Ron Lowe

Ron Lowe, An American Hero
Eulogy 2 Jan 2002
Good afternoon, I’m Al Brewster, I’ve had the privilege of calling Ron Lowe “friend” for over 30 years. —- Sandy, Nick, Charles, Jeremy, David, Charles and Kimberly please accept my condolences on the loss of Ron — thank you for inviting me to say a few words.

Ronnie Lowe was a man with many hats — he was lover, brother, uncle, MUSICIAN, ENTERTAINER, scholar, author, cultural anthropologist, Jack Keroac biographer, political scientist, community ACTIVIST, counselor, leader, —– friend.
Ronnie Lowe served us in so many ways but I’ll always remember him as an American Hero.
The term hero has certainly been applied frequently in recent weeks. Usually in reference to the brave firemen, policemen and others in uniform who responded so gallantly to the vicious Sept 11th attack on our country. Certainly, they were heroes who responded perfectly as they had been trained to respond, at a crucial time in our nation’s history. But Ronnie, without benefit of formal training, a uniform or even a steady paycheck, provided a similar level of heroic service throughout his extraordinary life. Ronnie stood up for the little man, championed the oppressed, and fought for those in poverty. He spoke for and to the American values of life and liberty. He was a single minded, reliable, consistent protector of the American right to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press. Ronnie Lowe was an American hero.
I first met Ronnie, and Sandy, in 1969 while Ron and I were both students at St. Petersburg Junior College. He and I were both concerned about the war in Vietnam. As a returning Vietnam vet, as a guy who had smelled death and buried friends I saw the war in a rather simple context. I figured simply that we didn’t need to be fighting and dying if we weren’t willing to win. I wanted the war stopped because of the inability of American Politicians to shape a coherent reason for being at war, their inability to explain why it was in our national interest to wage war, and as a consequence their total failure to furnish the necessary public support to win the war. Ronnie had a far more lofty perspective— He wanted it ended because he believed that killing was immoral and because he knew that there were peaceful ways to bring about political change. He and a small group of others decided that they’d challenge the established student political parties the republicans and the democrats by forming what they called the Un-party Party. Through Ron’s genius at political organizing, they won in a landslide vote and responded not only to the needs of the college students that elected them, but to social injustice wherever they saw it. Ron organized, shaped and led scores of demonstrations each carefully organized to prevent violence. These demonstrations widely ranged against many issues of social injustice for example, the unfair treatment of the elderly by landlords that collected social security payments in return for one room dungeons with out windows or even adequate ventilation, the death of young and black Palmer Lee Sanders; a case in which racial attitudes across our city were brought into sharp focus and, of course, the war in Vietnam. Ron was instrumental in overturning an unconstitutional city parade ordinance which required people to put up 100’s of thousands of dollars in bonds before they could exercise their constitutional right to free assembly, to march to protest. Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg was the sight of highly a organized, well advertised, street theater at its best, systematic civil disobedience, where every line, paragraph, sentence, word of the parade ordinance was openly defied. Surrounded by police in riot gear hundreds of protestors spanning the age of 18 to 80 (clutching their bail bondsman cards) were quite prepared to peacefully be taken to jail under the watchful eye of the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Gardner Beckett. The City blinked, no one was arrested —- the unconstitutional parade ordinance —–apparently unenforceable, simply evaporated.
Ron Lowe was an American hero, a patriot, and a man of courage. One clear spring day Ron and a group of 5 friends ventured to the chambers of the St. Petersburg City council where a young African American woman came to the podium to speak her mind on the unequal treatment experienced by blacks in the city. The mayor told her to sit down that she was not on the agenda. The woman continued to speak and the mayor ordered the Sgt. of Arms to…”remove that woman.” Ron and his friends in a flash leaped over the front seats of the council chambers, and locked arms in a protective circle around the woman until she finished what she had come there to say. As the Sgt. of Arms approached looking a bit bewildered, Ron just looked at him and said rather quietly “you don’t want to have to come through me”. The man turned to the mayor with a shrug as if to say, “this is more than I can manage boss”. When the woman had finished expressing her thoughts the protective human chain formed by Ron and his friends opened to respectfully allow her to pass and, while the mayor was banging his gavel shouting for someone to call the police, Ron and his friends quietly left. Once again freedom of speech had been upheld and violence had not occurred. Ronnie’s forceful yet gentle way had again shown that he was protector of the rights that each of us holds so dear.
Since September 11 we have come to develop an even greater appreciation for the rights, privileges and values that we have taken for granted for so long. Ronnie Lowe never took them for granted. He always knew that freedom is not free, that the price for American freedom is eternal vigilance, the willingness to stand up, to speak out and to boldly assert ourselves as a free people. Ronnie knew these things, he spoke these truths, but what will always separate him from the rest of mere talkers is that Ron Lowe was man enough to place himself bodily at the forefront. In May 1970 Ronnie and his friends were in yet another public demonstration in support of civil rights in Gainesville, Florida. What had been a peaceful, orderly yet rather loud and raucous protest march was interrupted by a speeding car whose driver was intent, for no other reason than racial hatred, upon killing. He deliberately piloted his car in to the marchers steering directly for one of the organizers. The car, a new green 1970 Chevelle Super Sport, struck one of the marchers knocking him up on the hood; where, captured by the ever present media on 6 O’clock news footage, he, unable to hold on, finally tumbled off the hood striking the pavement at about 60mph. First on the scene, to pick up and comfort the man and get him medical attention was our friend, our hero, Ron Lowe. While caring for the hurt man Ronnie simultaneously commanded order and the march resumed without further incident. Ron Lowe was a leader, an American patriot, and a hero. Today, each of us share in his loss, a loss not just for us at this service, not just for St. Petersburg, but a loss for our country and our way of life. My hope is that we all will take courage from Ron’s example. That through non-violence, persistence and courage we will right wrongs when we see them, protect our fragile civil liberties, and recognize as Ron did that the price of the freedom, that we all enjoy so much, the price of freedom is not free. My hope is that we will all recognize like Ronnie did that the greatest patriotism the greatest patriotism walks hand in hand with a willingness to protest, to criticize, to demand freedom and justice for all. Ronnie Lowe was my friend, he comforted me when I was down, he strengthened me when I was weak, he led me when I wasn’t sure where to go. Like you I loved Ronnie Lowe and, already, I miss him. Ronnie Lowe was an American Patriot; Ronnie Lowe was an American Hero. Galatians 5: 13-15, and 6:8

