Remembering Jason Scott, a talented colleague

On April 30th, I received news that Jason Scott, of Kings Mtn., North Carolina, one of our most talented staffers at Shadow Archer Press passed away. He was very young, only 29, and left behind a young daughter, Lily and wife, Amanda.
I have now added a Jason Scott Memorial page up at the Shadow Archer Press Website.  http://www.shadowarcherpress.com/jasonscottmemorialpag.htm
Already people are sending in their memories and thoughts about how Jason made an impact on their lives.  For any staffers, contributors or readers who would like to add anything:  writing, photos of Jason, poetry, music, art,...hell, his favorite movies, please send it to gail_gray@bellsouth.net and I'll gladly add it to his page.  Even the things we might think inconsequential such as how, the night Jason left us, B. Miller, Rick Huffman and Jason Cloninger and I met, talked about Jason, cried and watched zombie movies in Jason's honor. He loved zombie movies. It was the first time I ever sat all the way through a zombie movie. As much as I write horror, I can barely watch horror movies - (too many nightmares afterwards) so, even though I had to put my hand over my eyes and look a way from time to time, I hope Jason would be proud that I made it all the way through the movie.  I never would.ve done it for anyone else.
Please add your ideas about Jason, any plans you have for Jason type-activities, anything that will keep him alive in our minds and remind us of his many varying facets.  When we get enough, pages Ill print them all in a chapbook -maybe even a series of chapbooks for Amanda and Lily (hopefully this will help Lily remember her dad) -so don't forget the art. 
I met Jason through his friend, Brian K. Ladd, even before there was any idea for Fissure mgazine with Shadow Archer Press. Right form the start Jason was involved.
Jason could do everything. He was trained in North Carolina at the McDowell Technical Community College for Graphic Design.

 He was a talented painter and writer who used these platforms to challenge people's pre-conceived concepts. He laid out a number of the covers for Fissure magazine. We published his poetry, rants and paintings in various issues of Fissure.
I knew him as a complex, highly intelligent, deep thinking person. Like many in the creative fields, he was as individual as you could get, with a quick, wry sense of humor and a love for all things horror.
Except for the horrors perpetrated on people by society’s limited viewpoints.
With his penetrating eyes, he was dramatic and thought-provoking, often giving you a sideways look to see how your brain worked when he tossed out a new concept or worldview. He taught me about being strong in the face of dissension and always, always being true to the self.
He also showed me a lot about the fine edge of humor and how, when used correctly, it can make people think. Everything he did, from his artwork to his conversations was to make people aware change was always necessary. Of all the people I've met in my life and in this field, he was the most adept at waking people up with one simple sentence. I never left even a brief conversation with him, without having something to turn over in my mind. It was often a two-fold challenge: the way the world was and how it could be different, but there was also an internal component. A profound challenge to reassess who we are and what we stand for.
He lived far away from the rest of the staff so he and I held our staff meetings at a McDonald's off US Interstate 85 in Kings Mtn. North Carolina. I'd never be able to find his place in the country without getting lost.
After a few humorous remarks, our discussions would get serious and we'd get down to work. I trusted his opinions and his technical knowledge regarding the printing business. I always drove back home on that highway with a different view of the world. This is a terrible loss to everyone, especially his family, but his friends now have huge holes in their hearts. Fissure and Shadow Archer Press are now bereft of the talent he had to offer and his personal unique, one of a kind, perspective. Hopefully, we can all carry a piece of Jason within us and remember to speak up in whatever media or forum when we see the need. Jason would not hesitate to do so. We must now be his voice.