree of certainty.

The TampaBay.com story about Roger George is mostly speculations, some outright outlandish.  Why I am drawn to Roger’s story is that the government has NO record what-so-ever on this old man.  No social insecurity number, no birth certificate, nothing, he does not exist.  I’m somewhat envious.

Here, nestled against the plump white pillows of a hospice bed, tucked under four soft blankets and sipping coffee through a straw, lies a man who does not exist. He is very old, and maybe a little deaf. His hair has gone white and his teeth have gone missing. He will tell you he is 95. But later he might say 94, or 93. He says he has traveled the world as a hobo. Slept under trucks, on park benches, in barns. Played football with Burt Reynolds and baseball with Fidel Castro. But his stories shift and change, and he admits he hasn’t always been truthful. But no one knows why. He carries no identification. He swears he’s never smiled for a passport photo. He has no birth certificate, no Social Security card. No family. Just a couple of old friends. And before he dies, even they want to know: Who is Roger George?

Roger did receive charity in his final days, so you may ask how can I title this post as a study in self reliance.  I can title this post in that manner because Roger George did not plead for the charity he received, he did not claim the charity he received as a right, nor did he ever in his life, as the blank record seems to indicate, ever appeal for a free lunch.  Roger George made his own way.

God rest your soul, Roger George.

In a Tampa Bay area hospice, the mystery of a man with no identity

Linked via Fred Lapides’ GoodShit.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/11 at 02:37 PM
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