by Ken Jessup
From the moment I agreed to write this until now, the deadline to submit, I have struggled. How does one begin a tribute? What does one share? Do I have writer’s block? Today the truth hit me. I just haven’t accepted the loss of Nelson Malbone. Perhaps we were too close; when we met there was an instant bonding. We shared each other’s hopes and dreams. We helped each other through personal challenges.
As our friendship and respect for each other grew, I became more and more involved in the process of building a strong Virginia Association of the Blind.
VAB was truly Nelson’s calling. I think as Nelson’s eyes were fading to darkness, his mind was thinking 20/20. For Nelson never did anything with VAB on a small scale; always looking to the future, he made sure that VAB rose to prominence on the local, state and national scene.
When VAB got an 800 number it was a national, not an in-state number; when VAB started raising money, Nelson chose a national promoter.
At the recent VAB 20th anniversary banquet, there were many tributes to Nelson. I wanted to speak, but not alone. Peg Wild, Gail Henrich and I spoke together, and that was as it should have been. With Alice and Nelson, we three had spent hundreds of hours at the Malbone apartment. For in the early years, VAB depended on volunteers and bourbon to get the work done. See, Nelson worked hard, but he played hard too.
As Peg, Gail and I spoke about our friend, I gazed around the room. The VAB banquet this night was larger than the first state convention that I had attended. In the early years, sometimes we couldn’t get a quorum for a monthly meeting. Now there are 5 VAB satellites throughout Virginia with plans for more.
Even now, a month after Nelson’s passing, I’m having difficulty writing this. I always knew that I respected Nelson, I always knew that Nelson was my friend and mentor. I just never realized how much I loved him.
Go forward on your journey, Nelson; you have trained us well. Many people are stepping up to the challenge of operating the Virginia Association of the Blind. We miss you, we love you and some day we will join you. The stories we will share!!!!