A TRUE PROFESSIONAL

Greg and Terry were visiting us in Garner this past Summer - I think it was in early August. We hadn't spent as much time with our best friends as we had in years past, so we had a lot of card playing to catch up on as well as time together. Matt and Mary were coming to Raleigh for the Tom Petty concert at the outdoor amphitheater not far from our house. They had time before the concert so we invited them over for dinner before the show. When they arrived, Matt and Mary pulled in the driveway in this big, luxury BMW. I was impressed. We all sat outside on the deck on this beautiful Saturday afternoon snacking and drinking beer. Matt suggested we all come to the concert. It was tempting, but we had just purchased tickets to see U23D at the Imax theater. So the parents would do their thing while the "children" would do theirs. It was nice, though, to see that we had a common, musical taste. We all had dinner and I think both Matt and Mary enjoyed one of Ronnie's famous meals. My take on this short , but memorable visit was how cordial Matt was, somewhat reserved and very conversational. Now we have known the Fords for over 10 years and have heard (and shared) some of Matt's growing up history in NC. His behavior on this visit struck me as someone who had more than grown up, he was professional in his behavior, appearance and demeanor (plus the car was a nice touch). It was the last time we saw Matt and having him there truly enhanced a wonderful day. I wish it had been a longer visit.