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continued from p.6 `He was a teacher and I had a lot to learn' ones with the right weight, with enough complexity and heart, to properly memorialize the man who gave me my start, who served my hometown so well for so many years, and who I counted among my dearest friends. This is why "rest in peace" is popular. It's a succinct way to encapsulate how you feel about the dead. Rod would edit it out, of course, knowing there's no room for cliché, just as there's no room for euphemism, in good journalism. But Rod's not here anymore, so he can't stop me. To Rod, on behalf of all the reporters he edited and mentored, I say, "thank you, and rest in peace." Like us on 11 | Friday, March 15, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Over the two years, Rod and I had both good days and rough days. He was a teacher, and I had a lot to learn. He taught in such a way that we became friends. I would be a substantially different person today if it weren't for Rod. A lesser person. I'm far from the only person who can say that. Dozens of us could ll this newspaper writing about him, and about how he helped people, both those in his newsroom and those in the community. My instinct is to do as he said, to write what it's worth. But this time I can't. This time the subject is worth more words than there is space, and yet, somehow, even if blessed with unlimited space, I would never be able to nd the right words, the CORK FLOORING CORK WALL & CEILING COVERINGS CORK HOME DECOR CORK GIFT ITEMS · INSTALLATIONS #1 in Patios & Driveways! J.M.C Concrete Interlocking LTD · Free Estimates · 24 hour service Cork: Natural, Renewable, Sustainable,Versatile, Comfortable, Beautiful D IS S C O V E R T H E B E AUT TY OF CORK! · STAMPED CONCRETE · INTERLOCKING · EXPOSED AGGREGATE · FLAGSTONE · FRENCH CURBS · RETAINING WALLS · GARAGE FLOORS · FREE ESTIMATES 905.257.5588 · www.corkhouse.com www.oakvillebeaver.com 2441 Neyagawa Blvd., Oakville for 905-878-8595 Ask John WWW.JMCCONCRETE.CA