June 8, 2009 - The DSVC Banquet

This past weekend was pretty big for Paul. We attended the Dallas Society of Visual Communications annual banquet. Through the years, Paul has been very active with the group - which is the largest, independent visual communications organization in the country - even serving on the Board for several years and as president in 2002. The banquet serves as an award show to recognize exceptional work from Dallas area graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers for the year. As it turned out, two pieces that Paul worked on at MasonBaronet as creative director in 2008 prior to the accident were accepted into the show so that is one reason we decided to attend. The other is that the DSVC has been a huge source of support for us since Paul's accident and many of the members, who he has become friends with over the years, had not seen him since before the accident or early on at the hospital. I was very nervous about attending the show but I know that Paul has come so far this year and continues to improve every day. I also knew that the people that would see him at the show will see him again down the road and, as he continues to recover, will appreciate even more how well he is doing and how hard he is fighting.

Of course, our hope was that Paul would be able to walk into the show but, since he is not quite there yet, we took the wheelchair. We rode over with some friends, Pete and Micki Lacker, and got their early to look at all of the artwork that was displayed before taking a seat at our table with the group from MasonBaronet. From that point on, person after person stopped by the table to see Paul. I don't know why I was even worried! Everyone was so nice, so encouraging, and so genuinely excited to see him. By the time the show started, I think we were both extremely happy that we were there.

Then, Jennifer Brehm, the current president, began the show off by acknowledging that Paul was there, explaining to the 400 or so in attendance what had happened to him, said how happy they were to see him, and how far he has come this year. Suddenly, there was a spotlight on Paul and he was receiving a standing ovation from the crowd! It was one of the most amazing things that I have ever experienced so I can't imagine how Paul felt. If I remember correctly, he looked a little shocked but I know Paul well enough to know that he would never admit it, but he loves being in the spotlight , although I don't know about an actual spotlight. He did spell out for me later that he was overwhelmed. It was just so touching. Since Paul's accident, it has seemed like our life has been so far away from what it was before, I honestly never thought we would again be attending a DSVC banquet, which incidentally was a big night out for us each spring. But, while we were there, it felt right and I realized that our pre-accident life and post-accident life are slowly beginning to come back together. And, that designing will always be a part of who Paul is so no matter what. He still has the passion and the determination and, even after receiving a standing ovation, still expressed regret that he didn't win an award this year so I know he still has the drive and competitiveness.

I just want to thank the DSVC Board, especially Jennifer Brehm, Samantha Reitmayer, Tom Dennis, and Brandi Lefleur for going out of their way to make attending easy for us, for making us feel so welcome, and for providing an exceptional experience. It was a special night for both of us and I know that, for Paul, it was like a pep rally that gave him a boost to keep working. I included this photo of us at the banquet and have more that I will try to post soon. Unfortunately, I don't have one of Paul during the ovation. I had a camera but was overcome by emotion and wasn't thinking clearly enough to pick it up and take a picture.

Thank you, everyone, again for you support.

Patty