In Memorium: Ronald D. Powell
Jayne Defrancesco
Jayne Defrancesco
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Sadly one of the contributors and author Ron Powell passed away on Sept 25 this year.
Ronald D. Powell, 77, passed away on September 25, 2023 in Atlantic City, NJ after a brief illness. Ron, as he was called by friends and family, was born on August 18, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas to Mitchell Dale-Ward Powell and Mary Magdalene Powell. He spent most of his life living in Connecticut. He graduated from Wilbur Cross High School
in 1964, earned a BA degree from Howard University in 1968 and JD degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1971. He was awarded a Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship following his graduation from law school and worked as a community legal advocate in the legal services offices in New Britain and New Haven. Ron served his country in the U. S. Air Force from 1972-1973 and was honorably discharged at the rank of 1st Lieutenant. During his career as a teaching attorney, he was the director of the African American cultural centers at both Yale University and the University of
Connecticut. He was also a Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Hartford where he created the Connecticut Legislative Internship Program. He also established the Executive Branch Internship for undergraduate students at the State Capitol in Hartford. During this time, he produced and hosted a TV program called “Black Prospective” which aired weekly on the NBC affiliate located in Hartford as part of their public service broadcasting. Ron authored a book and blog entitled “Talking to the Wall” at BindleSnitch.com and was the author of nine of the top ten most read political posts at the website. Ron retired from Stockton University in Galloway, NJ where he taught “Media Law and Ethics” and “Mass Communications”. He was a keyboard performer for 45 years. He played piano solos each Sunday at the Capriccio Restaurant in the Resorts Casino. He was also an avid collector and historian of recorded jazz. He is survived by his son Ronald and brothers Martin and Wesley and nephew Michael Powell, niece Vanessa Bear and grandnephews Be
ntley and Andre Bear. He also leaves a friend of 20 years Jayne W. DeFrancesco. Services are private and at the convenience of the family. Interment will be at the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Mays Landing, NJ. Arrangements by and condolences at www.adams-perfect.com
I sent the following to his friend Jayne:
Ron was a mainstay for BindleSnitch. As a matter of fact, he was one of the main reasons that I have been keeping Bindlesnitch open since he was our most prolific contributor. I knew Ron from Open Salon and he is one of the few people left from that crew that I’ve stayed in touch with.
You have my deepest condolences. It should go without saying that we will miss him…because we have already been missing him. I would have wanted to hear his opinions about what is going on right now in the Middle East.
Sincerely,
BindleSnitch.com
11/06/2023 @ 11:05 pm
I lost a high school classmate with whom I was still close a week ago….and now this. We have all lost people but somehow it feels like we’re coming to the end of an era….or maybe an epoch.
11/07/2023 @ 10:19 am
This one hurts in a very particular way. Frankly, the hurt is a bit of a surprise for me, and here is what I mean by that.
Sadly, I have endured an awful lot of death. I am among the youngest of my generation in my family, so I have watched grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins pass. So many shared songs and popcorn balls, and experiences of their vibrating presence have come to an end. I knew early on that this would be the case when I was quite young, being the 29th of 31 first cousins.
And of course, there are the deaths of celebrities that came to define certain eras for you, figures from television, or sports, what have you. In all of these transitions, I felt the separation in various ways. Always sad, but the saddest, oddly enough were not the most emotive. Not at first anyway. The saddest came with stunned staring at a wall, and trying to collect my shattered thoughts. No words seem to do the person the proper respect or justice. Sadness and loss seem inadequate. This is how I felt about my parents.
Ron and I were never close, but the news of Ron’s passing leaves me feeling that highest level of loss. It surprises me somewhat, but that is far from important to me. While he was getting on in years, and apparently his health wasn’t great, it is not the probabilities that affect me. It is merely the binary reality of his being here, and his passing. I would greatly prefer that he were here.
I’ll miss you, Ron.
11/07/2023 @ 11:33 am
We circle the wagons and keep on truckin’. What else can we do?
11/08/2023 @ 2:29 pm
Thank you for acknowledging Ron and his loss is more painful than I expected also. I hadn’t really given any thought to his not being here. We spoke,texted, emailed some form of conversation everyday., often more than once daily..
