I have been in this club for almost ten years now, and in my time I have yet to witness another person with the character of Yacko. How do you honor that? How do you tell the new members about this great guy who left such a huge impact on the club? How do we let Yacko know that he will be missed?

Here today, we do so by awarding him a Golden Lightsaber.

Bloodfyre said to me the other day that when he is gone he wants people to say of him "yeah, he was a great guy, you should have known him, and he did some pretty cool stuff too." I think when I will look back at the DB in a few years, I will say that about Yacko. He has been a truly driving and innovative force in this club. From his time in Taldryan as an amazing Quaestor and Proconsul, to his ascent to SHW and eventually to Justicar, Yacko has displayed an uncanny ability to lead and inspire others. He is simply one of the most gifted members I have ever met in this regard. He has a no-bullshit attitude that inspires confidence in his abilities and motivates those around him. That is something that is truly rare, indeed.

Beyond that, Yacko has a one-of-a-kind personality. He is hilarious when you get to know him. Despite years of taking hits from him, I still laugh when he cracks a joke at my expence. He's always been a good friend to all, has been able to give great advice and knows when the problems are just too dumb to even deal with. I think those who know him well would agree with me that his antics will go down in the history of the DB as some of the best. Yacko has always been simply amazing.

Over the last two and a half years, Yacko has been our Justice system. We took it for granted for a long time how much he actually did to keep things afloat in that regard. It is painfully clear now how important Yacko has been - his retirement leaves a gaping hole for us to attempt to fill. I am greatful that he has done this for so long, and only hope that he will be around in some capactity for a long time.

Yacko is a great leader, and a good friend. He deserves all the honors we can bestow upon him.

Congratulations on the GLS, Yacko, and thank you for everything. Don't go far -- we miss you already.

Jac Cotelin, 2005-09-19 22:00:00 UTC