The Model Citizen: A Model Friend

Tom Geiger
April 1998

We talked about models, our lives, models, the club, models, NNL EAST preparations, models and more models...

John Slivoski passed away in September 1997. This was a great loss to his family, friends and fellow modelers.

John's wife, Donna, called me one Saturday, "John's in the hospital for tests. He'll be there till Monday and his room mate is driving him nuts. Can you give him a call to cheer him up??"

It was one of those Saturdays... my family was supposed to be leaving for an out of state wedding in an hour, with a million things to pack for an overnight stay. I made the call.

John was pleased to get a 'model call' that took him away from his surroundings. We talked about models, our lives, models, the club, models, NNL EAST preparations, models and more models. An hour and a half had passed and I was seriously late. I wished him well with his tests. We made plans to meet early for the next Tristate Club meeting and have some lunch. "Who we dining with?? The king or the clown?", we joked. That was the last time I spoke with John.

On Thursday, about midnight, my phone rang. It was Donna with the news that John had died of cancer that evening.

Since then, I have had a problem thinking of John "in the past tense". John's friends and fellow club members asked me if I would write something about him. I tried. Suddenly, the guy who "had a way with words" didn't have any to offer.

Then I came across an old copy of my column, "Air Models". It originally appeared in the TSSMCC News, August 1993. I immediately realized that it was exactly what I needed to say. Most important, it is a slice of John written while he was alive. I like that.

It is with great honor and respect that I present "Air Models".

Copyright 1998 by Tom Geiger, All Rights Reserved, Used with permission.