Just Over a Year Ago We Lost One of the Bright Young Lights in Numismatics

[TomB]

I apologize to Chad for not having this thread up on the one year anniversary of his passing, but I must have allowed day-to-day life to get in the way of posting this thread for him.

 

Chadler Alan Williford, better known to us as Chad, SilverEagles92 or munkeyman95, passed away April 30, 2010 at the age of seventeen years. Chad had joined us on the NGC and PCGS boards several years previous to his death and grew not only as a numismatist, but also as a young man in that time. I was fortunate to have an early interaction with Chad that led us to send messages to one another fairly frequently and allowed me to watch as he became more logical, analytical and passionate about numismatics and from afar to see him grow. Chad liked to play around on the boards and some might have interpreted that as lacking discipline or a serious nature, but he was able to apply himself to many subjects and would have been spectacular at near anything he could have chosen if given the chance.

 

When I read that Chad had passed away I could not believe it; could not believe that someone so young and talented and vibrant with such passion and potential could be gone without recourse. Unfortunately, this was the case. I bookmarked his obituaries at Apex Funeral Home News & Observer. I never met Chad in person and his life in North Carolina was a bit removed from mine in New England, but I do visit his obituary on occasion to have a short moment of silence. Sometimes I even speak to him briefly.

 

Early in Chad’s online numismatic journey he purchased an exquisitely original Capped Bust quarter from me. The coin was raw and I had only shortly before that time obtained it from a show in MA. He loved the coin and surprised me by not only having it sent to PCGS for certification, but also by paying to get TrueView images taken. The coin was graded by me as a G6 and by PCGS as a VG8, but that didn’t matter to either of us because we both thought it was a simply gorgeous piece of American history. He was concerned about the planchet flaws near the edge, but I told him PCGS would grade the coin. Later, he needed to raise some quick cash and so the coin was sold, but he regretted selling it and posted on the boards that he missed the coin and that it might have been his favorite piece. Opportunity knocked on his door and he purchased the coin again, only to be forced a short while later to again list it for sale. I purchased the coin from him, but told him to keep the coin as a gift from me to him; he was quite touched by the gesture. Later, in another financial pinch, he was again forced to sell the coin. The last time he sold the coin was shortly before he passed away. I posted a thread on the boards asking for assistance in obtaining this particular piece and was finally able to reacquire this favorite coin.

 

Today I bring this coin to shows with me and whenever I have a table it is displayed in the middle of a case with “NFS” (Not For Sale) listed under the slab. Invariably, this causes multiple show patrons to ask about the coin wondering if it is a difficult variety or what the story attached to the coin might be. I then tell them about this young man whom I knew, who had so much to live for and was so well equipped to handle a variety of challenges, but who never had the opportunity to explore the world and find his niche. It has brought tears to the eyes of strangers, has led to handshakes and to quite moments. Chad might be gone, but he is not forgotten and I hope he is on a greater journey. Good bye, my friend, and take care.

 

 

 

[Chris1976]

Nice tribute and dedication Tom. Your post was also very nice to read.

 

-Chris#2

[delta]

Thanks for sharing that heart-rending story. Did he realize his days were soon to come to an end even while he studied numismatics? Can you tell us about the nature of his illness? Was the date 1818 on his favorite coin any indication that he had advance knowledge it would be a struggle for him to attain the age of 18? If it's an emotional burden to answer these questions, please ignore them. My belated condolences to you as his friend and mentor.

[x2rider]

Nice Tom

I can't believe a year has passed He really was a bright light

 

R I P Chad

[James_OldeTowne]

One year?! Wow, time goes by so fast.

 

I remember Chad well, of course, having followed is young career as well. We did several mutually enjoyable coin transactions, and I always thought this young man would really be someone important to numismatics someday.

 

RIP, Chad. And Tom, thank you for your marvelous tribute. It entices us to take a moment and think about the brevity of Life.

 

[kryptonitecomics]

A truly sad story but he seems to have lived more life in his 17 years than a lot of folks do in their 50's.......my heart still goes out to the parents of this fine young man.

[tejas1836]

I only knew Chad through this forum. I was surprised to hear of his death and it was then that I learned that he was only 17. I had thought he was much older. As you said Tom, he's gone but not forgotten.

[bsshog40]

Nice tribute Tom. I enjoyed conversing with Chad myself and enjoyed is humor here on the boards. He was a great guy! 1 Year, man time just flies by us all without realizing sometimes what has passed. Thanks for the rememberance!

[lcoopie]

I don't speak Yiddish, but there is a word for a man like you,

Mensch.

 

MenschFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the Yiddish word. For the album by Herbert Grönemeyer, see Mensch (album).

