It is hard to describe someone as complex, deeply knowledgeable and multi-dimensional as Bruce in just one word. But if we did, the one word would be straightforward.

Bruce was very candid and outspoken in his ideas and opinions, which he offered unashamedly on many different subjects. He was highly self-educated so he could go deep and wide in any discussion. But he also knew the limits of his knowledge and would defer to others who may be more enlightened on a given subject, listening keenly so he could learn. Bruce did not engage in a discussion based on a position of superficial knowledge or limited platitudes as many politicians do. He knew what he was talking about and he certainly had an opinion based on this knowledge. Bruce was a genuine human being. I am proud to call him my friend and will miss him dearly.

Bruce and I met for the first time in July 1984 and became instant friends for life.
Bruce joined 30 other people on a Colorado River rafting expedition through Grand Canyon in 1984 that was dubbed the Motorola-Sperry First Annual River Raft Trip. Although it was considered a private trip we managed to squeeze in one more “Leaping Limey” as Bruce introduced himself (and immediately endeared himself) to the group. With 2 large pontoon boats we headed out on an adventure that would take us 8 days to go 277 miles through some of the most beautiful and rugged scenery on earth. Little did we know that we were forging a relationship that would last for 32 years.

Bruce, Dick (another good friend) and I formed a tight friendship from the start that continues into his (and eventually our) after life. Looking and acting robust but unsure what he had gotten himself into, Bruce immediately began engaging everyone with his gregarious personality. He was bigger than life for most of the folks on the trip but Dick and I were immediately drawn to him. Being very experienced Grand Canyon hikers, we decided that we would need to look after this greenhorn so his large personality would not destroy the beauty of the Canyon and maybe himself. Bruce immediately surprised us with his deeper knowledge of the Grand Canyon.

We learned a lot from Bruce during the trip about history, culture, politics, people, mechanical engineering and life in general. We discovered that he did not like the “green gallopity glop” (aka guacamole) even though he never tried it. Bruce left a memento from England for someone to discover at Beaver Falls during our hike up from the river, walking within inches of a somewhat soggy rattlesnake that was washed down the canyon during a rain. He was fascinated by Mother Nature’s hot shower after a late afternoon rain absorbed all of the heat from the rocks as the water cascaded down the canyon walls, providing a welcome, warming relief to the 50 degree water temperature of the Colorado River. He managed to get some sleep the night we slept under the ledges but was reminded of the harshness of the desert when another crewmember woke up the next morning and shook 2 scorpions from his underwear and another from his shoe. The trip leader, who participated in most of our extensive conversations throughout the 8 days together, conducted a river ceremony and officially dubbed Bruce as “Sir Spent Prop” on the last evening. In recognition of his “knighthood”, Bruce was given a broken propeller tied to a length of boat rope (see photo).

On returning to Las Vegas from the river, Bruce talked me into driving slowly down the Las Vegas strip while Cecil B. DeWalmsley stood up in the back of my pickup truck with his elbows planted on the cab, legs spread wide to engage the sides of the pickup and shot a video while travelling down the Strip.

There was apparently some history to the moniker “Leaping Limey” as my wife Nancy and I learned when we visited Bruce at his home in Leyland in 1989. As we toured Wales with Bruce as our guide, ate fish and chips with mushy peas near Conwy Castle while the sun was still up around 10pm, met numerous friends of Bruce and went skiing on a dry ski slope, Bruce told us all about Thomas Telford, a Scottish civil engineer who designed numerous roads, canals, bridges, harbors and tunnels throughout England, Wales and Scotland. He demonstrated one of Telford’s works by “leaping” 6’ over one of Telford’s canals. Bruce had done this on several other occasions and hence, the legend of the “Leaping Limey” was born.

Bruce loved America (as he called it) and most things American. He lived and worked in the US for a number of years and travelled to the US almost every year over the time I knew him. Bruce knew more about American history, politics, geography, technology and culture than most US citizens. He read voraciously and could recall facts and stories to support his position on most topics. He had strong convictions about certain issues, politicians and laws in the US (and England). I loved talking and debating all sorts of topics with Bruce. We would talk for hours at a time and we both thoroughly enjoyed our discussions.

