Jay was born in Worcester Massachusetts on 03 September 1968. He grew up in Hubbardston, a small town in Worcester county where he attended the Center school, and then Quabbin High in Barre. He was a boy scout, and also served as an alter boy at Holy Spirit Catholic church in Gardner. As boys, Jay and I spent a lot of time riding our bikes around town, and at an early age we started delivering newspapers for the Gardner News. Jay and I started running shortly after being inspired by the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal. Although I am a decent runner, I could never match the speed of Jay. We entered a number of races over the years and I do not believe I was ever able to beat him! People could tell us apart by our posture and our demeanor. He would always stand erect, straight as an arrow, while I was content to sit back and slouch! Sometimes we would skip school. I would go off to the sand pit and shoot at cans with my .22, while he would go off somewhere and read Shakespeare or Dante!
Jay attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduating with a bachelors degree in English. Over the years he developed a mastery of the English language, and studied the classics. He was particularly fond of the works of Victor Hugo, and also took an interest in medieval history, Latin and the medieval church. He moved to New Zealand and earned a CELTA certificate and ended up teaching English to non-English speakers in Hamilton, New Zealand. He moved back to the United States in 2005 where he began teaching at the Fletcher School. He also served as the schools first cross country coach. Jay was a prolific reader and writer. In 2014 he published An Ocean of Stories which is a collection of tales and sketches that he had worked on over the years. Just before his death his novel Astrolabe was published. It is his masterpiece and shows the true genius of my brother. It is the story of a young man, the son of the 12th century scholar Peter Abelard and his lover Heloise. He battles the inner demons within himself, and the conflict of his emotions pertaining to good and evil. At the same time it is a love story that transcends the boundaries of time. Another collection of short stories called A Forest of Stories is forthcoming and should be available sometime in the next few months. It is a collaborative effort that I have joined him in, and he worked on editing the stories with his wife Tina and his sister in law Tracy up until he no longer had the capacity to do so. He has also left some unfinished writings which I will be working on to complete. However, Jay's biggest achievement was nurturing the young minds of his students.
I loved my twin brother. I will find it hard to move on into the uncertain future without him. When he died, part of me died with him. I was there with him at the beginning, and I held his hand at the end knowing before he took his last breath when it would come. I cannot explain this except to say that I was his twin. We were inseparable, but I know that he will always be there as his essence is a part of my soul that can never be detached from me. I will plod onward toward my own destiny. The ghost of my twin helping me toward the finish line...
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