Mensch (Yiddish: מענטש mentsh; from German: Mensch, for "human being") means "a person of integrity and honor".[1] The opposite of a mensch is an Unmensch (meaning: an utterly cruel or evil person). According to Leo Rosten, the Yiddish maven and author of The Joys of Yiddish, mensch is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous."[2]

 

In Yiddish (from which the word has migrated as a loanword into American English), mensch roughly means "a good person." A mensch is a particularly good person, like "a stand-up guy," a person with the qualities one would hope for in a dear friend or trusted colleague. Mentschlekhkeyt (Yiddish: מענטשלעכקייט, German: Menschlichkeit) are the properties which make one a mensch.

 

During the Age of Enlightenment in Germany the term "Humanität", in the philosophical sense of compassion, was used to describe what characterizes a "better human being" in Humanism. The concept goes back to Cicero's Humanitas and was literally translated into the German word Menschlichkeit and then adapted into "mentsh" in Yiddish language use.

 

In Modern Israeli Hebrew, the phrase Ben Adam (בן אדם) is used as an exact translation of Mensch. Though it usually means simply "a person" (literally, "son of Adam") in general, it is used to mean "a nice guy" in the same way as mensch. This usage may have developed by analogy with Yiddish or by adaptation from Arabic (from which colloquial Israeli Hebrew takes much vocabulary), in which the cognate construction Bani Adam (بني آدم) has the same meaning.

 

 

[WinstonWare]

It is still difficult to believe.

[chinook]

(thumbs u

[123cents]

What a great tribute. Thank you Tom! Chad was only 17 but had wisdom far beyond his years when it came to numismatics and many other things in life. Chad also brought a sense of humor and fun to these forums that can't be replaced. You are truly missed my friend.

 

 

[rrantique]

Thanks for the remembrance Tom. Chad was like a sponge absorbing so much in his short time with us. Last year was a sad one for us here with Rey Brown,Lou (IGWT) and Chad all passing.

[cpm9ball]

Thanks for posting this, Tom. I'm glad that you were able to recover the coin. I know exactly how you feel about it.

 

I miss Chad, too! and Rey and Lou and Pete

 

Chris

[MarkFeld]

Tom, thanks for such an obviously heart felt post.

 

You already had my respect, but you have added greatly to it.

[comicdonna]

Tom, thanks for such an obviously heart felt post.

 

You already had my respect, but you have added greatly to it.

+1

[WoodenJefferson]

Every now and then I read the PM's Chad and I shared behind the scenes...not once did he ever mention any type of illness that could and one day did, end his life early.

 

 

[robec1347]

Thank you Tom for your exceptional post. My jaw also hit the floor when I first read about Chad. I had no idea of his medical condition and what he was going through. As far as I know, he never let on to anyone on these boards of his suffering. A truly great young man taken from us much too soon.

 

Here is one of his coins that I was fortunate to have imaged for him.

 

RIP Chad.

 

[physics-fan3.14]

Wow, what a touching tribute to a valued member. I can't believe its been a year already.

[nunfa0]

That was a wonderful tribute Tom. It seems to me that this young man lived his life to the fullest and has left a legacy in the memories of his friends.

[HiHoAudio]

A year can go by in the blink of an eye.

 

Beautiful post Tom, I'm sure that Chad is smiling in heaven reading it.

[Siggi Palma]

Even though I´m new here and did not know the young man, I can clearly see he was someone that you tought of dearly and was a friend.

 

My condolances to you and everyone that knew him.

 

It is nice to see when people remeber friends with such words as yours

 

Siggi

 

 

[Dudley the 1st]

Everyday we loose members of our fraternity, but it's doubly difficult to loose one so young, as was the situation with Chad. However, you all honor him with your remembrance's . Nicely done tom.

[jtryka]

Very nice tribute Tom, Chad was a great member of our community and is sorely missed. I still have the VG 1808/07 half I bought from him, and like your quarter it is part of my permanent collection now.

[Coindude]

I was a friend of Chad. We had many pleasant coin transactions and still have a few of them. He was quite the wheeler dealer, and if you didn't know he was a teen you would never guess it. I always enjoyed bantering with Chad on a variety of subjects. Thank you Tom for the tribute.

[jgrinz]

Thanks Tom that was a great remembering of a MAN too soon taken from us.

A wheeler and dealer he was but never to the extreme. Man did he like to banter taking the contrarian view on a subject just to get me pissed off, then at the end saying "Just joking man " - Never met him but would have liked to ...

RIP Chad

[TomB]

Chad's enthusiasm, knowledge and wisdom were a terrific combination. It has been two years now, but I still think of you.

 

[physics-fan3.14]

Yeah, I still think of Chad and Lou and Rey when I'm looking through old threads. I see them, their contributions, their coins, and I can't help but feel the loss. RIP guys.

[rrantique]

Yeah, I still think of Chad and Lou and Rey when I'm looking through old threads. I see them, their contributions, their coins, and I can't help but feel the loss. RIP guys.

 

+1

[123cents]

We have lost some great guys on this forum and Chad was certainly one of them.