11/07/2023 @ 2:06 pm
shocked and sad
11/07/2023 @ 8:25 pm
Thank you all for appreciating and engaging Ron.Ron’s passing is overwhelming and reading theses responses solidified his worth.
11/07/2023 @ 9:22 pm
I’m really, really sorry to hear this.
Thanks for telling us. May his memory be a blessing.
I was involved with him online for a long time, at first at the first OS. He was involved with me in the effort to move people to Our Salon when Open was no longer functioning properly. Later, he suggested the book and invited those of us in the original conversation that inspired the book to participate.
I had a zillion arguments with the man, damned near all of them because we were on the same side. He cared.
I’ll miss him. I already had.
11/08/2023 @ 2:35 pm
Ron introduced you to me virtually. He updated me on your background when you first began posting back & forth. Ron respected you and enjoyed your time and banter.Thank you for being a significant part of his life as he often times felt very alone.
11/08/2023 @ 3:03 am
I shall see you again on stone, someday soon, hear your joy as sunlight fades, forever sunrise we’ll share, our pond reflection afore the Monument, placid fog rolls, now shrouds New Orleans, wafts all 24 hours here there forever tranquil — I try not to cry, often fail, no relief — good grief — Godspeed my brother, animated all as angels and we tap-tap-tap at rest so near wild horses and embrace: free at last FREE AT LAST
11/08/2023 @ 8:06 am
Ron’s obit is lovely. A remarkable resume, a large family, a long time lady friend, and 77 years of life. That’s a good hand.
When Trump was indicted and Ron did not post, I was concerned. If all had been well in Ron world, he would have been savoring justice and schadenfreude, would have been weighing in daily with his lawyerly insight.
I argued with him often, but never felt disrespected. He did not mansplain or insult, always fought fair, a rare approach in internet discussions.
I’m glad to have known Ron Powell.
11/08/2023 @ 4:27 pm
I was keeping BindleSnitch open mostly for Ron’s benefit. Now, it seems that it is becoming his memorial. So it goes…
11/08/2023 @ 6:31 pm
Thank you for reflecting on your friendship with Ron. Your description is poignant. I believe he actually taught me how to argue and the mansplain comment is so on point. Your thoughtful condolences are appreciated.
11/09/2023 @ 10:59 am
Jayne, the internet is strange in how you can have friends you never met in real space and time.
I encountered Ron at an experimental site, a wild west of creative souls with a myriad of perspectives, hosted by Salon dot com. Ron wrote about social justice, hypocrisy, racism, while I wrote about art and nature. I can’t remember now how our paths crossed. He valued the perspective of an OS blogger and Salon journalist, Chauncey DeVega. I read Chauncey’s blog too, and comment streams at OS were where most people met. Chauncey is still writing Salon features, and I think of Ron when I read them.
Ron wasn’t inclined to make personal posts, but occasionally he’d post selected youtube clips of musicians he admired, and say a little about why. Last year I asked if he had any clips of him playing, and he posted a vid of him playing a shiny grand piano in an elegant restaurant setting. He was really good! It was a complete surprise, not only to ‘see’ him, but listen to him making music. After many years of reading his thoughts, there was plenty I didn’t know.
Maybe Alan will keep this site up for a little while, so you can wander through some of Ron’s posts. Maybe I’ll do some wandering too. The piano post is linked below, although I’m pretty sure you’ve heard him play 🙂
The last two comments in the stream are his clip and my response.
I’ll miss him.
11/09/2023 @ 8:46 pm
Hi Suzzanne I’ve followed Ron’s posts and editorials since we became friends almost 30 years ago. Ron was writing op-ed pieces for a local community paper The Inner City News. There are also a couple of videos on YouTube of Ron playing. He was an amazing man and I miss him immensely. Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
11/10/2023 @ 7:18 am
Jayne, that’s a cool photo of Ron in print, looking professional and sartorial, and with a powerful painting behind him. I couldn’t read the type, but it looks like he had lots to say, as always.
