This is sad news, indeed. Over the course of my life, there are only a handful of people who stand out as utterly unique and memorable, and FloridAlum (AKA Jerry Epstein, Florida, or just FA) was one of them. For me, it has always been easier to remember people by their board handles than their real names. So I will always think of him as FloridAlum.
I encountered his board persona for the first time in 2002, a truly awful season, but his comments and humor seemed to make it better. Back then, if there was little activity on the board, he would try to post something funny just get people into a good mood. Some of his jests worked and some fell flat, but he had an almost unnatural gift for limericks, and I think he could compose a great one on demand within seconds, especially if offered a drink.
I learned a great deal about how to post on a message board by following his example. To my knowledge, he never posted anything negative. Regardless of how bad the season was going or whether half the board wanted to fire this coach or that assistant coach, he was always positive about the team and the program, at least in his posts. On those occasions when I spoke with him in person, he was much more candid in his opinions.
I had the pleasure of having dinner with FloridAlum on a few occasions, and he was always a source of limitless information on recruiting, not only for Northwestern, but also for our conference rivals. Once he got started, he could go on and on about it for hours, and sometimes the bigger problem was getting him to stop.
In person, he was always friendly and chatty, and he seemed to enjoy the company of all Northwestern fans. I believe that if a total stranger showed up at his house one day and identified himself as a Northwestern fan, FloridAlum would stop whatever he was doing and welcome him in.
No one went to the efforts he did to arrange for purple parties and events. I recall a purple party at Merle's in Evanston where a number of board regulars came together. It was supposed to be just a simple get together for dinner, but FloridAlum arranged for Willie the Wildcat to appear, and he even got Let's Tailgate to contribute door prizes. Amazing!
Like many people, things became busier for me over the years, and I attended fewer and fewer of his events. I should have known that somewhere a clock was ticking and that it was only a matter of time before FloridaAlum or some other board member went offline for good. In retrospect, I wish I had attended some of his recent parties. Instead, all I can do now is have a drink in his honor, and for that I will use up the last of my Johnnie Walker Blue, and I hope FloridAlum considers it a fitting tribute.
- Astro