I was on set filming tonightâs episode when I found out about John. I was a wreck and looking for anything I could do, anything tangible to give him and then I was able to name a character after him and tell him about it. I wish it couldâve been plastered across the screen the whole time. I wish it couldâve reflected how important and good he was. But it was all I had the ability to control and Iâm grateful I got to tell him about it. You have to know where to look to see it, but let the record show that the vice president of Tasker Community College is named Vice President Jerrius Slaby.
John painted this for my grandpa years ago, when my pop was first getting treatment at Penn. He was stuck in bed and longing to go to this exact well (the bore hole) back home, where he spent most of his childhood with his friends. Turned out, the spot that was so meaningful to my pop was just as meaningful to Johnâas it was right next to the infamous troph.
John was an artist from a small town who perfectly captured little moments so specific that they were accessible to anyone whoâs ever had a love/hate relationship with where they grew up. Sometimes I would look at his paintings and think âoh, wait, he feels this, too??â But he was more than an artist, he was art. He was honest and good, fearless and fair, with perspective not ego. He didnât just paint these moments, he created them with, and for, anyone lucky enough to call him a friend. I canât believe I got to call him a friend.
His impact on me, and surely everyone who loved him, is immeasurable. He made me like being honest. I canât hear a skateboard, look at leaves, or see a trinket on the ground without thinking of him. And I hope that never changes. He will be loved and missed and remembered forever, which still doesnât feel like enough.
I was on the fence about sharing this painting. Selfishly I wanted to keep it to myself and protect this spotâs privacy and magic. But getting this painting from John made my grandpa start fighting, start wanting to live. We should all be able to experience a place like that. @johnslaby forever đđ