If you wish to contact me about Ron I’m at albrewster@comcast.net

Originally written in April of 2002 on DaveDorm:

I know, talking about my uncle Ron’s death may be growing tired, but I need to work through this. He and I were especially close. At times, I was closer to Ron than I was my father. I am trying to remember happier times with Ron, some from childhood, some from adulthood. Here is one from the good old days.

I remember in the summer of 1976, I was 8, we went to Kennedy Space Center for a tour of the place. They were having a special Bicentennial celebration. There were exhibits and attractions all over the place. All sorts of space stuff, scientific displays, and hands on panels with switches and doo-hickeys to play with.

Remember, this was before the space shuttle was operational. Saturn 5 rockets were the top technology at the time. We saw one, laying in display on its side. It was huge. We got to sit inside a real command module from the Apollo, and the Gemini capsule, too.

I felt like such a big guy, making a cross state journey with Uncle Ronny. Not Mom. Not Dad. Just us men. On the road. (Jack Keroac would be another tale)

I remember we made the trip on the cheap. We stayed in a really ratty motel in Titusville and got our meals from the Publix just up the street. We turned down the sheets on one of the beds, and stamped in big bold black letters on the corner of the top sheet was the word “REJECTED”. Now we weren’t sure who rejected the sheets, or why, but we laughed and laughed. Some crappy motel we chose, couldn’t even buy new sheets.

See? A happy moment… Thanks Ron

Originally written in March 2002 on DaveDorm:

It’s old. It’s beat up. It’s not even cool. But it was my uncle Ron’s briefcase. He died just after Christmas last year. I am slowly coming to terms with his death. They say journaling helps with grief….

Ronny went everywhere with his briefcase. When he was working as a political consultant, there were always ideas scribbled on yellow legal pads, political campaign flyers, cassette tapes for a candidate’s radio spots. He took it to work when he was a counselor for inner city youth at Operation PAR. As a book reviewer for the St. Petersburg Times, Ron would carry his copy to the typist (he never learned to type) or to his editor. Or, if he was working on his novel, was this where the manuscript was carried, too?

It’s just a briefcase. But that black hardshell Samsonite had seen a lot of miles. I identified this briefcase with Ronny, it was his livelihood inside.

I saw this among his possesions. I asked my dad if anyone had spoken for it. He said no, but we would have to go through its contents together before I just took off with it.

I agreed, we set the case on the hood of my car and opened it. Inside were papers for Ronny’s social security benefits, some medical information, and a bunch of newspaper clippings of a political nature.

Deeper inside was a small battered envelope with “photos” written on the outside. There were some jewels. A picture of Ronny with James Brown… the James Brown, the King of Soul. As soon as my dad will release the photo, I’ll get it scanned and posted. He said he would not let that one out of his sight.

I took the briefcase home and cleaned it. I found there is far less room in it than my backpack. But I am going to try carrying it to school, or at least keeping it in use somehow. To have that fragment of his life now a fragment of mine is very special to me.

It’s not just a briefcase.

I guess you could say I knew Ronny Lowe. I am his nephew David Lowe, son of his brother Nick. I knew Ron all my life and miss him terribly since he has been gone.

Ron was a large influence on my life. I did a lot of things that I can attribute to Ron’s coaching, including going back to college and getting a degree in 2003.

I have a website of my own and used to have stuff up about Ron, but lost all my archives in a failed backup file.

There was another site called Ron Lowe Write On, but it is now defunct. I am glad to see someone has put up a page about Ron and his life. I hope to bring more to the table as time goes on, but for now I will sign off. Jackofdays, darling you have done a wonderful thing here. Call me at (813) 404-7278 and maybe we can exchange stories. I’d really like that.

My website link is here, and I will leave you with a great picture of Ronny Lowe and the Dominoes circa the 80’s. He’s the one with the thumbs up!