Thirty years is a long time. I’m glad to know that Ron had a dear friend to miss him. It’s hard growing older. Diminishing health is what everyone thinks, but it’s also about losing people we were young with.
Thank you for coming to tell us about Ron.
11/10/2023 @ 12:26 pm
Yes the article is online NY Times Archives if you’d like to read it. He was interviewed in February 1989 in conjunction with recognizing Black History Month while at Yale.
11/11/2023 @ 8:51 am
Jayne, my NYTimes subscription is a free educator subscription and doesn’t give access to archives (or the recipes!). Ron and I used to talk teaching (I’m a college prof too). He ran a tight no nonsense classroom that I admired, but lack his temperament and resolve. He may have thought of me as a hand-holder 🙂
NYT lets you ‘gift’ links to articles, so non-subscribers can get behind their paywall. If you have archive access, I’d love to read that article, as would others here am guessing. If not, no worries, I can access through the college library.
11/10/2023 @ 11:40 am
I am going to keep Bindle open as long as I can absorb the costs but someone else will have to take over once I become too senile to continue patching it together. There are ways to preserve websites into perpetuity. I will be looking into them.
11/11/2023 @ 9:05 am
“once I become too senile”
Alan, worth mentioning is that you’ve been saying you’re on the verge of senility for nearly a decade, yet so far, I haven’t seen the signs ❤️
11/11/2023 @ 2:23 pm
How can you tell when I can re-edit everything to remove my mistakes?
11/09/2023 @ 4:40 pm
He was eloquent.
11/10/2023 @ 12:34 pm
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Ron’s passing as well. My online relationship with him was probably a bit different from those who had so many lively discussions with Ron. (And very civil arguments, compared to what much of the world seems to believe are acceptable communication styles.)
He was a supporter of my artwork, and always encouraged me. Several times offered, quite sincerely, to act as agent on my behalf, because he believed he could be successful at it. What a great compliment! I very much appreciated this but couldn’t see a financially viable way to get my paintings across the country to him., so it never happened.
I will miss him.
11/11/2023 @ 9:01 am
Hi Rose 🙂
Sweet gesture by Ron. Ron enjoyed art (it was cool to see the beautiful painting behind him in Jayne’s article) and his compliments felt sincere. His thing was logic, which art isn’t, yet he’d always find words to express his appreciation.
It’s been bumming me out that Ron is gone and Trump survives. I feel like a horrible human wishing it was the other way around.
11/11/2023 @ 1:47 pm
~~ 1st Lieutenant Ronald D. Powell, U. S. Air Force ~~ Again it is Veteran’s Day
I stand alone — weak as a mama’s boy — assured ‘how very many did not come home’. I’ll fess for awhile thumb and trigger finger upon the dial. For sure to blink and breathe deep, say a prayer, now fall asleep. The woman might say survivor’s guilt and ask why I gloss shine my jump boots. Why, there’s leaves on the grass, wind just right and my windshield wipers are worn. Don’t read to me about battle lore. You’ve gone way back: that subtle rhyme about ‘four score’. How’s this old home town come of age? You pumping iron and my pictures of our weeping flags: incessant horizontal rain, your guitar asleep, ground zero, honey, you’ll always be my hero. Sing it loud about chariots, touch me as you like! We’ll celebrate all our days and nights. 75 minutes I say: first light. Our heros gave us the next moment and this vast expanse. Watch how I expand my arms to the dark sacred night …. Here beneath these crosses row on row … pure love upon free souls … you and me … let’s clasp hands beneath our balloon and allow God to trim sail.
11/19/2023 @ 12:58 am
Ron is gone, oh my.
My condolences to friends and family, from an internet acquaintance. I remember finding the video of him playing at a club, years ago. When I posted the link and asked if it was him, he wrote back and said it was! I still smile thinking about that, what a talented man, and a real gentleman. Even when we had our disagreements, he still posted for me a single rose one time. Making it ‘real’.
Thank you, Alan for letting us know. Ladies, good to see your words again. I have missed you and thought of you often.
Sincerely,
Julie Johnson, still here on the outskirts of Scruffy City, Tennessee