Bruce once asked me if I was stopped at a red light at 2 o’clock in the morning and no one was around, would I proceed through the red light? He then offered me some of Bruce’s wisdom that has stuck with me over the years. I often recite this Bruce mantra when I want someone to question the legitimacy of their position on an issue - “Laws were meant for the guidance of wise men and the obeyance of fools.”

Bruce always believed that both the US and England would always do the right thing, together, for the world, because we were both Judeo-Christian countries who shared similar convictions about what was right and wrong in the world. Bruce considered himself an Englishman but he was adamantly opposed to being called British. He liked Margaret Thatcher (“Maggie”) and Ronald Reagan, the “greatest president that America has ever known.” He considered his own politics as being “far to the right of Genghis Khan”. It was a challenge to take Bruce on in a political argument because he used a lot of facts (from all of his reading, listening to the radio and watching educational videos).

Like his feelings for his country, Bruce was extremely loyal to his friends and was very proud of his “American friends”. I know he often bragged about me to his friends because I had the opportunity to meet some of them when I visited Bruce during Easter weekend in 2001. I had just relocated to Ireland for a two-year work assignment in Cork and Nancy had not yet joined me. I was lonely and Bruce invited me to join him at his home in Leyland. I took the ferry from Ireland to England and drove to his home, slept in Suzanne’s now vacated bedroom and met Tony and several others at Tony’s motorcycle shop. Since Bruce had been talking to me about his friend Tony and to Tony about his American friend Bill, we both felt we already knew each other. We had a great time together, again talking about everything and anything, including my new assignment in Ireland. Little did I understand at that time, that Bruce was completely intolerant of anything Irish. Bruce absolutely hated the IRA and the Irish for killing people and blowing up things in England. When I returned to Ireland and Nancy later joined me, we called Bruce to invite him to come to Ireland for a visit. I was surprised when he told me he would never come to Ireland and that he would not be able to talk to me until I left Ireland. We picked up our friendship 2 years later, when we returned to the US. Although we had a lot to catch up on, there was no lingering animus.

Bruce was mechanically minded and worked as a machinist and mechanical engineer during his time in the US. He often sent me photos of various mechanical structures along with a complete history and detailed functional description of how the thing worked. We would talk at length about how things worked. Bruce supported his discussions with lots of facts and details. He loved everything military and knew more about the world’s weapon systems than most people who built or used these weapons. He often talked with uniformed military personnel during his travels and always thanked them for their service, including my former son-in-law who he met at our home in Tempe, AZ.

Whenever Bruce came to the US, we would try to find a way to see each other. Nancy and I met Bruce and his daughter Suzanne in California with our daughters (Kerri and Jill). We went to Disneyland in Anaheim and Medieval Times, which was a through back to early England with jousts and English food. It was great fun sharing our families with each other. In later years, he would fly into Calgary Canada and he would travel around the western US with Enid. We were fortunate to meet Enid on several of his trips south to Tucson. He loved the Pima Air and Space Museum, Tombstone and the shootout at the OK Corral and watched Nancy push the launch button in a decommissioned missile silo to start a nuclear war at the Titan Missile Museum.

Bruce was Suzanne’s biggest cheerleader. Whenever he would call (usually on the weekends because he could talk for an hour at low rates), he always mentioned Suzanne and inquired about our girls, Kerri and Jill. I think he set a timer on the call because he would always end the call right around an hour with “Well, my man …”. He would talk about Suzanne’s accomplishments at her job and really admired her husband Matthew (it took some time for them to grow on each other because Bruce was not very keen on Matthew inbitially). He was very proud of his twin grandsons. I’m not certain but I think Bruce tried to leave a legacy of awe and wonder for his grandsons. In his later travels, he started travelling with a stuffed bear and took photos with him and the bear during his travels.

The world was a better place whenever Bruce was around. He brightened and enhanced my life in ways that no one else I know will ever do. He caused me to think and reflect on things. He challenged my beliefs and he learned some things in the process. He educated me in a variety of ways that all of my years of education could not. He helped me to see things in a way that was unique and thought provoking. He was my friend. I miss him.