In Memoriam

On December 22, 1995, Julia Uz reportedly died of an arrest brought on by injuries suffered the previous summer when the car she was driving was hit by a drunk driver.

In regard to the Jihad and TRES Corps, Miss Uz caught my attention in June '95 with her intelligence and austere devotion to logic, and soon after I inducted her into the Corps.

After a month of steady posting, she disappeared without saying where she went. Her address, (102431.2074@compuserve.com) didn't get a response, and I sadly listed her as 'inactive' after waiting 4 months.

She turned up again purely by accident, when I was goofing off on FurryMUCK furry.org 8888 and got a page from someone named 'Arcadia' needing someone from helpstaff, which I'm a member of there. Arcadia started off by asking 'Don't I know you?' to which I replied, 'That's a good question.'

Soon we were talking, and I realized who she was. At first she didn't let on to what had happened, but in time I learned of the crash that took the use of her legs, left her in serious pain all along the left side of her body, severely damaged one side of her brain, and perhaps worst of all, took her then-8-year-old daughter Samantha away from her.

Through the brief weeks I spent talking to Arcadia there, she refused to dwell on her injuries. Instead, she found time to make a few more posts to alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die, and otherwise made sure her wish that no one would worry about her came true.

Julia K. Uz was a sweet, caring, wholly genuine person. The loss of someone who made a difference in so many lives whether she intended to do so or not cannot help but be sobering. Like most people who knew Miss Uz from her various modes of communicating her self, I'm still trying to figure out where to go from here. I only hope that somehow Julia knows how much her earthbound friends will miss her.

-JFoxGlov

Arcadia sits before you, a quiet testimony to dignity and pain. Her eyes are a
pale fuzzy green, set into a lightly tanned face, attractive in a huggable,
cuddling sort of way. Faint age-lines are the only betrayal of her maturity,
in an otherwise smooth and unseamed face, kept trim, like her figure, by
constant exercise and a usually careful diet [Yeah well, nodoby's *perfect* ;)]
She wears a solid white loose blouse, unbuttoned at the throat. Over her legs
is laid a tight fitting wrap that covers her from waist to feet, and seems to
have circuitry embedded in it.  She sits in a hoverchair which floats levelly
a few inches off the ground, her primary mode of transportation. Built into
each arm are the primary controls for movement, as well as numerous other
gadgets built in by weirdoes [err.. friends!]. She looks at you, studying you,
and offers a small smile and nod of welcome.

Date: Fri, 29 Dec 95 08:05:02 GMT
From: Solace (Solace@ix.netcom.com)
To: Admiral J FoxGlov (foxglov@ksu.ksu.edu)
Subject: Resignation

Admiral..

    It is with great regret that I must hereby tender my final and irrevocable
resignation from TRES and the jihad movement as a whole. Hopefully I will be of
more assistance from whatever afterlife I now reside in... On a more real
aspect, take care of yourself my friend, and keep your good work up, you're an
excellent speaker and wise leader.

Arcadia

32) Polgara  5 days ago -- The Passing of A Wonderful Woman
From: Polgara  12:27:33 12/29/95 CST

For those of you that know Arcadia, I must regretfully post here, on this
board that really can't ever express the way I am feeling inside, has
passed away RL.  If you knew her, and did not know about her terminal
illness and would like more information, just let me know.  There will be a
memorial service held for her soon; let me know if you would like to attend
that as well.
(Polgara's player bows her head in rememberance, of one of the finest ladies
she has ever known, hoping that she, Julia, will always remember how much I
love her and how much she means to me.....)

34) K'has  4 days ago -- Arcadia
From: K'has  21:41:01 12/29/95 CST

     This is a followup message to Polgara's announcement of the death of
Arcadia last Friday (the Friday before Christmas).  She died as the result
of complications from a very tragic car accident caused by a drunk driver,
that took the life of her 8 year old daughter and left Arcadia partially
paralyzed, and in constant pain.  At the end, she knew she was dying and
a few days before asked me to @recycle her character.  "I won't be back,"
she said.  "I am having a permanent lifestyle change."  She was gentle
in this last request, not admitting what she knew-- that she would not
live much longer.
     She was a gallant and courageoous lady.  She had style.  She had class.
    I only knew her that last month of her life, but liked the woman
behind the typed characters.
    I set a 'quiet grove' in the Bistro (Taxi, EC, Bistro, Grove) and
left a candle there; a traditional Wiccan memorial to the spirit of
one who has departed.  If you would like to leave a memorial candle there,
please do so-- in the name of Arcadia or anyone else you care for.
    Go in peace, bright spirit.

From K'has
A slim blue taper, lit as a tribute to the memory of Arcadia's playr, who died
the Friday before Christmas.  She was a noble and courageous woman who never
complained about her physical pain and mental pain.  She knew she was dying,
but gave us all the impression she would live forever.  Sleep well, Arcadia,
and wake to a better life.

From Polgara
Arcadia -
     You read this only one day before you left this life.  I am gracious
that I could attempt to tell you how I felt, before you left this world.  I
love you.
                                      Polgara
I want to be .....
   The morning sunlight peeking through your window
   Delicately brushing its rays on your face
   Gently awakening you from a sound sleep
   Caressing your flesh at a leisurely pace
.
   That spark in your heart, ignited by love
   Burining within, forever more
   Your savior, heavens sent from above
   Overtaking the darkness buried deep in your core
.
   Your strength, your support and your guide
   Holding your hand, revealing the way
   Though our time remaining is precious and fleeting
   There's so little to do, but so much to say.
___________________________________________________________________________
If my mind could touch your soul
Only then I could properly show you how I feel
My love for you is so pure and whole
With great pride I do reveal.
Even after the season of change
The flowers of love will continue to flourish
A new cycle begins, yet somehow remains the same
Throughout the circle of life, our passion and devotion will not deminish.

From Breetie
In its entirety, the 'Hope of Arcadia' appears to be only a single, glass rose
of remarkable quality.  Within it, the voice of Breetie says, "Rest, little
one...and forgotten you will not become."  The rose changes color, every now
and again, from crimson to an opaque black, to a pearlescent white, to
transparent crystal.  A small, articulate inscription in the stem of the rose
says, "For someone I did not know...but someone I should have invariably met.
May your memory continue."

From Gremlin
A thick, shining chain which was formerly attached to Gremlin's belt loop.
It glimmers in the candle's light.

From me (JFoxGlov)
A tiny card, set under the candle K'has left, with a short scrawl:
'Thanks for the memories, though they are few. -JFoxGlov, 12/29/95'

I had heard that Julia "Menzatti/Arcadia" Uz was no longer with us, but I had no idea that she died... :_( There is only one way I know of to see her off, and it shall be done in proper Aggie tradition:

*J-Rock goes around the back to confer with a few Corps of Cadets members. At length, the sun goes down. After a bit (a bit being 10 PM CST), a squad of Ross Volunteers dressed in white bearing rifles comes marching in at a slow march (usually used for funerals). NO sound can be heard except the cadence of the marchers coming closer until they finally halt. The first rank of seven raises their rifles, and at the squad leader's softly spoken command, fires into the sky. The second and third ranks do the same, and the company lowers their rifles into the armed attention stance. Then, from a high vantage point, obscured by a section of balcony, some buglers blow a slow, mournful version of Taps three times: once to the north, once to the south, and once to the west. The assembled people depart from the area without a sound.*

So long, Julia. You'll both be missed and remembered fondly. Sleep well.